RC
Ryan Cueto
  • Environmental Earth Science
  • Class of 2019
  • Stratford, CT

Eastern Student Ryan Cueto of Stratford Undertakes Fieldwork Related to Undergraduate Research Project

2017 Aug 29

Eastern Environmental Earth Science (EES) students recently participated in hands-on fieldwork related to their respective undergraduate research projects. Ryan Cueto '19 of Stratford was one of the students who performed fieldwork with an EES professor-mentor as part of research that will continue into the fall semester in preparation for presentation at Eastern's spring 2018 CREATE conference.

Each student's research focuses on a different site of geologic interest. Cueto utilized images from Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill to create scaled models of select dinosaur tracks. These models will enable Cueto to characterize the geometry of tracks in ways that will help determine how many dinosaurs roamed the site approximately 200 million years ago. Cueto's mentor is EES Professor Drew Hyatt.

"Professor Hyatt, another student and I took approximately 500 images using a grid system that was arranged on the floor of the fossil bed in order to ensure an equal amount of image overlap between shots. We did this in order to recreate the dinosaur tracks in 3-D space using image-modeling software, thus enabling us to manipulate and view the reproductions to assist with further research. The accuracy of the model makes it possible to identify, isolate and mark a unique set of tracks in order to study species movement," said Cueto.

"The tracks can then be studied and analyzed individually using the software to make cross-sections to display track depth, claw shape and other unique variables within each track set more accurately. Besides assisting in studying the movement of the species, it also lends to applications in geological, paleontological and environmental studies."

"Undergraduate research allows students the opportunity to get involved with fieldwork, lab work and research in a way that varies from working in a classroom setting. After completing preliminary fieldwork and software training, the independence of the research process allows students focus on the aspect of the fieldwork in which they are most interested."

After graduating Cueto plans to start a career in order to gain work experience to further enhance his skill set and narrow his options in terms of focus before starting graduate school.

"My favorite thing about Eastern is the strong sense of community I feel here. I transferred here from two prior schools; I can truly say that I don't feel like a number when moving from class to class. I am able to talk to my professors after class hours, reliably, and the students here care about what they are studying and their futures. I feel that the smaller course sizes lead to more advanced discussion and a feeling of familiarity between the students and professors. This provides an environment that is conducive to deeper discussions. I think that the staff here genuinely cares about the success of their students and I am grateful that I can take advantage of the opportunities that Eastern offers."