MHC Students Share Research with Top Scientists

In a rare move, four MHC environmental studies majors were invited to share their undergraduate research with some of the top scientists in their field at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in Boston.

"It's very rare for undergraduates to present their scientific findings at the AGU. It's a meeting for scientists well along in their careers or for graduate students. It's an incredible opportunity to interact with leading scientists, ask questions, and gain experience in their field," says Jill L. Bubier, assistant professor of environmental studies, who proposed the undertaking and is accompanying the students to the annual meeting May 29–June 2.

Seniors Gaytri Bhatia, Emily Neal, and Laurel Moulton, along with junior Elizabeth Burrows, are the four students in the environmental studies program who are presenting their findings involving three different cutting-edge environmental research projects. Bhatia and Neal worked with Bubier on a three-year, NASA-funded study examining the role of wetlands in global climate change; Moulton undertook her own research studying the effects of beaver activity on water quality; and Burrows compared different methods for measuring carbon dioxide exchange between the wetland ecosystem and the atmosphere.
Their findings will be presented at AGU in the "poster session" of the scientific summit, during which researchers describe their work using computer-generated graphics and text and then answer questions posed by attendees. According to Bubier, this is a standard format for large scientific conferences where a great volume of research findings is presented by scores of scientists in a limited time period.

What makes the situation even more prestigious for the undergraduates is that their research projects were reviewed by an AGU panel and accepted for presentation along with projects from some of the leading environmental scientists in the field, Bubier says. Bhatia, Burrows, Moulton, and Neal wrote scientific abstracts describing their projects and submitted them to the AGU for consideration along with hundreds of other hopefuls who were competing for similar invitations.

The entire process has been a hands-on learning experience for the four students, as well as for their adviser, Bubier. "It's taken a lot more time to pull this together than any of us thought it would. There were many drafts of the abstracts, lots of nights and weekends, and lots of discarded poster boards. But it has been very useful for everyone," she says. In addition to the primary research, the four students explored scientific methodology and research presentation techniques through their participation in the AGU.

Burrows, who is a double major in environmental studies and mathematics, was particularly nervous because she's a rising senior and her study is still ongoing. She is one of seven students engaged in a research project with a faculty member (Bubier) in the laboratory sciences that will continue this summer as part of the College's Sherman Fairchild Student Summer Research Cascade Mentoring Program. "These are world-class scientists at the AGU and my project isn't even completed yet. This is definitely a new experience for me. Two weeks ago, I was studying for finals," said Burrows.

Rather than feeling nervous, Moulton, who will take a yearlong break to work on a biodynamic organic farm in Norway before heading to graduate school, is curious about the workings of the AGU. "It will be great to get viewpoints outside of the College. I'm really looking forward to being introduced to other scientists, to look at their research, and to exchange ideas for future studies," she says.

Following the AGU, Neal will get ready to attend law school in the fall, while Bhatia heads to graduate school with the intention of returning to her native India to work in the environmental sciences there, according to Bubier. The professor says she fully expects to see any or all of her four top students at future AGU meetings if they continue to pursue careers in environmental science.