Student Research Projects

Recent Independent Research Projects in the Geosciences

Geosciences Conference Presentations

Recent Projects:

2020-2021

Amanda Chen '22 (research assistant Fall 2020 and Geos 250 Spring 2021): Morphology and particle size across the three basins of Walden Pond - A reconstruction of landscape changes and mass wasting events of the past 700 years.
Jannitta Yao '21, Isabella Brunet '24 (summer research 2021): Building Stable Continents: Constraining the Peak P-T Conditions of Neo-Acadian Metamorphism in the Nashoba Terrane
Daeun Joyce Chung '24, Angela Douglass '24, Michelle Nishimoto '23 (summer research 2021): Uncovering a 1000 Year Old Record of Earthquakes in New England Lake Sediments Using a Multi-proxy Approach
Claire Hayhow '21 (summer research 2021): Participatory approaches to GeoHealth research: Developing methods for actionable science with community partners

2019-2020

Amanda Chen '22, Kayla Woodie '22 (summer research 2020): Creating a GIS database containing spatial data and sediment cores of Lake Baikal, Russia.

2017-2018

Amanda Hernandez ’18 (GEOS 350), Alexis Corcoran, ‘18 BISC major, Sarah Koenig, ‘17 ES major Herbicides and women's health: Analysis of 3 tampon brands for glyphosate contamination.
Charli Klein ‘19 (GEOS 350) Chemistry major, Seasonal Geochemical profiles in Paramecium Pond.
Shivani Daya ’18 (GEOS 350) Neurosciences Major, Tanvee Varma ’18 Economics (GEOS 350): Low cost Zn delivery systems to ameliorate diarrhea severity in India.
Margaret Zarlengo ‘17 (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): Does the trace element composition of igneous zircon grains reflect the tectonic environment of the magma from which they crystallized?
Melanie Passaretti ‘18, Mairany Anaya ‘18, and Sarah Wong ‘20 (independent research GEOS 250/350): A story in sediment – uncovering the history of Walden Pond.
Shannon Dehenney ‘19 (summer research 2018): Analysis of sediment cores from a coastal lake in Aceh, Indonesia
Leafia Sheraden Cox ‘20 (summer research 2018): A geophysical survey of Lake Waban
Kimberly Chia Yan Min,’19 (Paulson research student) ES major, Lucy Wanzer ’19 (Paulson research student) GEOS major, Sarah Smith-Tripp ’19 (Paulson research student) GEOS major, Jenn Harris ’19 (Paulson research student) BISC major Science, systems, stakeholders: Using geosciences for landscape sustainability, enhanced by ecology of place.
Emma Jackman '19 (research assistant) Changes in City of Boston municipal compost: Identifying best management through geochemistry and participatory action research.
Brianna Love ’19 (ENG 250), ARCH major, Disrupting the Pb water filtration system with low cost alternatives.
Zubyn D'Costa ‘21 (SERP student), Sociology major, Researching global lead poisoning case studies linked with lead acid battery recycling.

2016-2017

Disha Okhai ’17 (year-long honors thesis; GEOS 360/370): Characterization of the Source Rocks Exposed in the Permian Florida Mountains of Equatorial Pangea.
Isabelle Herde ‘17 (year-long independent research project; GEOS 350): Does the trace element composition of igneous zircon grains reflect the tectonic environment of magma production?
JoNan Bilodeau (Davis Scholar) ‘17 (year-long independent research project; GEOS 350): Constraining the provenance of 1.1 billion year old detrital zircon grains in the Late Paleozoic Delaware Basin of west Texas.
Tempestt Morgan ‘17 (summer 2016 and independent research GEOS 350) Coastal Dynamics and the Influence of Earthquakes and Tsunamis - A geological study in Aceh, Indonesia.
Brianna Love ‘19 (SERP researcher) and Nhia Solari ’19 (SERP researcher) City of Boston municipal compost lead inventory analysis.
Hannah Oettgen ’17 (GEOS 350) Biogeochemistry of urban fruit: A sustainable resource to increase food security.

2015-2016

Isabelle Herde ‘17 (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): Strategies for portraying trace element geochemical variation in detrital zircon populations.
JoNan Bilodeau ‘17 (one semester GEOS 250), Testing the caldera origin of the Blue Hills: U-Pb geochronology of the Wampatuck Volcanics.
Nisreen Abo-Sido ’18 (SERP researcher), Evaluating the potential of alkaline battery oxide powders to reduce lead mobility in urban agricultural settings.
Rosalie Sharp ‘17 (ES honors thesis),Confronting Environmental and Social Drivers of Lead Exposure in Urban Gardens Through Community Centered Remediation.

2014-2015

Iglika Atanassova ’15 (summer 2014 research project): Investigating the Earthquake History of New England in Fluvial and Lacustrine Environments.
Iglika Atanassova ’15 (year-long independent research project; GEOS 350): High Resolution Provenance Study of the Permian Brushy Canyon Formation: Implications for Provenance Studies Based on Detrital Zircon Grains.
Iglika Atanassova ’15 and Greta Janigian ’15 (course-related NEIGC field trip Fall 2014; GEOS 316): The Seismic, Historic and Geologic Record of Earthquakes in New England.
Michaela Fendrock ’15 (year-long independent research project; GEOS 350): Field mapping and U-Pb zircon geochronology of Cape Ann pluton contact zone, Salem Neck, MA
Greta Janigian ‘15 (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): Examining Lead and Chromium Leaching from Weathering of Artificial Turf: A Seven-Year Study at Wellesley College
Diana Lee ‘15 (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): Characteristics of Shanghai’s Urban Residential PM: Monitoring Personal Exposure through Air Filtration Devices.

2013-2014

Charlotte Benishek ’16 (summer 2013 research project): Implications of Ice-rafted debris in marine sediments for oscillations and growth of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet
Sarah George ’14 (year-long honors thesis; GEOS 360/370): Distinguishing proximal and distal sources of sandstone by combining U-Pb age, and geochemical signatures of detrital zircons populations: An example from the Permian Brushy Canyon Formation, West Texas.
Rosalie Sharp ‘16 (year-long research assistant): The Lead Content in Urban Compost and Implications for Urban Gardens.
Kennedy Stomps ‘15 (summer 2013 research project): Grain size analysis as a powerful tool to determine sediment dynamics.
Caroline K. Templeton ’14 (summer 2013 and year-long honors thesis; GEOS 360/370): Controlling Factors of Coastal Morphology in Aceh, Indonesia, since the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

2012-2013

Marjorie Cantine ‘13 (year-long independent research project; GEOS 350): The Provenance of the Brushy Canyon Formation and its Implications for Regional Sediment Transport During the Permian of Pangea.
Caroline Duncan ‘13 (year-long independent research project; GEOS 350): Was the Pikes Peak Batholith a Point Source of Sediment during the Late Paleozoic?
Maia Fitzstevens ’13 (ES) (summer 2012 and one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): How Do Regulations Affect Municipal Compost Geochemical Fingerprints and Metal Loading? A Comparison Study Between Northern Germany and Boston, MA, USA
Sarah George ’14 (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): Potential Sources for Detrital Zircons in the Permian Brushy Canyon Formation, West Texas
Sarah George ’14 and Marjorie Cantine ‘13 (course-related research project; GEOS 315): Geochemical leaching of alkaline batteries: Implications for landfill disposal and remediation of lead contaminated compost.
Lauren Goldfarb ’13 (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): Investigating the Earthquake History of New England in Lacustrine Environments.
Alex Hoisington ‘13 (year-long independent research project; GEOS 350): Characterization of Zircons in Clasts and Sediment Eroded from the Ancestral Rocky Mountains during the late Pennsylvanian to early Permian.
Florence Wangui Kamonji ‘13 (ES) (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350):
Poisoning from Used Lead Acid Battery Recycling: A Case Study from Owino Uhuru, Mombasa, Kenya.
Caroline K. Templeton ’14 (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): Development of a Bathymetric Surveying Set-up for Lacustrine Environments.

2011-2012

Noranda Brown ‘12 (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): Influence of Subducted Slab Serpentinite on arc lavas, Central American Arc Volcanoes
Julia DiCicco ’12 (year-long independent research project; GEOS 350): The Colonial New England Kitchen Garden: Historical Urban Agriculture
Maia Fitzstevens ’13 (ES) (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): How Do Regulations Affect Municipal Compost Geochemical Fingerprints and Metal Loading? A Comparison Study Between Northern Germany and Boston, MA, USA
Isabella Gambill ’12 (ES) (summer 2011 and one semester independent research project; ES 350): Inventory analysis and transport of legacy metals in river and millpond sediments: An example from the Neponset River Watershed, Massachusetts
Phoebe Handler ’12 (ES) (summer 2011 and year-long honors thesis; ES 360/370): Diet as a Prevention Tool for Chronic, Low-Level Lead Exposure: A Population-Specific Intervention Model for Massachusetts.
Alex Hatem ’12 (year-long research assistant): Inventory analysis and transport of legacy metals in river and millpond sediments: An example from the Neponset River Watershed, Massachusetts
Florence Wangui Kamonji ‘13 (ES) (one semester independent research project; ES 350):
Poisoning from Used Lead Acid Battery Recycling: A Case Study from Owino Uhuru, Mombasa, Kenya.
Josie Leung ’12 (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): Exploring New England’s Earthquake History – Sediment deformation features related to the 1755AD Cape Ann Earthquake.
Taylor Sanchez ‘12 (year-long independent research project; GEOS 350): Sequence Stratigraphy and Provenance of the Permian Brushy Canyon Formation, Delaware Basin, West Texas.
Meghani, Nooreen ‘12, (one semester GEOS 350): Detrital zircon geochronology of Roxbury Conglomerate in the Webster Conservation Area, Newton, MA

Recent Independent Research Projects in the Geosciences

American Chemical Society Meeting, 2017

Geosciences Conference Presentations (link)

Recent Projects:

2017-2018

Amanda Hernandez ’18 (GEOS 350), Alexis Corcoran, ‘18 BISC major, Sarah Koenig, ‘17 ES major Herbicides and women's health: Analysis of 3 tampon brands for glyphosate contamination.

Charli Klein ‘19 (GEOS 350) Chemistry major, Seasonal Geochemical profiles in Paramecium Pond.

Shivani Daya ’18 (GEOS 350) Neurosciences Major, Tanvee Varma ’18 Economics (GEOS 350): Low cost Zn delivery systems to ameliorate diarrhea severity in India.

Margaret Zarlengo ‘17 (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): Does the trace element composition of igneous zircon grains reflect the tectonic environment of the magma from which they crystallized?

Melanie Passaretti ‘18, Mairany Anaya ‘18, and Sarah Wong ‘20 (independent research GEOS 250/350): A story in sediment – uncovering the history of Walden Pond.

Shannon Dehenney ‘19 (summer research 2018): Analysis of sediment cores from a coastal lake in Aceh, Indonesia

Leafia Sheraden Cox ‘20 (summer research 2018): A geophysical survey of Lake Waban

Kimberly Chia Yan Min,’19 (Paulson research student) ES major, Lucy Wanzer ’19 (Paulson research student) GEOS major, Sarah Smith-Tripp ’19 (Paulson research student) GEOS major, Jenn Harris ’19 (Paulson research student) BISC major Science, systems, stakeholders: Using geosciences for landscape sustainability, enhanced by ecology of place.

Emma Jackman '19 (research assistant) Changes in City of Boston municipal compost: Identifying best management through geochemistry and participatory action research.

Brianna Love ’19 (ENG 250), ARCH major, Disrupting the Pb water filtration system with low cost alternatives.

Zubyn D'Costa ‘21 (SERP student), Sociology major, Researching global lead poisoning case studies linked with lead acid battery recycling.

2016-2017

Disha Okhai ’17 (year-long honors thesis; GEOS 360/370): Characterization of the Source Rocks Exposed in the Permian Florida Mountains of Equatorial Pangea.

Isabelle Herde ‘17 (year-long independent research project; GEOS 350): Does the trace element composition of igneous zircon grains reflect the tectonic environment of magma production?

JoNan Bilodeau (Davis Scholar) ‘17 (year-long independent research project; GEOS 350): Constraining the provenance of 1.1 billion year old detrital zircon grains in the Late Paleozoic Delaware Basin of west Texas.

Tempestt Morgan ‘17 (summer 2016 and independent research GEOS 350) Coastal Dynamics and the Influence of Earthquakes and Tsunamis - A geological study in Aceh, Indonesia.

Brianna Love ‘19 (SERP researcher) and Nhia Solari ’19 (SERP researcher) City of Boston municipal compost lead inventory analysis.

Hannah Oettgen ’17 (GEOS 350) Biogeochemistry of urban fruit: A sustainable resource to increase food security.

2015-2016

Isabelle Herde ‘17 (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): Strategies for portraying trace element geochemical variation in detrital zircon populations.

JoNan Bilodeau ‘17 (one semester GEOS 250), Testing the caldera origin of the Blue Hills: U-Pb geochronology of the Wampatuck Volcanics.

Nisreen Abo-Sido ’18 (SERP researcher), Evaluating the potential of alkaline battery oxide powders to reduce lead mobility in urban agricultural settings.

Rosalie Sharp ‘17 (ES honors thesis),Confronting Environmental and Social Drivers of Lead Exposure in Urban Gardens Through Community Centered Remediation.

2014-2015

Iglika Atanassova ’15 (summer 2014 research project): Investigating the Earthquake History of New England in Fluvial and Lacustrine Environments.

Iglika Atanassova ’15 (year-long independent research project; GEOS 350): High Resolution Provenance Study of the Permian Brushy Canyon Formation: Implications for Provenance Studies Based on Detrital Zircon Grains.

Iglika Atanassova ’15 and Greta Janigian ’15 (course-related NEIGC field trip Fall 2014; GEOS 316): The Seismic, Historic and Geologic Record of Earthquakes in New England.

Michaela Fendrock ’15 (year-long independent research project; GEOS 350): Field mapping and U-Pb zircon geochronology of Cape Ann pluton contact zone, Salem Neck, MA

Greta Janigian ‘15 (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): Examining Lead and Chromium Leaching from Weathering of Artificial Turf: A Seven-Year Study at Wellesley College

Diana Lee ‘15 (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): Characteristics of Shanghai’s Urban Residential PM: Monitoring Personal Exposure through Air Filtration Devices.

2013-2014

Charlotte Benishek ’16 (summer 2013 research project): Implications of Ice-rafted debris in marine sediments for oscillations and growth of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet

Sarah George ’14 (year-long honors thesis; GEOS 360/370): Distinguishing proximal and distal sources of sandstone by combining U-Pb age, and geochemical signatures of detrital zircons populations: An example from the Permian Brushy Canyon Formation, West Texas.

Rosalie Sharp ‘16 (year-long research assistant): The Lead Content in Urban Compost and Implications for Urban Gardens.

Kennedy Stomps ‘15 (summer 2013 research project): Grain size analysis as a powerful tool to determine sediment dynamics.

Caroline K. Templeton ’14 (summer 2013 and year-long honors thesis; GEOS 360/370):

Controlling Factors of Coastal Morphology in Aceh, Indonesia, since the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

2012-2013

Marjorie Cantine ‘13 (year-long independent research project; GEOS 350): The Provenance of the Brushy Canyon Formation and its Implications for Regional Sediment Transport During the Permian of Pangea.

Caroline Duncan ‘13 (year-long independent research project; GEOS 350): Was the Pikes Peak Batholith a Point Source of Sediment during the Late Paleozoic?

Maia Fitzstevens ’13 (ES) (summer 2012 and one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): How Do Regulations Affect Municipal Compost Geochemical Fingerprints and Metal Loading? A Comparison Study Between Northern Germany and Boston, MA, USA

Sarah George ’14 (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): Potential Sources for Detrital Zircons in the Permian Brushy Canyon Formation, West Texas

Sarah George ’14 and Marjorie Cantine ‘13 (course-related research project; GEOS 315): Geochemical leaching of alkaline batteries: Implications for landfill disposal and remediation of lead contaminated compost.

Lauren Goldfarb ’13 (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): Investigating the Earthquake History of New England in Lacustrine Environments.

Alex Hoisington ‘13 (year-long independent research project; GEOS 350): Characterization of Zircons in Clasts and Sediment Eroded from the Ancestral Rocky Mountains during the late Pennsylvanian to early Permian.

Florence Wangui Kamonji ‘13 (ES) (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350):

Poisoning from Used Lead Acid Battery Recycling: A Case Study from Owino Uhuru, Mombasa, Kenya.

Caroline K. Templeton ’14 (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): Development of a Bathymetric Surveying Set-up for Lacustrine Environments.

2011-2012

Noranda Brown ‘12 (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): Influence of Subducted Slab Serpentinite on arc lavas, Central American Arc Volcanoes

Julia DiCicco ’12 (year-long independent research project; GEOS 350): The Colonial New England Kitchen Garden: Historical Urban Agriculture

Maia Fitzstevens ’13 (ES) (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): How Do Regulations Affect Municipal Compost Geochemical Fingerprints and Metal Loading? A Comparison Study Between Northern Germany and Boston, MA, USA

Isabella Gambill ’12 (ES) (summer 2011 and one semester independent research project; ES 350): Inventory analysis and transport of legacy metals in river and millpond sediments: An example from the Neponset River Watershed, Massachusetts

Phoebe Handler ’12 (ES) (summer 2011 and year-long honors thesis; ES 360/370): Diet as a Prevention Tool for Chronic, Low-Level Lead Exposure: A Population-Specific Intervention Model for Massachusetts.

Alex Hatem ’12 (year-long research assistant): Inventory analysis and transport of legacy metals in river and millpond sediments: An example from the Neponset River Watershed, Massachusetts

Florence Wangui Kamonji ‘13 (ES) (one semester independent research project; ES 350):

Poisoning from Used Lead Acid Battery Recycling: A Case Study from Owino Uhuru, Mombasa, Kenya.

Josie Leung ’12 (one semester independent research project; GEOS 350): Exploring New England’s Earthquake History – Sediment deformation features related to the 1755AD Cape Ann Earthquake.

Taylor Sanchez ‘12 (year-long independent research project; GEOS 350): Sequence Stratigraphy and Provenance of the Permian Brushy Canyon Formation, Delaware Basin, West Texas.

Meghani, Nooreen ‘12, (one semester GEOS 350): Detrital zircon geochronology of Roxbury Conglomerate in the Webster Conservation Area, Newton, MA