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Current Research
My research is focused on the processes driving the removal and mobilization of manganese (Mn) during the Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow (SWIFT) managed aquifer recharge initiative in the Potomac Aquifer System, Virginia. Mn is a geogenic contaminant that poses human health risks and negatively impacts water quality. I simulate the Potomac Aquifer in the lab under different biogeochemical conditions to determine the chemical mechanisms that are removing or mobilizing Mn during SWIFT.
Past Research: The fate and geochemical effects of organic contaminants in surface water and groundwater
I worked in the Reston Biogeochemical Processes in Groundwater Laboratory (RBPGL) at the U.S. Geological Survey before starting my graduate studies. The RBPGL uses combined field and laboratory studies to study the evolution of contaminants in surface and subsurface environments. I did field work at the Bemidji, MN Crude oil spill field site and acid mine drainage sites in PA, collecting both surface water and groundwater samples. I ran several analyses on these samples, including alkalinity, anions, low molecular weight organic acids, non-volatile dissolved organic carbon, alkalinity, methane, ammonia, and orthophosphate.
Some of the monitoring wells in Bemidji, MN
Acid mine drainage in PA streams
Past Research: The nutritional quality of mixotrophic dinoflagellates
Culturing different mixotrophic and autotrophic algae prior to incubations
For my senior honors thesis project at William & Mary, I researched the nutritional quality of mixotrophic and autotrophic algae in the Hardison Lab at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. I cultured four different algal species and incubated them with varying light and nutrient availability. Then, I filtered the cultures after incubation and measured carbon, nitrogen, particulate organic phosphorus, fatty acid content, ash-free dry weight, and cell counts.
Past Research: Synthesizing BODIPY dyes
My first research experience was in the Harbron Lab in the William & Mary Chemistry department. I worked on synthesizing, purifying, and characterizing five different BODIPY dyes for use in experiments with conjugated polymer nanoparticles.
Using column chromatography to purify one of these fluorescent dyes
Presentations
I've had the pleasure of sharing my current research with the public at the 2025 Geological Society of America Southeastern Section Meeting and the 2025 Virginia Tech Geoscience Student Research Symposium.
Talk: 2025 Virginia Tech Geoscience Student Research Symposium
Poster: 2025 Geological Society of America Southeastern Section Meeting
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