The goal of this project was to explore opportunities and develop a concept to improve the safety for mountain recreationists. Recreational outdoor activities have become increasingly popular in the past years. Engaging in those activities is associated with certain risks. The research phase included interviews with various stakeholders from mountain rescuers to mountain recreationists as well as field trips to mountain rescue stations. Existing research was analyzed. To acquire a better understanding of current and potential future preventive and reactive measures for emergencies, mountain rescue operations and dangers in mountains were explored. Interviews and continuous contact with professionals and my collaboration partner Flir throughout the whole project helped to form and validate various ideas and concepts. In emergency situations topographic circumstances, natural dangers and atmospheric conditions like cold, altitude and weather make mountain rescue time- and resource intensive. When air rescue resources are limited or the sight is too low due to unfavorable weather or night, the response time can dramatically increase up to several hours or overnight. This leaves the patient exposed to the hazardous mountain environment. Drones have the ability to bridge the gap between rescuers and patients to provide help at a much earlier stage of the rescue operation. They are already used on a small scale in mountain rescue and im- provements in technology and legislation are expected.The result of this project is a system to provide aid for people in emergency situations, even if air rescue is not available, to help them better prevail in the moun- tain conditions. It consists of a range of attachments that can be connected to various drone models. The different modules that can be attached allow forsearch for people in avalanches, search for missing people and delivery of emergency supplies to people in need of rescue. The delivery module has been de- veloped as a representative part of the system. It can be used to deliver supplies like shelter- and first aid equipment long before the professional arrive on site.

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This paper presents the results of the spectrochemical analysis of a suite of rocks and rock minerals from the White Mountain magma series of New Hampshire and of some Finnish granites. The analysis elements are gallium, tin, lead, lithium, copper, and silver. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

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Communities of resistance are increasingly turning to radical tactics, including acts of civil disobedience, to fight back against encroaching fossil fuel infrastructure. The fight against the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) is no exception. The MVP is a 303-mile long proposed fracked gas pipeline in Virginia and West Virginia. I apply radical flank effect (RFE) theory and the theory of movement dynamism to understand the role of civil disobedience, as a radical flank, in the MVP resistance movement. I contribute to the literature on RFEs by focusing primarily on how the radical flank of this movement has affected within-movement social dynamics, like trust, unity, and interpersonal relations. I rely on 15 semi-structured interviews with pipeline fighters, both those who have and have not participated in acts of civil disobedience, to gain insight into the use of civil disobedience, as a radical flank in the movement. This movement has used diverse tactics to challenge construction of the MVP, making it a strong case for understanding the role of radical tactics, and their relationship to moderate tactics. I find several positive RFEs (energizing effects, connecting effects, engaging effects, uniting effects, and movement outcome effects) and some potential negative RFEs (conflict/alienation, fear of consequences and organizational risks). I also find evidence of movement dynamism in the form of an ecosystem of tactics which emerged in the MVP resistance movement. Movement actors kept moderate and radical flanks publicly separate for strategic reasons while overlapping membership bridged the social dynamics of the movement, encouraging cohesion and collective movement identity. / Master of Science / Communities concerned about climate change are increasingly breaking the law in order to make their voices heard and stop dangerous coal, oil and natural gas projects. These actions are called civil disobedience and they have been used for decades in the United States, most prominently in the Civil Rights Movement. One such example in the fight against climate change is the resistance to the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a 303-mile long proposed natural gas pipeline in Virginia and West Virginia. I use social movement theories to understand the role that civil disobedience has played in the Mountain Valley Pipeline resistance movement. Specifically, I look at how the use of civil disobedience in this movement has affected the social dynamics of the movement, like trust, unity, or relationships in the movement. I spoke with 15 community members who have been active in fighting this pipeline to learn more. This movement has involved a wide range of different tactics, including civil disobedience, so it is a strong example to study for this research. My interviews with the community members revealed several positive effects as a result of the use of civil disobedience in the movement as well as a few potential risks/dangers. I also found that civil disobedience was able to work together with other types of tactics in a vibrant ecosystem that included mutual benefit. At the same time, I find that community members sought to keep some of the illegal tactics separate from more moderate tactics, like lawsuits or public comment submissions, in order to keep the moderate tactics safe. Despite this separation, I find that significant overlap of community members across different types of tactics was able to maintain a cohesive, common identity and unify people who were participating in different tactics, but fighting the same pipeline.

This project included the following goals: 1. To review and assess the geomorphology and lake morphometry of Mountain Lake, Giles County, Virginia with regard to its age and origin. This included production of an updated bathymetric map of Mountain Lake using Sonar imaging of the lake bottom. 2. To evaluate present trophic conditions in the lake waters. This analysis included the first-reported nutrient conditions for input streams to the lake and rainwater. 3. To collect representative "modern" bottom sediment samples and to analyze these sediment samples for sedimentological characteristics, diatoms , and terrestrial pollen. This analysis focussed on present environmental conditions in the lake, and the determination of modern diatom thanatocommunities. 4. To collect complete bottom sediment cores from the lake. Coring was done using a diver-assisted manual coring device designed specifically for this project. 5. To analyze Mountain Lake sediment cores for sedimentology, age determination, and temporal differences in sediment characteristics, diatoms and pollen. This analysis focussed on interpretation and documentation of environmental changes through the lake's history. Primary discharge from the lake presently occurs through a leaky subterranean pathway associated with the deepest, crevice-like portion of the lake. This discharge results in the crevice drain not filling shut with sediment despite its location within the lowest portion of the lake. The lake structure, crevice, and subterranean drain are associated with a regional lineation feature represented in part by the path of Salt Pond Drain and a small input stream ("I-4") to the lake. Initial damming was caused by downdrop of overlying rock. The damming is not complete, and the rate of discharge through time is controlled, in part, by regional tectonic events and by a balance of hydrologic conditions and sedimentation factors. The present lake is generally oligotrophic in nature, with phosphorus representing the major limiting nutrient. Rainfall presently represents the largest source of nutrient to the lake. Present diatom flora in Mountain Lake includes 66 individual taxa, representing 25 genera. Of these, 12 forms or species have not been reported in Virginia inland waters prior to this project. The diatoms reflect the oligotrophic and circumneutral nature of the lake. At least seven diatom thanatocommunities can be defined in the lake, based on taxa, delineated by depth and nutrient conditions. The ratio metric of planktonic to littoral diatoms can be used to estimate past water depths in the lake from bottom sediment. An orange clay layer at 5 cm from the modern sediment/water interface represents human intervention in lake history, namely the hotel and road building in the early 20th Century. The age of the lake is greater than 6000 years. Specific 14C from sediment produced dates of 1860 +100, 4220 +50 and 6160 +70 bp. Within this interval, at least 6 extended periods of low or empty lake level occurred (at approximately 100, 400, 900, 1200, 1800, and 4200 yrs bp). Several of these low intervals are likely to correspond with cool dry conditions co-incident with solar minima events. When the lake has been low or empty, it has tended to develop Sphagnum bog conditions with the low lake surrounded by open or wooded meadows. Terrestrial flora surrounding the lake appears to have remained relatively similar through 6100 years, although red spruce originally accompanied hemlock. / Ph. D.

A study was conducted of the corticolous lichen community of Q. rubra on the southeast face of Salt Pond Mountain, Giles County, Virginia. These communities were examined according to altitude, vertical level on the tree, total lichen cover, lichen growth form composition, and the presence and abundance of foliose and fruticose species. Moss percentage cover was also estimated in situ as an indicator of available moisture trends. The results of this study indicate that, with the exception of fruticose lichens, the character and species composition of this lichen community does not vary directly in accordance with altitude. Most of the 48 fruticose and foliose lichen species examined exhibited their greatest frequency and abundance at a preferred vertical height above the ground. These lichen communities appear to lack the characteristics of those disturbed by atmospheric sulfur dioxide. / Master of Science