Undergraduate Research
Research is strongly encouraged as part of the undergraduate
experience in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. It is a
valuable opportunity to participate in cutting-edge studies underway in
the Department. Research opportunities cover a wide range of topics and
faculty members, including field work, analytical measurements, and even
studies of the Moon, Mars, Venus, and other objects in the solar system.
The Department has a close association with the Environmental
Studies Program, and EnSt majors often do research in our laboratories.
Many undergraduates choose to do senior projects as a capstone experience;
others choose to do research throughout their four years at Washington
University (EPSc 390, Independent Study). We occasionally host undergraduates
from other departments and universities. The descriptions below
illustrate the range and richness of undergraduate research activities
and results. (Class years of students are in parentheses following
their names.)
Maggie Osburn presenting a poster
on
"Novel thermophilic Archaea from a
Yellowstone National Park hydrothermal system." |
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Jessica Friedman "Modeling geomorphologic change
at Danilo Polje, coastal Croatia." |
Elizabeth Herndon: "Microbial
arsenic processes
in shallow marine hydrothermal systems." |
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"The Southern Soda Mountains, Mojave Desert,
consist of uplifted dacitic volcanic rocks. The May 2001 FIDO
prototype Mars rover field trials took place in an arroyo
that cuts through these rocks. I have been working with Ray
Arvidson in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Remote Sensing
Lab on analysis of Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission Radiometer
(ASTER) 14 band
multispectral image data covering the FIDO site and surrounding
rocks. Analysis of the 9 band 0.4 to 2.5 micrometer ASTER
data show that gray dacites dominate areas of the south of
the arroyo whereas areas to the north show hematite-rich dacites.
Several regions indicate the presence of kaolinite and seem
to be associated with hydrothermal alteration. We have also
calculated thermal inertia from the ASTER emission data and
find that the gray dacites gradually disintegrates whereas
the red dacites spall to form blocky surface. Field work is
planned to validate and fine-tune results before submission
for publication."
Gillian Galford |
Gillian Galford and graduate student
Frank Seelos |
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| In the summer of 2001, Matt Pasek worked
for several weeks in the
Planetary Chemistry Laboratory doing experimental studies
of iron metal oxidation with graduate student Channon Visscher
and condensation chemistry calculations with
Dr. Katharina Lodders. Matt was an undergraduate intern
supported by the Missouri
Space Grant Consortium. He began his senior year majoring
in chemistry and geology at William and Mary in the fall of 2001.
Kimberly Casey (1999) wrote a senior thesis on the chemistry
of volcanic gas while working with
Prof. Bruce Fegley. In conjunction with her thesis, she wrote
a program to calculate thermodynamic equilibrium of the constituents
and products in volcanic gases. |
Matt Pasek |
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Laurel Griggs (2002) says,
"Even the summer before my freshman year,
Prof. Arvidson took me into the remote sensing lab to
begin my research career. By examining and manipulating radar
images, I studied the biogeomorphology and successional processes
on the Missouri River floodplain after the great flood of
'93. Now, halfway through my junior year, I am still a member
of the same lab, although my research has a different focus.
Following up on an August field trip to Hawaii, my work currently
centers on the development of a thermal model for the summit
of Mauna Kea and the subsequent use of this thermal model
and remotely sensed images to derive information about the
spatial distribution of soil moisture. This information can,
in turn, be used in the formulation of a comprehensive environmental
management plan for the mountain and in the calculation of
the hydrologic budget." |
| The
3D image shown above was formed by draping the output of
the thermal model over a digital elevation model of a section
of Mauna Kea. The thermal model output (light = warm, dark
= cool) is a map of expected surface temperatures for May
4, 2000 at 11:15 am. This map of expected temperatures can
then be compared to a satellite image of actual surface
temperature. Discrepancies between the two may be indicative
of a high soil moisture content. |
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Seema Sheth (2002), an environmental
studies major, began working with Prof.
Jan Amend in her sophomore year. She isolated hyperthermophilic
(hot-water-loving) microorganisms from water samples in the
Aeolian Islands and helped characterize the metabolism of
the archaeon Palaeococcus helgesonii. Results of
her work are published in an article in Archives of Microbiology.
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| Seema
Sheth and Prof. Amend |
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| "I've been working to develop a predictive
hydrologic model of Lake Waiau, a small lake in the glacial-volcanic
landscape of the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Using data from
a nearby weather station, D/H (deuterium/hydrogen) and
18O/ 16O isotope ratio measurements, lake
level measurements, and topographic information, I've constructed
a computer model which gives daily predicted values for lake
level and lake isotope ratios.
I'm also interested in exploration
of the surface of Mars using rover technology, especially
using traverse data to better characterize the terrain. Using
position and suspension data from the Sojourner rover on the
1997 Mars Pathfinder mission, I've been able to localize each
of the 6 rover wheels in a 3-D lander referenced coordinate
system. Potentially, such data can be used to determine the
fractal dimension of the landing site's microtopography, calibrate
of orbital data indicating landing site roughness, and derive
the soil physical properties."
Bethany Ehlmann (class of 2004) |
Lake Waiau (above)
and Sojourner rover (below) |
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Sarah
Strode |
Working with Prof.
William H. Smith, Sarah Strode (2002, E&PS)
is processed hyperspectral data for hydroponic wheat as part
of a study of stresses in plants. Shardul S. Desai
(2002, Computer Sciences) is developed computational
procedures for processing hyperspectral image of biological
scenes. Mike Farrel (2002, Electrical Engineering)
developed cameras with CCD (charge-coupled device) detectors
for fast acquisition of spectral data. |
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in the field |
"My project focused on the endangered Wekiu
bug, found solely within the harsh environments of the Mauna
Kea summit. Using information gathered from our trip, previous
studies on the Wekiu bug, satellite images of the summit of
Mauna Kea, and remote sensing techniques, I produced probable
habitat maps for the endangered Wekiu bug. The construction
of outrigger
telescopes on the summit poses a threat to the Wekiu bug
population and the immediacy of further understanding is needed
to ensure its protection."
Megan Murphy (class of 2002) |
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Paul Giesting (2001) completed a senior
thesis with Prof. Anne
Hofmeister. The results of the work was published
in the journal Physical
Review B: "Thermal conductivity of disordered
garnets from infrared spectroscopy."
Figure: Comparison of experimental
and calculated values for thermal conductivity (k) measured
in W/m-K. Circles represent pyrope-almandine garnets; triangles
represent grossular-andradite garnets; diamonds represent synthetic
garnet samples. From Giesting and Hofmeister (Physical Review
B, in review). |
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Hu Lin |
Hu Lin (2005; Biomedical Engineering)
is working with Dr. Alian Wang
on a database of mineral spectra obtained by Raman spectroscopy.
The database will be used to help interpret spectra of martian
minerals and rocks when a Raman
spectrometer is sent to Mars later this decade. |
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| Emily Carter (2003) has
been working with Professor
Michael Wysession and graduate student Jesse Fisher in
examining the unusual nature of the boundary between Earth's
mantle and core. Using seismic waves (from large earthquakes)
that reflect off of the core, she has been able to help map
out the unusual variability of this strange boundary. The
digital seismograms are obtained from a national database
of globally-deployed seismometers, and then processed to determine
information about the seismic structure of the core-mantle
oundary. The unprecedented high-resolution images are able
to identify many features at the base of Earth' s mantle,
such as the birth of new mantle plumes and scattered remains
of ancient subducted seafloor). |
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Crystal Gammon |
Since her freshman year, Crystal
Gammon (class of 2005) has been part of Prof.
Jan Amend's research lab. Crystal is working closely with
graduate students Karyn Rogers and D'Arcy Meyer-Dombard on the
microbial communities in hydrothermal systems. She helps with
DNA extraction, amplification, cloning, and sequencing. As part
of a new project, she will use chemical analyses from vent fluids
at Vulcano Island (Italy) to design growth media for culturing
and isolating novel high temperature organisms. |
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Some
other potential projects for
undergraduate researchers:
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Map a cave at the university's Tyson Research Center.
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Determine background characteristics of new gamma-ray
detectors for neutron activation analysis.
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Detect earthquakes using magnetic satellites.
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Determine the thermal conductivity of quartz and feldspars
from infrared spectroscopy.
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Make the first
detailed map of
earthquakes in
Antarctica.
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Take IR spectra of silicon carbide at cryogenic
temperatures with application to the circumstellar dust.
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Investigate a
suite of
minerals or
biominerals
(such as mollusc
shells, bones,
teeth) using the
laser Raman
microprobe.
For more
information on undergraduate research opportunities
in the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences,
contact Prof.
Ray Arvidson.
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