The current Osburn Research Group works on a variety of DOM-related projects ranging from freshwater streams to estuaries.
Graduate Students - Jennifer Dickson-Brown, Ph.D. candidate
- Jennifer is studying CDOM fluorescence, absorption, and chemistry (dissolved lignin) in the Neuse River Estuary. Jen is going to set everyone straight on conservative mixing out of the Neuse and into Pamlico Sound. Don't believe the hype. Jen is now becoming a second degree black belt in lignin analysis.
- Molly Mikan, M.S. candidate
- Molly is working on POM to DOM transfer in a restored tidal marsh, upstream of the North River, near Beaufort, NC. Molly has pioneered the use measurement of POM fluorescence to track organic matter quality in estuarine and tidal marsh environments. This project is in collaboration with Dr. Francois Birgand, in Biological and Agricultural Engineering.
- Molly is writing away on her thesis!
- Adeline Brym, M.S. candidate
- Adeline is working on using chlorinated aromatic acids to trace autochthonous DOM formation in estuaries. Adeline is fixin' to test this out in the spring and summer of 2012.
- new starts in 2012
Undergraduate Students
(note: all undergrads have been recruited out of my MEA 323, Earth System Chemistry course. Maybe you should give it a try...)
- Lauren Handsel (summer 2011 to present; BS major in Environmental Engineering)
- Lauren began volunteering in the lab and is now our (under)paid undergraduate research associate, working on the Neuse River Basin project. Lauren is working both on fluorescence of DOM and of POM. Lauren recently is acquiring skills at measuring DOC concentration!
- Luke Sachsenmaier (summer 2010, 2011; BS major in Marine Science Chemistry)
- Luke has worked on fluorescence analyses of pigments. He joined Molly and I on a research cruise in Charleston Harbor aboard the RV Cape Hatteras in July 2011.
- Taylor Edmonds (Fall 2011; BS major in Environmental Engineering)
- Taylor is working alongside Lauren on the many samples we receive from the Neuse River Basin project
- Melissa Staub (Fall 2011; BS major in Environmental Engineering)
- Melissa will begin working on pigment fluorescence from the Neuse River Basin project.
Osburn Lab Alumni- Wendell Bunch (summer 2010, BS Environmental Science - Geology); now serving in the US Army
- Patrick Bedsole (BS, Marine Science Chemistry); now pursuing a MS in marine science at the University of Rhode Island.
- Sara Gillikin (Summer 2010; BS in Environmental Engineering) - super secret drinking water project
- Stewart Farling (Summer 2010; BS in Environmental Engineering) - super secret drinking water project
Sara and Stewart looked at the fluorosecence signature of drinking water sources around the NCSU campus. What they found would freak you out.
- Kirk Spicer (Summer 2010; BS in Environmental Engineering) - top secret CDOM/GIS project
- Nathan Hampton (Summer 2010; BS in Environmental Engineering) - top secret CDOM/GIS project
Kirk and Nathan began looking at EEM fluorescence on impounded fluvial systems. If you don't know what that means, then you can commiserate with 99.95 of the rest of the world, but you'd also be missing some exciting science. This project is now funded by NCDENR (starting January 2012).
- Dominic Libera (summer 2009; BS in Environmental Engineering)
- Dominic is an environmental engineering major who worked to develop fluorescence measurements of OM extracted in base from various sediments. Here are some excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) from a PARAFAC model of sediments from the Potomac River in Washington, DC:
Sediment Extract Pore water
Last updated, 11/27/11 |
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