Student Research Opportunities
Below are some answers to common questions about student research opportunities in my lab group.
For information about research opportunities in the Department of Natural Sciences (formerly Keck Science) more broadly, please visit instead:
https://sites.google.com/view/research-at-keck/home
Note: I am not taking students in summer 2024.
What types of STUDENTS do you work with?
I welcome the chance to work with science majors who are curious about the natural world, who have a strong interest in the Earth and Environmental sciences, and who want to learn about soil science or geomorphology. I work with students who have taken (or who are concurrently taking) at least one introductory Earth Science/Geology course (e.g., a course covering Plate Tectonic theory, rock and mineral ID, and geologic time)** and preferably one upper division Earth Science course. So far, my lab group has included majors from:
Environmental Analysis (Science Track)
..and a few undeclared sophomores and first-years!
Whether for a semester or more, and whether for a thesis or an independent research course credit, I support research by science students interested in soil genesis, geomorphology/landscape evolution, mineralogy, geochemistry, and paleoenvironmental reconstruction.
**PROSPECTIVE RESEARCH STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE TAKEN AT LEAST ONE COLLEGE-LEVEL EARTH SCIENCE COURSE. Prior enrollment in EA55L KS/GEOL20 PO, EA103(L)KS, and/or other earth science course with laboratory is required to work in my lab. Courses in one or all of Mineralogy, Sedimentology/Stratigraphy, and/or Earth History are strongly recommended.
What types of PROJECTS can students work on?
Field and/or laboratory project opportunities (proportions of Environmental Science, Geology, Chemistry, Physics, and Biology are flexible) include, but are not limited to these main areas:
Carbonate Soils: These projects broadly seek to determine how the micromorphology, mineralogy, and geochemistry of calcic and petrocalcic horizons record (or don't record) past environmental conditions. Experimental projects test models of soil mineral evolution by replicating under lab conditions some of the specific processes hypothesized to form soils in the natural world, while more traditional projects study the micromorphology and geochemistry of samples in the laboratory. These projects take TIME, but afford many opportunities to learn analytical techniques sought-after by prospective employers and graduate student advisors alike (ICP-OES, SEM-EDS, XRD, Optical Microscopy, and more). These are great projects for students interested in some combination of soils, deserts, geology, and deep time.
Environmental solutions - literally! For instance, a soil is found to contain 50 ppm of a given metal (as an example, let's say Cobalt), but: what does that actually mean? Is the measurement of water-soluble, plant-available, or total cobalt in the soil? Does the extraction method capture all of the cobalt species (e.g., II, III, VI), or just one of them? Is the method suitable for all soils, or just those from humid climates? How much contamination is introduced in each laboratory step? The goal of these projects are to test hypotheses regarding environmental quality, soil fertility, or other concerns by measuring the elements (especially metals) present in soil extracts, dissolved plant matter (potentially including foodstuffs), drinking water, and other resources. These are hands-on, wet chemistry projects for EA students and other majors interested in pollution, remediation, and instrumental analysis, and would work GREAT as a thesis topic.
Projects in OTHER TOPICS may occasionally be designed by students who have completed upper division courses in EA/Geology (e.g.,Soil Science (e.g., EA103KS), Ecology (e.g., BIOL 138L/139 KS, BIOL 146L KS), Sedimentology/Stratigraphy, Mineralogy or other relevant subjects, and/or a statistics course taken at the Claremont Colleges. See me in person with questions. Past examples include:
- analysis of elemental nutrients under different agricultural practices (ICP-OES analysis)
- analysis of soil carbon dynamics under different vegetation types (LICOR CO2 flux monitor, coulometry, more)
- analysis of soil chemical changes in gravesites over time (soil forensics using ICP-OES)
- analysis of benzene (as a proxy for fracking chemicals) adsorption in different soil types.
What SKILL SETS do these projects foster?
Undergraduates should use their research experiences to build their CVs! Besides the critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, and information literacy emphasized by many disciplines, student projects in my lab involve a mix of optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental analysis via ICP-OES or X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), mineralogy via X-ray Diffraction (XRD), AND/OR fieldwork with GIS and statistics. Mastering a few of these common Earth Science approaches is relevant experience for some Environmental consulting gigs and great preparation for graduate school. The world needs scientists who are comfortable in the field as well as in the lab, who can grapple with the vexing uncertainty and great complexity of natural systems, who are willing to learn their careful way around a complicated instrument without trepidation, and, above all, who resist the urge to collect, interpret, and report data with a "black box" perspective. WRITING and literature review, guided by shrewd critical thinking are even more important skills - for each hour in the lab, plan at least an hour of reading!
WHEN should students approach faculty about research opportunities?
Right. Now. Seriously. RIGHT NOW. The earlier, the better. You can find a list of science faculty by discipline here. All faculty active in research should have either an updated list of papers available, or a link to their own website with a CV or list of publications (e.g., like mine but hopefully more extensive and more reader-friendly). GO TO SEMINARS. Start reading recent faculty publications and then email to make an appointment to discuss research with faculty who work on stuff that interests you! It's a good idea to get to know your professors and to explore all of the opportunities KSD offers. You should also ask faculty who teach you in class and who already know you, but please also recognize that Visiting faculty may not have time to maintain a research group during the semester, and other faculty have a full roster already. Bench space can be limiting for safety and logistical reasons.
FOR THESIS RESEARCH:
Confirm first and second reader availability, project scope, and project feasibility EARLY.
1s Theses for Fall or 2s theses for Fall-Spring should be discussed with possible faculty advisors in April of the previous year.
1s Theses for Spring should be discussed with possible faculty advisors in early November.
2s Theses for Summer-Fall should be discussed with possible faculty advisors in November-January.
I'm happy to discuss non-thesis research projects at any time, but I generally don't add new students after the second week of the semester. I may decline to advise theses for students who have not completed at least one introductory Earth Science course (e.g., EA55L KS or GEOL 20 PO).
For INDEPENDENT RESEARCH students (not thesis) - you've got options:
Research Course Credit: EA 196 (0.25 credits) or 197 (0.5 credits) KS Natural Science Research can be taken to provide academic credit for independent research; time commitments range from 3-6 hours per week on average. Registration deadlines for these quarter or half-credit courses are the same as for regular 5C courses. Agreements and objectives should be drafted with your faculty member in advance. Again: watch those DEADLINES.
Summer (paid) opportunities must be discussed by January, and ideally by late November, with funding dependent on current grants, Keck, Pitzer, Scripps, and/or other 5C funding sources. Applications for summer research stipends are typically due in early to mid February, and funding is NOT guaranteed! While applying for summer research at KSD, it is a good idea to continue exploring options off campus at other institutions or with non-academic organizations. Ask your advisor for more suggestions or guidance about off-campus opportunities.