Environmental Internship Program - 2019 Booklet

2019 SUMMER OF LEARNING 

Environmental 

Internship Program 

1

Louison Sall ’21 

Front Cover: Joseph Kawalec ’21 

2

2019 Summer of 

Learning 

In Summer 2019, 114 undergraduates affiliated with 

the Princeton Environmental Institute (PEI) traveled 

to destinations in the United States and 14 foreign 

nations for internships in the broad area of 

environmental studies. PEI interns contributed to 

faculty-led research projects and worked alongside 

experts from NGOs, government agencies, 

community-service enterprises, and other academic 

institutions. In their work, students explored 

scientific, technical, policy and human dimensions of 

environmental challenges. 

This booklet provides an overview of student 

experiences during the 2019 internship program. The 

diversity of students’ backgrounds, talents, interests 

and contributions is captured in the descriptions of 

their individual projects. Students engaged in 

research, public outreach, policy analysis, 

communications and other practical work 

assignments. Several students contributed to the 

development of new technologies, while others 

pursued service activities with a focus on 

sustainability. For many, the internship will serve as 

the foundation for continuing research and academic 

study. 

The PEI Internship Program enriches students’ 

perspectives and prepares them as leaders. Interns 

also benefit from strong ties to PEI’s Grand Challenges 

Program, an integrated research and teaching 

program designed to address critical environmental 

issues for the 21st century. For more information, 

please contact us at peintern@princeton.edu. 

3

Index of Students 

(Alphabetical) 

Rebekah Adams ’21 23 

Caroline Adkins ’22 104 

Kristen Ahner ’22 105 

Tobi Ajayi ’22 67 

Ben Alessio ’21 43 

Amy Amatya ’21 24 

Jose Ayala Garcia ’22 44 

Elif Aydin ’22 104 

Jayson Badal ’22 45 

Charles Bagin ’21 86 

Anthony Barnett ’21 46 

Katie Barnett ’21 87 

Abigail Baskind ’22 88 

Udit Basu ’20 25 

Kasey Bowyer ’21 26 

Sarah Brown ’22 27 

Galen Cadley ’21 28 

Heather Callahan ’21 8 

Yulissa Cantero ’21 105 

Marina Carlucci ’21 89 

Sierra Castaneda ’20 68 

Jessica Chen ’22 69 

Jeremy Chizewer ’22 104 

Christine Cho ’22 90 

Hee Joo Choi ’21 70 

Krystal Cohen ’21 106 

Joseph Collins ’20 71 

Elise Colter ’21 47 

Casey Conrad ’21 29 

Allen Dai ’22 72 

Gabrielle D'Arcangelo ’21 30 

Joshua Drossman ’22 9 

Alice Egar ’21 10 

Raiden Evans ’21 48 

Michael Fletcher ’22 106 

Maria Fleury ’22 73, 106 

Ariane Fong ’20 74 

Frank Ge ’22 75 

Oleg Golev ’22 76 

Victoria Gonzalez ’21 77 

Bharat Govil ’22 49 

Shoichi Hayashi ’22 78 

Sydney Hsu ’21 105 

Sydney Hughes ’22 91 

Luqman Issah ’20 92 

Pranav Iyer ’22 105 

Dane Jacobson ’21 11 

Ian Johnson ’22 12 

Esther Julis ’20 50 

Joseph Kawalec ’21 13 

Phia Kim-Brookes ’22 14 

Grace Kortum ’21 31 

Arjun Krishnan ’21 93 

Luca Kuziel ’21 15 

Lap Hei Lam ’21 51 

Hoang Le ’22 52 

Dale Lee ’20 104 

Rafi Lehmann ’20 79 

4

Doris Li ’22 80 

Al Liang ’21 16 

Aaron Lichtblau ’21 81 

Chase Lovgren ’21 82 

Margaret Lynch ’21 32 

Rimsha Malik ’21 17 

Madison Manning ’20 104 

Clare Martin ’22 53 

Connor Matthews ’20 54 

Rebecca Mays ’21 55 

Maya McHugh ’22 106 

Natalia Miller ’21 56 

Emmanuel Mintah ’21 94 

Andres Montoya ’21 57 

Peter Mwesigwa ’21 83 

Sean-Wyn Ng ’21 18 

Aaron Nguyen ’22 95 

Chiara Nilsson-Salvati ’22 58 

Emma O'Donnell ’21 19 

Jae Won Oh ’21 59 

Seth Paternostro ’20 33 

Joseph Prentice ’22 96 

Linda Pucurimay ’21 105 

Zoe Rennie ’21 20 

Hannah Reynolds ’22 21 

Cristian Ruano Arens ’22 60 

Christopher Russo ’20 61 

Louison Sall ’21 34 

Mench Julia Santelices ’22 35 

Katharine Schassler ’21 84 

Madison Schwab ’21 97 

Ellen Scott-Young ’20 62 

Kalil Shaw ’21 106 

Yunzi Shi ’20 85 

Annie Song ’21 98 

Cindy Song ’22 36 

Walker Stamps ’22 63 

Yuri Tamama ’22 37 

Alexander Taylor-Lash ’21 38 

Willemijn ten Cate ’21 99 

Ethan Thai ’21 64 

Hannah To ’22 65 

Kai Torrens ’22 66 

Elton Tran ’22 39 

Misha Tseitlin ’21 100 

Ivan Vasquez-Barraza ’22 101 

Lauren von Berg ’20 40 

Riley Wagner ’20 105 

Elizabeth Wallace ’20 22 

Jocelyn Wang ’20 104 

Claire Wayner ’22 105 

Michelle Woo ’22 102 

Kaylin Xu ’22 103 

Melissa Yuan ’20 106 

Tyrone Zhang ’21 41 

Ezra Zimble ’22 42 

5

Index of Student Projects 

by Category (Alphabetical) 

BIODIVERSITY AND 

CONSERVATION 

Heather Callahan ’21 8 

Joshua Drossman ’22 9 

Alice Egar ’21 10 

Dane Jacobson ’21 11 

Ian Johnson ’22 12 

Joseph Kawalec ’21 13 

Phia Kim-Brookes ’22 14 

Luca Kuziel ’21 15 

Al Liang ’21 16 

Rimsha Malik ’21 17 

Sean-Wyn Ng ’21 18 

Emma O'Donnell ’21 19 

Zoe Rennie ’21 20 

Hannah Reynolds ’22 21 

Elizabeth Wallace ’20 22 

CLIMATE CHANGE AND 

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 

Rebekah Adams ’21 23 

Amy Amatya ’21 24 

Udit Basu ’20 25 

Kasey Bowyer ’21 26 

Sarah Brown ’22 27 

Galen Cadley ’21 28 

Casey Conrad ’21 29 

Gabrielle D'Arcangelo ’21 30 

Grace Kortum ’21 31 

Margaret Lynch ’21 32 

Seth Paternostro ’20 33 

Louison Sall ’21 34 

Mench Julia Santelices ’22 35 

Cindy Song ’22 36 

Yuri Tamama ’22 37 

Alexander Taylor-Lash ’21 38 

Elton Tran ’22 39 

Lauren von Berg ’20 40 

Tyrone Zhang ’21 41 

Ezra Zimble ’22 42 

NEW ENERGY FUTURE 

Ben Alessio ’21 43 

Jose Ayala Garcia ’22 44 

Jayson Badal ’22 45 

Anthony Barnett ’21 46 

Elise Colter ’21 47 

Raiden Evans ’21 48 

Bharat Govil ’22 49 

Esther Julis ’20 50 

Lap Hei Lam ’21 51 

Hoang Le ’22 52 

Clare Martin ’22 53 

Connor Matthews ’20 54 

Rebecca Mays ’21 55 

Natalia Miller ’21 56 

Andres Montoya ’21 57 

Chiara Nilsson-Salvati ’22 58 

Jae Won Oh ’21 59 

Cristian Ruano Arens ’22 60 

Christopher Russo ’20 61 

Ellen Scott-Young ’20 62 

Walker Stamps ’22 63 

6

Ethan Thai ’21 64 

Hannah To ’22 65 

Kai Torrens ’22 66 

URBAN ADAPTATION AND 

RESILIENCY 

Tobi Ajayi ’22 67 

Sierra Castaneda ’20 68 

Jessica Chen ’22 69 

Hee Joo Choi ’21 70 

Joseph Collins ’20 71 

Allen Dai ’22 72 

Maria Fleury ’22 73 

Ariane Fong ’20 74 

Frank Ge ’22 75 

Oleg Golev ’22 76 

Victoria Gonzalez ’21 77 

Shoichi Hayashi ’22 78 

Rafi Lehmann ’20 79 

Doris Li ’22 80 

Aaron Lichtblau ’21 81 

Chase Lovgren ’21 82 

Peter Mwesigwa ’21 83 

Katharine Schassler ’21 84 

Yunzi Shi ’20 85 

WATER AND HEALTH 

Caroline Adkins ’22 104 

Kristen Ahner ’22 105 

Elif Aydin ’22 104 

Charles Bagin ’21 86 

Katie Barnett ’21 87 

Abigail Baskind ’22 88 

Yulissa Cantero ’21 105 

Marina Carlucci ’21 89 

Jeremy Chizewer ’22 104 

Christine Cho ’22 90 

Krystal Cohen ’21 106 

Michael Fletcher ’22 106 

Maria Fleury ’22 106 

Sydney Hsu ’21 105 

Sydney Hughes ’22 91 

Luqman Issah ’20 92 

Pranav Iyer ’22 105 

Arjun Krishnan ’21 93 

Dale Lee ’20 104 

Madison Manning ’20 104 

Maya McHugh ’22 106 

Emmanuel Mintah ’21 94 

Aaron Nguyen ’22 95 

Joseph Prentice ’22 96 

Linda Pucurimay ’21 105 

Madison Schwab ’21 97 

Kalil Shaw ’21 106 

Annie Song ’21 98 

Willemijn ten Cate ’21 99 

Misha Tseitlin ’21 100 

Ivan Vasquez-Barraza ’22 101 

Riley Wagner ’20 105 

Jocelyn Wang ’20 104 

Claire Wayner ’22 105 

Michelle Woo ’22 102 

Kaylin Xu ’22 103 

Melissa Yuan ’20 106 

7


CONSERVATION 

Heather Callahan ’21 

ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY 

Certificates: Environmental Studies, Language 

and Culture 

PROJECT TITLE 

Impact of Grazing Regimes 

on Rangeland Quality and 

Wildlife and Livestock Use 

ORGANIZATION(S) 

Rubenstein Group 

LOCATION(S) 

Mpala Research Centre, 

Nanyuki, Kenya 

MENTOR(S) 

Daniel Rubenstein, 

Class of 1877 Professor 

of Zoology, Professor 

of Ecology and 

Evolutionary Biology, 

Princeton University 

I spent the summer in Laikipia County, Kenya, 

assisting in a study focused on livestock grazing 

practices. Raising and selling cattle is a major 

source of income for many Kenyans. During 

the biannual transition from the dry to the wet 

season, the animals often become ill and lose 

weight as their stomach microbiomes adjust to 

more nutritious food. This leads to profit loss for 

ranchers trying to sell these animals. Our team 

tested a silage treatment to prevent this period 

of transitional weight loss. Each week, I helped 

weigh the cows, create time budgets describing 

their behavior, and set up GPS trackers to 

determine how far different herds foraged for 

food. I also assisted with analysis of all data 

collected. Through this position, I learned how 

to conduct original research, which will be 

extremely valuable to me as I begin my senior 

independent work. 

8

PROJECT TITLE 

Deer Exclosure and Forest 

Restoration Study 


The Watershed Institute 

LOCATION(S) 

Pennington, New Jersey 

MENTOR(S) 

Steve Tuorto, 

Director of Science 

and Stewardship, 

The Watershed Institute; 

Allison Jackson, 

Stewardship Coordinator, 

The Watershed Institute 

Joshua Drossman ’22 

CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING 

My focus was a study intended to quantify the 

impact of overgrazing by New Jersey’s deer 

population, which has allowed invasive species 

to overtake native plants. I was responsible for 

remeasuring the heights of over 150 native tree 

saplings, roughly half of which were protected 

in a deer exclosure with the other half left 

unprotected. Maintenance for the exclosure 

included fence repair, plot restaking, removing 

invasive plants that may inhibit sapling 

growth, and diagramming the exclosure with 

GPS coordinates. My internship also included 

a role as a land steward and science intern. I 

was responsible for aiding the rehabilitation 

of floating wetlands, a rain garden restoration 

project, and a summer-long effort to remove 

large patches of invasive plants to make room 

for planting 300 native trees and shrubs. I now 

have a much more expansive knowledge of 

the native and invasive species of New Jersey. 

This internship enhanced my appreciation 

for evaluating ecosystem health, and for the 

environmental research that must take place to 

determine courses of action. I hope to be able to 

incorporate some aspect of this into my career as 

an engineer. 


CONSERVATION 

9


CONSERVATION 

Alice Egar ’21 


Certificate: Language and Culture 

PROJECT TITLE 

Hummingbird Color Vision, 

Plant-Pollinator 

Interactions, and Climate 

Change in the Rocky 

Mountains* 


Stoddard Lab, 

Department of Ecology 

and Evolutionary Biology, 


LOCATION(S) 

Rocky Mountain 

Biological Laboratory, 

Gothic, Colorado 

MENTOR(S) 

Mary Caswell Stoddard, 

Assistant Professor of 

Ecology and Evolutionary 

Biology 

I studied broad-tailed hummingbird pollination 

behavior to determine how climate change 

alters plant-pollinator interactions over time, 

as well as how the birds’ perception of color 

influences their feeding behavior. I set camera 

traps at various flower species as part of a study 

to quantify hummingbird visitation frequency 

and how variations in the timing of flower 

bloom affect behavior. I used spectrophotometry 

and refractometry to collect data on flower 

color and nectar content at different stages in 

several plants’ flowering periods to identify 

possible visual cues that guide birds to feed. I 

also helped conduct an experiment in which I 

observed bird behavior at an array of flowers as 

nectar content was artificially manipulated. I 

learned all about hummingbird behavior, the 

science of plant-pollinator interactions, and how 

ecosystems can be altered when climate change 

creates mismatches in the timing of natural 

events. I gained amazing fieldwork experience 

and had the chance to participate in a thriving 

scientific community at the Rocky Mountain 

Biological Laboratory (RMBL), which provided 

me with insight into graduate school and careers 

in ecology. I would love to return to RMBL to 

conduct more independent research! 

* This internship is connected to the PEI Climate 

and Energy Grand Challenges project, “Investigating 

the Effects of Climate Change on Pollinator-Plant 

Dynamics in the Rocky Mountains.” 

10

Dane Jacobson ’21 

COMPUTER SCIENCE 

Certificate: Music Performance 


CONSERVATION 

PROJECT TITLE 

Devil’s Hole: Microbial 

Succession and Drivers of 

Overturn in Seasonally 

Hypoxic Waters 


Bermuda Institute of 

Ocean Sciences (BIOS) 

LOCATION(S) 

St.George's, Bermuda 

MENTOR(S) 

Rachel Parsons, 

Research Specialist, BIOS 

My goal was to gain a greater understanding 

of oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) in our 

oceans. OMZs are regions where dissolved 

oxygen is low or entirely depleted, which can 

lead to the deaths of many organisms, impact 

local aquaculture and threaten ocean health. 

I worked on the Devil’s Hole project collecting 

data on naturally occurring annual OMZ and 

documenting bacterial changes. I found that 

as the OMZ developed, different species of 

bacteria consumed nutrients in this order: 

oxygen, nitrates, sulfates and carbon dioxide. 

The peaks in various bacteria species followed 

this order as the different species consumed their 

preferred nutrients. My results spawned many 

questions and my project will be continued by 

other undergraduate students in the coming 

years. I learned how to design and carry out 

an independent research project, and a great 

deal about scientific protocols and general 

microbiology. I also learned about coral ecology, 

weather systems, fish ecosystems, and Bermuda’s 

history and wildlife. I hope to continue pursuing 

biological research at Princeton. 

11


CONSERVATION 

Ian Johnson ’22 

MATHEMATICS 

Certificates: European Cultural Studies, 

Humanistic Studies 

PROJECT TITLE 

Go to the Ant Thou 

Sluggard, Consider Her 

Ways Be Wise: Buffelgrass 

Seed Preferences, 

Predation and Dispersal in 

Kenya Home Range by 

Messor Harvester Ants 


Mpala Research Centre 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Dino Martins, 

Executive Director, Mpala 

Research Centre, Lecturer 

and Visiting Research 

Scholar, Ecology and 


Princeton University; 

Robert Plowes, 

Research Scientist, 

Department of 

Integrative Biology, 

University of Texas-Austin 

I studied the relationship between harvester ants 

and buffelgrass, a wheatlike grass native to Kenya 

that’s invasive in Arizona and southern Texas. 

My team wanted to determine if harvester ants 

suppress buffelgrass by eating its seeds, or if they 

help it spread by dispersing its seeds. I mapped 

the ants’ trail networks and measured traffic on 

different dates and times to better understand 

their foraging behavior. We took samples of seeds 

from along the trail networks, the environment, 

and the refuse piles the ants form outside their 

nests. We compared the composition of seeds 

from various plant species in our samples, but 

did not find enough correlation to answer our 

initial question. Our findings did show that 

harvester ants forage in fantastically complex, 

dynamic and unpredictable (yet, not random) 

ways. My work greatly improved my abilities to 

interpret data, observe wildlife, collect samples, 

and organize measurements. If I’m to be a 

scientist, field zoology is the way to go. 

12

Joseph Kawalec ’21 


Certificate: Environmental Studies 


CONSERVATION 

PROJECT TITLE 

Camouflage and Vigilance: 

The Secret Lives of Our 

Local Woodpeckers in an 

Increasingly Urbanized 

Environment 


Stoddard Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 

Princeton, New Jersey 

MENTOR(S) 

Mary Caswell Stoddard, 



Biology; Monica Carlson, 

Ph.D. candidate, Ecology 

and Evolutionary Biology 

I worked on a project investigating two predatoravoidance 

strategies in woodpeckers, specifically 

camouflage and vigilance. Woodpeckers are 

considered ecosystem engineers because 

they excavate holes that are used as nesting 

and roosting sites by many wildlife species. 

Understanding the ecology of woodpeckers is 

therefore important to ecosystem conservation. 

We collected vigilance data by video-recording 

woodpeckers in the Charles H. Rogers Wildlife 

Refuge and Institute Woods. We will analyze 

these videos to quantify vigilance behaviors 

and correlate vigilance with tree-canopy cover, 

foraging height on the tree, and proximity to 

urbanization. We also collected camouflage data 

by taking photos of the bark of trees on which we 

saw woodpeckers. Our photos were taken with 

an ultraviolet-sensitive camera because hawks, 

the primary predator of woodpeckers, can see 

ultraviolet light. We will overlay images of dorsal 

woodpecker plumage onto the tree-bark images 

to measure how closely the two patterns and 

colors match under ultraviolet light. Overall, this 

internship helped me understand the care that 

goes into collecting data and has motivated me to 

pursue ecology research in graduate school. 

13


CONSERVATION 

PROJECT TITLE 

Teaching Assistant for 

Conservation Clubs 



LOCATION(S) 



MENTOR(S) 







Phia Kim-Brookes ’22 


I taught at 15 schools in Laikipia County, Kenya, 

for the Northern Kenya Conservation Clubs. 

I went to a different school every day during 

and after instruction hours to teach students 

ranging in age from 8 years old to in their 20s. 

I often created the day’s lesson from scratch, 

and choosing the activities and games I could 

play with my students was fun. I developed 

creative ways to overcome language barriers, 

such as by drawing or acting out what I wanted 

to say, and I figured out how to engage a hesitant 

audience. I also improved my overall knowledge 

of conservation and wildlife so that I could better 

teach about these topics. As someone who values 

conservation, I found teaching others about the 

environment to be truly fulfilling. I will continue 

to teach about conservation for the rest of my life, 

most likely in more informal settings than what I 

experienced in Kenya, but surely I will never stop 

teaching now that I have begun. 

14

Luca Kuziel ’21 




CONSERVATION 

PROJECT TITLE 

Monitoring the Ecological 

Restoration of Species 

and Their Interactions in 

Gorongosa National Park 


Pringle Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 

Gorongosa National Park, 

Mozambique 

MENTOR(S) 

Robert Pringle, Associate 

Professor of Ecology and 

Evolutionary Biology; 

Matthew Hutchinson, 



I investigated how the diets of different antelope 

species change as predators are reintroduced 

to Gorongosa National Park. To understand 

antelope diets, my project team collected dung 

samples to identify via DNA analysis the plants 

the animals had eaten. We conducted activity 

budgets to study how antelope partition their 

time between eating and watching for predators. 

We also measured the densities of mammals 

in different habitats and studied the effects of 

herbivory on pollination. In March, Cyclone 

Idai went through the park and destroyed many 

surrounding towns. My group helped other 

researchers collect flood sensors and camera 

traps, as well as measure the cyclone’s impact 

on fever trees. Being in the park with talented 

researchers taught me about the various forms 

fieldwork can take and helped me in asking and 

answering questions about the natural world. I 

also gained skills in using GPS collars to track 

animals. I plan on returning to Gorongosa for 

my senior thesis research, and I am inspired to 

pursue a career in conservation and restoration 

biology. 

15


CONSERVATION 

Al Liang ’21 


Certificate: Entrepreneurship 

PROJECT TITLE 

Using Biogeochemical 

Information to Better 

Understand Biogeography 

of Southern Ocean 

Fisheries 


Program in Atmospheric 

and Oceanic Sciences, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Jorge Sarmiento, 

George J. Magee 

Professor of Geoscience 

and Geological 

Engineering, Emeritus, 

Professor of Geosciences, 

Emeritus; Lionel Arteaga, 

Associate Research 

Scholar, Atmospheric and 

Oceanic Sciences; 

Kisei Tanaka, 

Postdoctoral Research 

Associate, Atmospheric 

and Oceanic Sciences 

I used Southern Ocean State Estimate 

biogeochemical data and machine learning 

methods to determine whether biogeochemical 

data is significant in modeling Antarctic 

krill distribution. I also investigated the 

environmental factors that are most critical in 

predicting krill distribution. I used the machine 

learning techniques of random forest and 

boosted regression trees and found that both 

methods reinforced my findings. During my 

research, I learned to code in R, a valuable skill 

for data analysis that I will certainly use in the 

future. I also created machine learning models 

and used them to make observations about 

big data. This internship really increased my 

interest in using machine learning methods to 

analyze data, something I didn’t have previous 

experience doing. I'm looking forward to 

continuing my research on this topic and seeing 

what else I can uncover. 

16

Rimsha Malik ’21 


Certificate: Neuroscience 


CONSERVATION 

PROJECT TITLE 

Impact of Grazing Regimes 

on Rangeland Quality and 

Wildlife and Livestock Use 



LOCATION(S) 



MENTOR(S) 







I worked on an ongoing research project 

studying the effectiveness of silage (stored grass 

used as animal feed) in improving cattle gut 

microbiomes and preventing illness during the 

transition between the dry and wet seasons. My 

research group and I worked with privately held 

and communally owned cattle, collecting data 

on grazing behavior, weight, and their movement 

using GPS. Additionally, we examined the impact 

of cattle grazing on the presence of wildlife and 

the quality of the land by setting up camera 

traps and collecting data on the surrounding 

vegetation. Cows have a strong presence at 

Mpala and share the land with wildlife. Thus, 

it is important to understand how cattle can 

be raised sustainably to ensure that both local 

communities, wildlife and the environment 

thrive. Through this internship, I acquired 

valuable field research skills and improved my 

understanding of the interconnectedness of 

livestock, wildlife and people. I was struck by 

how something as small as cow-gut microbiology 

can affect the livelihoods of pastoralists. 

17


CONSERVATION 

Sean-Wyn Ng ’21 


Certificate: Technology and Society 

PROJECT TITLE 

The Automation of 

Fish-Stock Assessment 


Bermuda Institute of 

Ocean Sciences (BIOS) 

LOCATION(S) 

St.George's, Bermuda 

MENTOR(S) 

Tim Noyes, Research 

Specialist, BIOS 

I worked training computer models to 

automatically identify fish species in Baited 

Remote Underwater Video systems (BRUVs). 

Marine biodiversity is often estimated from 

underwater video footage, but the manual 

annotation of fish is significantly time 

consuming. Automating the annotation of 

BRUVs would drastically improve the efficiency 

of marine research. I manually annotated 

approximately 14,000 images from multiple 

BRUVs, targeting fish species that occurred the 

most frequently. The images were then fed into 

convolutional neural network (CNN) models, 

which are often used in machine learning for 

automatic image classification. CNNs have 

internal parameters that are adjusted based 

on information contained in the training set 

and these parameters are later used to identify 

objects in new images. During my internship, I 

gained practical coding experience and learned 

more about computer vision techniques, and I 

developed time-management skills by organizing 

a large-scale project. I also have a greater 

awareness of issues related to marine biodiversity 

and conversation. 

18

PROJECT TITLE 

Development of Three- 

Dimensional Models of 

Coral Reef 


Coral Reef Research 

Foundation (CRRF) 

LOCATION(S) 

Koror, Palau 

MENTOR(S) 

Steve Lindfield, Research 

Scientist, CRRF 

Emma O'Donnell ’21 


I worked on developing a 3D model of a coral 

reef for the final grouper spawning-aggregation 

survey of a 10-year study. The model quantifies 

features of the reef, such as complexity, to 

provide insights into potential drivers for the 

species’ chosen aggregation areas. To build 

the model, I swam transects of the reef while 

taking photos every half-second with two GoPro 

cameras on a rig. I then stitched the photos 

together in the photogrammetric processing 

program Agisoft Metashape Pro to generate a 

preliminary 3D model of the area that could be 

refined manually. Through this project, I gained 

invaluable experience as I worked alongside 

visiting researchers on two five-day fieldwork 

sessions. Furthermore, I had the chance to learn 

valuable technical skills using Metashape and 

developing the model for analysis. I look forward 

to incorporating the skills that I learned into my 

senior thesis research next year, which I hope 

will be in marine biology. 


CONSERVATION 

19


CONSERVATION 

PROJECT TITLE 

Monitoring the Ecological 

Restoration of Species 

and Their Interactions in 

Gorongosa National Park 


Pringle Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 

Gorongosa National Park, 

Mozambique 

MENTOR(S) 

Robert Pringle, Associate 

Professor of Ecology and 


Matthew Hutchinson, 



Zoe Rennie ’21 


I primarily researched how the reintroduction 

of wild dogs to Gorongosa National Park has 

affected the behavior and diet of herbivore 

species, with a focus on reedbuck, warthog, 

waterbuck, impala and oribi. I performed 

vigilance surveys to record how often herbivores 

grazed or watched their surroundings. I also 

performed roadside counts of herbivores to 

understand how their populations are distributed 

in the floodplain and savanna, their two main 

habitats. Additionally, I collected fecal samples 

and prepared them to be processed in the lab. 

I helped count parasite eggs in fecal samples 

to get an additional measurement of herbivore 

health, and these samples will later be used to 

extrapolate herbivore diet. I learned so much 

about hands-on fieldwork and experimental 

design. Working alongside a Ph.D. candidate was 

a great source of insight and helped me think 

about what I’d like to pursue after I graduate. 

The training I received, my own self growth, and 

what I learned about collecting data in the field 

have definitively shaped the way I plan to move 

forward with my major. 

20

Hannah Reynolds ’22 

PSYCHOLOGY 



CONSERVATION 

PROJECT TITLE 

Teaching Assistant for 

Conservation Clubs 



LOCATION(S) 



MENTOR(S) 







I interned as a teaching assistant for the Northern 

Kenya Conservation Clubs. Each week, my 

fellow interns and I went to 15 different schools 

to teach through experiential learning centered 

on hands-on experiences. In class, we played 

conservation-oriented games that we developed 

for a classroom setting based on American 

games such as Taboo, Hangman, Jeopardy and 

Pictionary. I helped design lessons specific to 

Kenyan ecosystems. I worked with each school 

to prepare for Community Conservation Day, a 

community-wide event where students presented 

posters, poems and plays to share what they 

learned about conservation with the public. 

During this internship, I learned strategies for 

overcoming language barriers, found ways to 

test the students’ learning while having fun, and 

gained leadership experience. As a result of this 

experience, I have gained an increased interest 

in behavioral ecology and conservation. I hope 

to pursue courses and independent work in 

psychology related to sustainable behavior and 

conservation. 

21


CONSERVATION 

Elizabeth Wallace ’20 

GEOSCIENCES 

Certificate: Visual Arts 

PROJECT TITLE 

Fish Ecology from 

Otoliths (Ear Stones) 

Past and Present 


Sigman and Ward Labs, 

Department of 

Geosciences, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Daniel Sigman, Dusenbury 

Professor of Geological 

and Geophysical 

Sciences, Professor of 

Geosciences; Bess Ward, 

William J. Sinclair 

Professor of Geosciences 

and the Princeton 

Environmental Institute; 

Jessica Lueders-Dumont, 


Fellow, Geosciences 

I studied changes in the trophic level of four 

species of commercially important fish in the 

Gulf of Maine. Changes in trophic level indicate 

alterations in the health and structure of the 

ecosystem due to overfishing or changes in global 

climate. Nitrogen isotopes in the fish’s body 

provide a quantitative measurement as the ratio 

of heavy-to-light isotopes increases with trophic 

level. I measured the ratio of nitrogen isotopes 

in the fish’s otoliths, or ear stones, which grow 

throughout the fish’s life and can be preserved 

over long periods of time. I compared the trends 

in nitrogen isotopes of otolith samples from 

the past 40 years with the stomach contents of 

fish from a field-survey database. During this 

internship, I learned new laboratory and dataanalysis 

skills, and I gained an understanding 

of how a scientific question can be explored 

through experiments and data analysis. This 

internship taught me skills that I will use for my 

senior thesis and gave me insight into a career in 

research. 

22

Rebekah Adams ’21 

CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING 

Certificates: Biophysics, Engineering Biology 

PROJECT TITLE 

Predicting Environmental 

Conditions of the Past 

Using Soil Chemical 

Analysis 


Myneni Group, Department 

of Geosciences, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Satish Myneni, 

Professor of Geosciences; 

Jianshu Duan, Ph.D. 

candidate, Geosciences; 

Danielle Schlesinger, Ph.D. 

candidate, Geosciences 

I studied paleosols, which are layers of soil 

formed in a past geological period. Paleosols 

could provide insight into the ancient climate, 

but their formation between basalt lava flows 

has made predicting the intensity of past climate 

variations inaccurate. A key example is the 

controversy over the role of climate variablity in 

the extinction of the dinosaurs. My internship 

focused on using chemical and mineralogical 

variations in red-clay samples from the Deccan 

Traps in India to determine whether they are 

basalt (volcanically) derived. I determined their 

chemical composition by creating pellet samples 

for an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer and 

interpreted the resulting spectral data. I made 

extensive soil plots for a compartitive study of my 

new empirical data to previously published data 

on basalt weathering and paleosol formation. I 

had the opportunity to process paleosol maps 

that were created with a synchrotron X-ray 

microprobe, which takes samples at various 

points underground to analyze a soil’s elemental 

composition. Through this internship, I realized 

the power and versatility that comes with 

understanding soil chemistry when trying to 

understand climate. It has prompted me to 

look for more career or research opportunities 

in environmental research and sustainable 

innovation. 



23

Amy Amatya ’21 

GEOSCIENCES 



PROJECT TITLE 

Satellite and Float 

Backscatter as Proxies 

for Southern Ocean 

Chlorophyll 





LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 









Scholar, Atmospheric 


I worked to better interpret data that are used to 

inventory phytoplankton over large expanses of 

the Southern Ocean. The understanding of the 

large-scale interannual variation in Southern 

Ocean phytoplankton is limited because it relies 

heavily on satellite data, which can be obscured 

by factors such as sea-ice extent and cloud cover. 

Our group used backscatter data — which are 

reflections of a signal such as sound waves or 

light — from satellite and float retrievals as 

proxies for the characterization of phytoplankton 

in the Southern Ocean. Since 2014, the Southern 

Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and 

Modeling (SOCCOM) project has been collecting 

data from biogeochemical profiling floats 

that allow us to identify trends not only in 

backscatter/chlorophyll, but in accompanying 

nutrients and temperatures. The first half of 

my internship centered on a spatially minded 

comparison of backscatter from floats and 

satellites, then I transitioned toward focusing on 

float backscatter and correlating these results 

to the biogeochemical results. I improved my 

programming skills by working in MATLAB 

with large datasets and I valued being in an 

environment that was collaborative yet allowed 

me to think independently. 

24

Udit Basu ’20 

GEOSCIENCES 

Certificates: East Asian Studies, Planets and Life 

PROJECT TITLE 

Environmental Effects 

of Deccan Volcanism 

During the Late 

Cretaceous 


Keller Lab, Department 



LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Gerta Keller, Professor 

of Geosciences 

The goal of my project was to further confirm 

the significant impact that Deccan Volcanism 

had in the end-Cretaceous extinction event 

by conducting mercury analysis on samples 

from around the world, including Israel, India, 

Mexico and other countries. I prepared and 

analyzed hundreds of samples and calibrated the 

instrumentation for more conclusive results. This 

project further developed my understanding of 

geology, paleoclimate and sedimentology, and 

daily discourses on these topics allowed me to 

constantly reevaluate what I know. Furthermore, 

I performed much of the instrumentation and 

sample preparation independently, and I had 

the freedom to think critically about how to 

proceed from step to step. This internship truly 

was an eye-opening experience. My senior thesis 

will be based on the backbone of the research 

I conducted, and my work also influenced the 

research I’m interested in for graduate school. It 

would be an absolute pleasure to continue such 

study. 



25

Kasey Bowyer ’21 

NEUROSCIENCE 




PROJECT TITLE 

Impacts of Sea-Level Rise 

on the Halogenated Organic 

Compound Production in 

Mangrove Ecosystems* 





LOCATION(S) 

Princeton, New Jersey; 

Menlo Park, California 

MENTOR(S) 



Danielle Schlesinger, Ph.D. 


I worked to understand how increasing sea-level 

rise has affected the production of halogenated 

organic compounds in various coastal 

environments, including mangroves. Bromide 

and chloride from seawater react with organic 

carbon in the soil to create compounds called 

organohalogens. Organohalogens are toxic to 

plant and animal life in local ecosystems and 

catalytically destructive to the stratospheric 

ozone layer, which contributes to global 

warming. However, the relationship between 

organohalogen production and sea-level rise 

is not well understood. I studied soil and leaflitter 

samples from coastal mangrove forests 

in Panama, Punta Galeta and Bocas del Toro. 

I performed synchrotron analyses (XANES 

and microspectroscopy), along with X-ray 

fluorescence (XRF), to identify the speciation of 

organochlorine and organobromine compounds 

in the samples and to determine the degree to 

which halogenation reactions are occurring in 

mangrove ecosystems. The Myneni Group also 

is interested in how this reaction occurs and 

what catalyzes it. I studied the role of iron redox 

chemistry in catalyzing halogenation reactions 

by incubating soils with various naturally 

occurring substances. 

* This internship is connected to the PEI Water 

and the Environment Grand Challenges project, 

“Impacts of Sea-Level Rise and Associated 

Saltwater Intrusion on the Coastal Biogeochemical 

Processes and Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” 

26

Sarah Brown ’22 

GEOSCIENCES 


PROJECT TITLE 

Extinction of the 

Dinosaurs Recorded in an 

Andean Paleolake 


Maloof Group, Department 



LOCATION(S) 

Bolivia (multiple cities); 


MENTOR(S) 

Adam Maloof, Associate 


Bolton Howes, Ph.D. 


Ryan Manzuk, Ph.D. 


I worked to narrow the stratigraphic position 

of the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary 

within ancient lake (paleolake) sediments 

preserved in Bolivia. The goal is to pinpoint the 

K-Pg boundary at various locations across this 

paleolake to better understand the environment 

before and after the K-Pg extinction event 

known for killing the dinosaurs. A detailed 

understanding of past environmental changes 

linked to mass extinction could provide insight 

into present-day climate change. I measured 

sections of outcrop, noting rock type and 

thickness. I collected samples that will be 

tested chemically and dated to help locate the 

boundary. Additionally, my research group 

discovered a bone bed which, with the help of 

paleontologists, could inform us about rock 

deposition age. I learned how to identify rocks, 

how to sample in an organized and effective 

manner, and how to select valuable outcrops. 

Through this immersive fieldwork experience, 

strong relationships with Ph.D. candidates in my 

department and training from a professor, I feel 

more confident in approaching my own research 

and engaging in climate change science. 



27

Galen Cadley ’21 

GEOSCIENCES 



PROJECT TITLE 

Sponge Reef Morphology 

as a Driver of the 

Cambrian Explosion 


Maloof Group, Department 



LOCATION(S) 

Yukon Province, Canada; 


MENTOR(S) 

Adam Maloof, Associate 


Bolton Howes, Ph.D. 


Ryan Manzuk, Ph.D. 


I conducted fieldwork to locate Archaeocyathid 

sponges within early Cambrian rock in order 

to understand the role of early reef structure 

in creating the biodiversity we see in the 

fossil record after the Cambrian explosion. 

The research team and I investigated how 

Archaeocyathid sponges might have contributed 

to the creation of reef structure. We collected 

samples from early-Cambrian rock for further 

study in the lab at Princeton. I used GPS 

coordinates to record where we gathered each 

sample and to mark approximately 1,000 random 

points within a diamond grid for the purpose of 

creating a rendering of our site. Using these data 

and aerial photographs taken during two drone 

flights, we digitally reconstructed a 3D model 

of our site. This internship enhanced my course 

of study and helped me develop a skill base and 

excitement for fieldwork. I am more excited 

about the research opportunities that my junior 

paper and senior thesis will provide and am 

considering postgraduate education. 

28

Casey Conrad ’21 

GEOSCIENCES 


PROJECT TITLE 

Volcanic Proxies Predating 

K-T Boundary 


Keller Lab, Department 



LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Gerta Keller, Professor 

of Geosciences 

I analyzed mercury concentrations in rock 

cores from Mexico, India, the United States 

and Israel. I learned how to properly prepare 

samples to be processed by the mercury-analysis 

machine. I used the wide assortment of data 

I accrued to aid Professor Keller’s research 

showing extensive volcanic activity predating 

the Cretacious-Paleogene boundary, which 

marks the time period when the dinosaurs went 

extinct. With access to such great data, I have 

decided to continue working with her during 

the fall of my junior year and she will be my first 

junior paper adviser. Through this internship, I 

gained excellent experience in a paleontological 

laboratory that will help me choose a career path 

in the very near future. 



29

Gabrielle D'Arcangelo ’21 

CHEMISTRY 




PROJECT TITLE 

Effects of Oxygen on Soil 

Methane Production* 


Zhang Lab, Department 



LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Xinning Zhang, Assistant 




Jared Wilmoth, 


Associate, Princeton 

Environmental Institute 

The goal of my project was to investigate 

methane-producing bacteria in wetland soils 

(peat) and determine the effects of oxygen on 

their emissions. In order to understand, and 

hopefully, manipulate the composition of 

Earth’s atmosphere, it is important to consider 

the ways in which natural environments use 

and produce greenhouse gas. I collected peat 

samples from local wetlands and exposed them 

to oxygen for various time periods in the lab so 

that microbial populations experienced aerobic 

and anaerobic conditions. I also collected and 

tested samples from Princeton’s biodigester for 

composting food waste. For both the composted 

food waste and the peat, I analyzed emissions 

on a gas chromatograph, took various depth 

profiles including pH and redox potential, and 

extracted the DNA and RNA of the microbial 

populations for sequencing and identification. 

Both sets of samples showed that methane 

production increased during anaerobic periods 

that immediately followed oxygenation. This 

suggested the presence of a bacteria that uses 

oxygen to aid methanogenesis. This was my first 

insight into environmental chemistry as well as 

gas chemistry. It also was my first experience 

working with organisms in a lab, helping me 

to consider a wider variety of careers after 

graduation. 


and Energy Grand Challenges project, “Controls on 

Alternative N 2 

Fixation.” 

30

Grace Kortum ’21 

GEOSCIENCES 

Certificate: Statistics and Machine Learning 

PROJECT TITLE 

Impacts of Slow Growth 

Rates on Coral 

Geochemical Climate 

Proxies 


Woods Hole 

Oceanographic 

Institution (WHOI) 

LOCATION(S) 

Woods Hole, 

Massachusetts 

MENTOR(S) 

Konrad Hughen, Senior 

Scientist, Department of 

Marine Chemistry and 

Geochemistry, WHOI 

I worked to improve our understanding of trends 

in sea-surface temperature and rainfall over 

the past several centuries, which is essential for 

projecting the effects of anthropogenic climate 

change. Corals serve as ideal records for studying 

long-term climate variability in the ocean 

because they preserve climate information in 

their skeletons as they grow. I collected powder 

samples from a coral-skeleton core from Cuba 

that contained over 200 years of information. 

My mentor and I used a spectrometer to measure 

the samples’ strontium and barium content. 

High strontium levels indicate low sea-surface 

temperatures, while high barium levels suggest 

high rainfall. With these data, we can observe the 

yearly cycle of summer heat and spring rainfall, 

along with longer term changes in climate. I also 

investigated how the unusually slow growth rate 

of some corals potentially affects their ability to 

serve as climate records. I learned new laboratory 

techniques and developed my skills in Excel, 

MATLAB, and statistics as I analyzed our data in 

the context of existing global climate datasets. 

This was a great opportunity to learn about 

paleoclimate research, as well as contribute to 

our understanding of past climate. 



31

Margaret Lynch ’21 

GEOSCIENCES 



PROJECT TITLE 

Reconstruction of 

Southern Ocean Nutrient 

Concentrations During 

Previous Interglacial 

Periods 


Sigman Lab, Department 



LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Daniel Sigman, Dusenbury 

Professor of Geological 

and Geophysical Sciences, 


Ellen Ai, Ph.D. candidate, 

Geosciences 

I prepared and analyzed diatom-bound 

nitrogen in a sediment core from the Atlantic 

sector of the Southern Ocean in order to 

reconstruct nutrient conditions during glacial 

and interglacial periods. After preparing these 

samples using a variety of physical, chemical and 

biological techniques, their nitrogen contents 

were measured on a mass spectrometer. The 

resulting isotopic signatures were then used to 

reconstruct the efficiency of past diatom nitrogen 

utilization. This record has great significance 

as it provides insight into the release of carbon 

— which is closely coupled with nitrogen in 

marine processes — into the atmosphere from 

Southern Ocean overturning. By examining 

the processes that controlled this overturning 

and their effects on Earth’s climate in the past, 

we can better understand current and future 

Southern Ocean overturning and carbon release. 

Throughout this project, I learned about stableisotope 

geochemistry, the nitrogen cycle, and the 

research process, while acquiring new analytical 

and technical laboratory skills. This project has 

strengthened my interest in geochemistry and 

climate science. 

32

Seth Paternostro ’20 

EAST ASIAN STUDIES 

PROJECT TITLE 

Analysis and Advocacy 

Intern 


Natural Resources 

Defense Council 

LOCATION(S) 

Beijing, China 

MENTOR(S) 

Alvin Lin, Climate and 

Energy Policy Director, 

China Program, Natural 

Resources Defense 

Council 

I interned at the Beijing office of the Natural 

Resources Defense Council (NRDC) where 

I primarily worked with the office’s climate 

team on their efforts to reduce coal and oil 

consumption in China. Having a strong 

background in Chinese, I focused on translating 

highly technical environmental research studies 

and funding reports from Chinese to English 

to ensure accurate policy recommendations, 

support donor relations, and maintain the 

intellectual quality of materials published in 

English. In addition, I collected data on various 

oil-consumption scenarios and helped to 

establish an English training program within 

the office. Aside from developing a professionallevel 

ability to translate documents, the 

internship provided me with a broad exposure 

to environmental work in China and to the 

inner workings of a major international nongovernmental 

organization. My experiences 

at NRDC influenced my future plans by 

highlighting the importance of a mission-based 

career and prompting me to consider law school. 



33

Louison Sall ’21 

EAST ASIAN STUDIES 

Certificate: Humanistic Studies 



PROJECT TITLE 

Tracking Microbial 

Metabolism with Isotopes 





LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 





Ashley Maloney, 


Associate, Geosciences 

The goal of the experiment I worked on was to 

find a relationship between metabolism and 

isotopes. Geochemists are very interested in how 

carbon affects the environment. Because carbon 

is present in water, air, rocks, methane, coral 

and biomass, a lot of work has gone into how 

the environment impacts carbon isotopes. The 

biomass c3 and c4 plants are very well studied, 

but there isn’t much research into heterotrophs, 

the organisms on the forest floor that break down 

detritus. If you change the environment, often 

the bioprocesses in the organisms will change 

and be reflected in isotopes. If you keep the 

environment exactly the same, but only change 

the food, the isotopes also will change. From 

this experiment I learned how to use a range of 

instruments, including the elemental analysis 

isotope ratio mass spectrometer, a centrifuge, 

and the MARS 6 microwave digestion system. I 

also learned that research takes diligence and 

commitment, both of which I will take with me 

into the rest of my studies. 

34

Mench Julia Santelices ’22 

MECHANICAL AND AEROSPACE 

ENGINEERING 

PROJECT TITLE 

Surface Properties of 

Surfactant Solutions 


Deike Lab, Department 

of Mechanical and 

Aerospace Engineering, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Luc Deike, Assistant 

Professor of Mechanical 

and Aerospace 

Engineering and the 

Princeton Environmental 

Institute; Baptiste Neel, 


Associate, Mechanical and 

Aerospace Engineering 

The goal of my project was to characterize watersurface 

quality and physics in the presence of 

surfactants, which are substances that reduce 

a liquid’s surface tension. Aerosol production 

is important for atmospheric processes. Seaspray 

aerosols are produced by bubbles bursting 

at the ocean’s surface, and surface properties 

can be impacted by surfactants. I worked in 

the lab taking pictures over different periods of 

time of drops made from different surfactant 

solutions and of varying concentrations. I 

determined the surface tension of these drops 

and organized them for future reference. I then 

filmed the drops as they oscillated so that I could 

determine their surface tension and surface 

area. My contributions consisted of data on the 

surface properties of water and the experimental 

setup for future projects. From this experience, 

I became more familiar with reading academic 

scientific writing, working in a lab, and setting up 

experiments. This internship affirmed my desire 

to continue studying mechanical engineering, 

particularly for future work in industry. 



35

Cindy Song ’22 

ECONOMICS 

Certificates: Applications of Computing, Statistics 

and Machine Learning 



PROJECT TITLE 

Velocity of Rising Bubbles 

in a Volcanic Chamber 






LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 



and Aerospace 







I studied the rise velocity of large viscous bubbles 

in a narrow tube, which closely model bubbles in 

a volcanic eruption. Factors such as gravitational 

forces, surface tension, viscosity and tube 

diameter influence a bubble’s rise velocity and 

appearance. To understand how these bubbles 

behave, I ran simulations using Basilisk, a 

software program that solves partial differential 

equations using adaptive Cartesian meshes. I 

then created movies and graphs from the output 

to display the relationship between the bubbles' 

rise velocity and their fluid properties. Through 

this internship, I sharpened my data analysis 

and coding skills and became familiar with new 

programming languages. I also gained a more 

thorough understanding of fluid dynamics, 

which I find fascinating. Although my research 

did not directly relate to my academic study, the 

technical and problem-solving skills I developed 

will be helpful in my future independent work. 

36

Yuri Tamama ’22 

GEOSCIENCES 

Certificate: Planets and Life 

PROJECT TITLE 

The Impact of Freezing 

Temperatures and Strong 

Oxidants on Biological 

Methanogenesis: 

Implications for Melting 

Permafrost and the 

Search for Life on Mars 


Onstott Lab, Department 



LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Tullis Onstott, 


Rachel Harris, Ph.D. 


I studied how the growth of methaneproducing 

archaea, or methanogens, is affected 

under stressful conditions such as freezing 

temperatures and exposure to strong oxidants. 

This project aimed to examine whether biological 

methane production is contributing to the 

methane observed in the Martian atmosphere, 

as well as to better understand how climate 

change may impact methane fluxes from melting 

permafrost. Methane is a strong greenhouse 

gas and a significant fraction of it is stored 

in Earth’s permafrost, where conditions are 

not unlike those on Mars. Studying methane 

production under these conditions could tell us 

how methane is produced in permafrost. Active 

methane production in permafrost increases its 

potential impact on global warming. I learned 

how to culture methanogens and extract their 

RNA, which is currently being sequenced. 

The resulting transcriptomes will be analyzed 

to understand how the harsh conditions of 

permafrost affected gene expression and 

methane production. My internship furthered 

my interest in astrobiology, geobiology, 

environmental science and research. I hope to 

pursue similar opportunities in the future as an 

undergraduate and graduate student. 



37

Alexander Taylor-Lash ’21 


ENGINEERING 



PROJECT TITLE 

Single-Burst Droplet 

Analysis 






LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 



and Aerospace 







I studied the interface between the ocean and 

the atmosphere, specifically the formation of 

aerosols from crashing ocean waves. Studying 

this interaction allows us to better understand 

how compounds in the ocean such as heavy 

metals from an oil spill are released into the 

air. I studied the droplets produced by a single 

bubble bursting on the surface of de-ionized 

water by analyzing their size, velocity and 

ejection angle. To do this, I took high-definition 

video of the bubbles and processed them using 

various software. Through this process, I learned 

image-processing techniques, in addition to 

data manipulation and plotting in Python. I am 

grateful for the opportunity to explore a field that 

I previously had not realized existed. 

38

Elton Tran ’22 

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 

PROJECT TITLE 

Microbial Control of 

Nitrous Oxide 

Consumption in the 

Ocean* 


Ward Lab, Department 



LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Bess Ward, William J. 

Sinclair Professor of 

Geosciences and the 


Institute; Amal Jayakumar, 

Senior Professional 

Specialist, Geosciences 

I worked to isolate microbial DNA from Pacific 

Ocean water samples in order to analyze 

distributions of nitrous oxide-consuming 

microbes at different ocean depths. Nitrous 

oxide is a particularly strong greenhouse gas 

and a significant fraction of atmospheric nitrous 

oxide is produced in the ocean by denitrifying 

microbes. However, the populations of nitrous 

oxide-producing microbes coexist with nitrous 

oxide-consuming microbes at different ocean 

depths. My work focused on isolating two genes 

thought to be responsible, respectively, for 

the microbial conversion of nitrous oxide to 

nitrogen gas and of nitrogen gas to ammonia in 

nitrous oxide-consuming microbes. By working 

firsthand in the Ward lab and learning to carry 

out lab procedures such as polymerase chain 

reaction, cloning, and DNA purification, I gained 

a greater understanding of how deliberate 

research can be used to make progress toward 

a larger goal. Eventually, this research will 

identify the populations of microbes that play a 

major role in naturally removing nitrous oxide 

and in discovering the most efficient natural 

mechanism for nitrous oxide degradation. 



* This internship is connected to the PEI Water and 

the Environment Grand Challenges project, “Control 

of Microbial Nitrous Oxide Production in Coastal 

Waters.” 

39

Lauren von Berg ’20 




PROJECT TITLE 

Maud Rise Polynyas 

Linked to Largest 

Phytoplankton Bloom in 

Southern Ocean 


Scripps Institution of 

Oceanography, University 

of California–San Diego 

LOCATION(S) 

La Jolla, California 

MENTOR(S) 

Sarah Gille, Professor, 


Oceanography; 

Lynne Talley, Professor, 


Oceanography; 

Matt Mazloff, 

Associate Researcher, 


Oceanography; 

Channing Prend, 

Ph.D. candidate, 

Scripps Institution 

of Oceanography 

I studied the Maud Rise, a large seamount in 

the Southern Ocean associated with strong 

upwelling and weak stratification. Maud Rise 

experiences rare polynya events during which 

a hole forms in the seasonal sea ice above it, 

the most recent of which occurred in 2016 

and 2017. My goal was to determine how these 

polynyas affect phytoplankton blooms near 

Maud Rise by using the biogeochemical data 

collected by the autonomous Argo floats that 

circulate the region to estimate chlorophyll 

and concentrations of particulate organic 

carbon. I used Python to analyze the relevant 

float data in conjunction with satellite sea-ice 

and reanalysis data. This allowed my group 

to develop hypotheses linking the two recent 

polynyas to observed changes in phytoplankton 

bloom timing, size and vertical structure. During 

my research, I learned a lot about Python data 

analysis and data visualization tools, as well as 

about oceanography. This internship was a very 

positive research experience and showed me 

that I would like to be involved in science as a 

computer science concentrator. 

40

Tyrone Zhang ’21 

GEOSCIENCES 

PROJECT TITLE 

Assessing the Ocean's 

Biological Carbon Pump in 

a Water Mass 

Transformation 

Framework 





LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 









Scholar, Atmospheric and 

Oceanic Sciences; 

Graeme MacGilchrist, 


Associate, Atmospheric 


I worked on analyzing the ideal-age tracer in 

the ESM4 climate model at the Geophysical 

Fluid Dynamics Laboratory on Princeton’s 

Forrestal Campus and trying to use a different 

framework to understand the ocean. We used the 

old framework of depth and compared it using 

a new framework, density, to see which better 

describes the relationship of the ideal-age tracer 

in the ocean. Density is a better option than 

depth, as you can reduce the distribution of ideal 

age in such a framework, but more work needs 

to be done. I used the ESM4 model that had no 

net emissions of carbon from human activities 

into the Earth system and looked at the model 

outputs. I analyzed these data using Python 

via Jupyter Notebooks to look at the different 

relationships. This project gave me a glimpse 

into using model data and analyzing them, as 

well as increasing my familiarity with Python. 

This experience was very rewarding and it helped 

me develop new skills, especially in analyzing 

data and applying my knowledge of oceans to 

research. 



41

Ezra Zimble ’22 

UNDECLARED 



PROJECT TITLE 

Examining Biological 

Nitrogen Fixation Rates in 

New Jersey Forest 

Samples* 





LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 





Romain Darnajoux, 


Fellow, Geosciences 

I studied nitrogen fixation in New Jersey 

forests as an extension of research conducted in 

Canada by my supervisor, Romain Darnajoux. 

We applied his work in boreal forests to New 

Jersey's temperate forests by investigating 

whether nitrogen-fixing bacteria were present 

and, if so, the conditions that favor nitrogen 

fixation. My jobs included collecting samples 

such as mosses, tree bark and soil, then 

analyzing them in the lab. Over the course of 

the internship, I gained proficiency in using lab 

equipment such as gas chromatography and 

learned about the safe handling of chemicals. 

Additionally, my supervisor and I discussed 

experimental design at length before our weekly 

experiments and proper data analysis afterward. 

I plan to incorporate the sensitivity to detail in 

experiment design and analysis I learned to my 

future research at Princeton. 




Fixation.” 

42

Ben Alessio ’21 

PHYSICS 

PROJECT TITLE 

Clean, Small Fusion 

Reactors 


Princeton Plasma 

Physics Laboratory 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Samuel Cohen, Director, 

Program in Plasma 

Science and Technology, 



I worked with the Princeton Field-Reversed 

Configuration (PFRC) team toward creating 

a clean and small fusion reactor for use as a 

sustainable energy source in hard-to-access 

places such as natural disaster sites, remote 

villages or outer space. I studied X-rays emitted 

by the plasma and performed analysis on the 

X-ray radiation using computational scripts that 

I wrote or added onto. I diagnosed problems 

with the experimental apparatuses used to 

collect X-ray spectra and designed experiments 

to improve them. I also conceived of, designed 

and helped implement the addition of coils for 

the reactor, which resulted in major increases in 

X-ray production and potentially better diagnosis 

of the plasma. My contributions would not 

have been possible without help from the team 

I worked with, including a faculty member, a 

technician, a postdoctoral researcher, two Ph.D. 

candidates, and three interns. From working 

with them, I learned about experimental and 

computational methods and developed an 

intuition for plasma. I plan to continue working 

with the PFRC team for my junior independent 

research and I am enthusiastic about continuing 

with plasma physics as I begin to consider 

graduate school and career options. 


43

Jose Ayala Garcia ’22 


ENGINEERING 


PROJECT TITLE 

Solar Microgrid Research 


BoxPower Inc. 

LOCATION(S) 

Grass Valley, California 

MENTOR(S) 

Anderson Barkow, 

Co-Founder and Vice 

President of Finance, 

BoxPower Inc.; 

Angelo Campus, Founder 

and CEO, BoxPower Inc. 

I worked alongside BoxPower’s production 

and engineering crew to develop a miniature 

version of their original solar-power system. 

BoxPower manufactures containerized solar 

energy generators that are currently used in 

rural communities and for disaster relief. I 

worked directly with the CEO to develop this new 

product. I used computer-aided design (CAD) 

to design the the miniature container’s frame 

and mounting brackets, and produced drawings 

used to manufacture both. I then developed the 

initial model of the container itself and served 

as the point of contact between the welders and 

BoxPower. I worked with the production crew to 

produce a prototype of the miniature generator 

that was shipped to Hawaii in mid-August. I also 

worked with the head of engineering to edit and 

update BoxPower’s patents, which taught me a 

lot about patents and how to obtain one. This 

internship developed my skills with CAD as well 

as my technical drawing skills. I also updated the 

company website at the request of BoxPower’s 

head of finance, which developed my HTML 

skills. Renewable energy is a field I want to keep 

exploring and I plan on taking related courses in 

the upcoming semesters. 

44

Jayson Badal ’22 


ENGINEERING 

Certificate: Applications of Computing 

PROJECT TITLE 

Aerodynamic Flow Control 

on Cars to Improve Fuel 

Efficiency 


Smits Fluid Mechanics 

Lab, Department 




LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Alexander Smits, 

Eugene Higgins Professor 



Emeritus; Tyler Van Buren, 

Lab Manager, Mechanical 

and Aerospace Engineering 

I designed modern flow-control techniques for 

the body of motor vehicles in order to reduce drag 

and fuel consumption. I used synthetic air jets 

that actively responded to the surrounding flow 

conditions of an SUV prototype to reduce the 

loss of momentum in the wake and separation 

of airflow from the sides of the vehicle. This 

project centered on fundamental experimental 

research in turbulence and fluid mechanics. Its 

long-term objective was to achieve maximum 

drag reduction, as well as an acceptable 

balance with comfort, safety and aesthetics. 

My responsibilities included studying previous 

research in the area, computer-aided design, 

3D printing and time-pressured prototyping, 

and subsequent testing. I gained invaluable 

insight into the world of aerodynamic research 

and acquired a profound appreciation for those 

pushing the boundaries of human knowledge. 

Moreover, I learned about the intricate workings 

of the scientific community that allow for 

successful collaboration, innovation and 

invention. 


45

Anthony Barnett ’21 


ENGINEERING 


PROJECT TITLE 

Aerodynamic Flow Control 

on Cars to Improve Fuel 

Efficiency 







LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 








I analyzed airflow over the body of a typical SUVtype 

automobile in order to assess the benefits 

of active flow control in reducing drag. More 

specifically, I worked on creating an SUV model 

that would simulate synthetic jets, which use 

piezoelectric drivers to generate air that is then 

alternately blown and sucked in response to the 

surrounding flow conditions. After designing 

and printing many different models, my research 

group successfully created one that allowed us 

to analyze the airflow around the vehicle and 

potentially simulate the effects of using synthetic 

jets to reduce drag. This internship taught me 

many technical skills, including computer-aided 

design and the use of fabrication equipment 

such as a drill press. The biggest takeaway was 

the experience I gained working in a research 

environment. This experience will undoubtedly 

propel me in my future as a student and scholar. 

46

Elise Colter ’21 


PROJECT TITLE 

Wind and Solar Electricity 

Forecasting Tool 


Climate Central 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Eric Larson, Senior 

Research Engineer, 

Andlinger Center for 

Energy and the 

Environment, 


Jennifer Brady, Manager 

of Analysis and 

Production, Climate 

Central; Leila Hadj-Chikh, 

Developer for the Program 

on Sea Level Rise, 

Climate Central 

My internship at Climate Central focused on 

improving the WeatherPower tool, which is a 

part of the climate-reporting resource Climate 

Matters that produces text and visual materials 

to help journalists and TV meteorologists 

build stories. WeatherPower uses weather 

forecast data to predict local wind and solar 

electricity generation across the United States. 

I primarily used Python, Amazon Web Services 

and Django to implement a redesigned version 

of the software’s backend, verify the tool’s 

calculations, and initiate the ongoing process 

of code review. I also worked on several new 

features, including renewable-energy estimates 

and their equivalencies for new regions (states, 

counties and congressional districts), and 

carbon emissions equivalency calculations. 

Through this internship, I gained a familiarity 

with several relevant technologies related to 

my major and had the opportunity to combine 

my academic interests with an issue that is 

important to me. 


47

Raiden Evans ’21 


ENGINEERING 

Certificates: Applications of Computing, Robotics 

and Intelligent Systems 


PROJECT TITLE 

Aircraft Drag and Noise 

Diminishment Through 

Trailing-Edge Vortex 

Suppression 







LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 








I worked on optimizing commercial aircraft 

flaps to induce less drag and noise at takeoff and 

landing. This would benefit the environment 

surrounding airports, as well as reduce fuel 

consumption if the adjustments were to be made 

to the entirety of an aircraft wing. I worked 

almost entirely on the design and manufacture 

of a test model for placing in the 40 meterper-second 

wind tunnel in the Department 

of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering’s 

thermo lab. My lab partner and I ultimately 

created a small segment of a wing with a fully 

interchangeable and angle-adjustable flap. 

I learned many hands-on skills during this 

process, refined my skills in 3D modeling and 

learned the intricacies of 3D printing as a rapidprototyping 

method. Additionally, I learned how 

to operate the large computer numerical control 

(CNC) foam cutter to carve our precision wing, 

and how to apply layers of carbon-fiber matting. 

I found research to be a very free and creative 

environment. 

48

Bharat Govil ’22 


Certificate: Linguistics 

PROJECT TITLE 

Aircraft Drag and Noise 

Diminishment Through 

Trailing-Edge Vortex 

Suppression 







LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 








I had the opportunity to participate in 

mechanical and aerospace engineering research 

that focused on reducing the drag on airplane 

wings, which would improve fuel efficiency and 

reduce noise pollution. The research focused 

specifically on reducing the drag caused by 

trailing-edge vortices, which form at the edges 

of plane wings. My partner and I designed a 

model aircraft wing, a NACA 0012 airfoil, scaled 

down to fit the subsonic wind tunnel in the Smits 

lab. The airfoil included an interchangeable 

flap, which would form trailing-edge vortices of 

varying intensity depending on the angle offset 

from the main airfoil. Our goal was to change 

the angle of the trailing-edge vortices that form 

on either side of the flap with the use of active 

flow-control devices. These flow-control devices, 

such as actuators and synthetic jets, would 

be embedded into the flap. My work provided 

useful insights into a laboratory setting and gave 

me more confidence and knowledge related to 

mechanical engineering and various machining 

methods. 


49

Esther Julis ’20 

ANTHROPOLOGY 

Certificates: Entrepreneurship, Ethnographic 

Studies 


PROJECT TITLE 

Solar Market Strategy, 

Finance Intern 


BoxPower Inc. 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 







I worked with other interns to develop an onboarding 

document for future employees that 

contains summations of BoxPower's current 

activities and future development plans. As the 

finance intern, I looked at the financial health 

of the company and helped create documents 

for investors. As a group, we conducted user 

research via cold calling to investigate viable 

potential customer markets. I learned how to 

accumulate knowledge about a foreign industry 

rapidly, how to navigate the early dynamics of a 

startup, and what is necessary to grow a company 

with limited resources and data. This internship 

heavily influenced my thesis research and 

academic study. I will focus on natural disasters 

and related issues facing communities, a decision 

that was influenced in part by BoxPower's 

mission. I also am taking an environmental 

studies course this semester to further my 

understanding of climate-related issues in the 

present day. 

50

Lap Hei Lam ’21 

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING 

PROJECT TITLE 

Helmholtz Resonators as 

a Small, Lightweight and 

Versatile Wind-Energy 

Harvesting Device 







LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 








I worked on a novel device to harvest wind 

energy, specifically the optimization of a circuit 

connected to a piezoelectric disk coupled with a 

Helmholtz resonator. When air blows over a hole 

in the top of the device, it causes the Helmholtz 

resonator to vibrate, which can be converted to 

electricity through the piezoelectric disk and 

circuit. I ran experiments to better understand 

the piezoelectric disk and the Helmholtz 

resonator, reviewed research pertaining to 

similar experiments, and helped build circuits 

based on that research. Through this experience, 

I became familiar with the scientific literature on 

this topic and I developed a better understanding 

of circuits, as well as an appreciation for their 

amazing capabilities. Due to this exposure, I 

am more curious in the role that circuits play in 

other technology, such as signal processing and 

semiconductors. I intend to learn more about 

other fields within electrical engineering and the 

critical role circuits play in tying them together. 


51

Hoang Le ’22 


Certificates: Engineering Physics, Materials 

Science and Engineering 


PROJECT TITLE 

Maximizing the Power 

Output of the Helmholtz 

Resonator Wind-Energy 

Harvester 







LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 








The goal of this project was to design a better 

load circuit to maximize the power output of 

a Helmholtz resonator, a piezoelectric-based 

device that harvests wind energy by converting 

vibrational energy into electricity. The research 

group's first task was to determine the internal 

resistance and reactance of the piezoelectric 

disk because the load circuit provides maximum 

power when the external resistance equals the 

internal one. Our second task was to design a 

low-loss rectifying circuit to harvest good direct 

current (DC) power. By actuating the resonator 

at a higher resonant frequency and choosing the 

optimal load, we achieved an alternating current 

(AC) power density that was 212% higher than the 

results published from a similar experiment in 

2018. This was a great opportunity to familiarize 

myself with electronic parts and circuit design. 

I also gained a wide range of knowledge from 

using tools such as MATLAB, the LabVIEW 

programming language, the SPICE circuitsimulation 

software, and Altium PCB design 

software, as well as more conceptual approaches 

to power electronics and optimization problems. 

52

Clare Martin ’22 


PROJECT TITLE 

Binary Transition Metal 

Oxide Electrocatalysts for 

the Oxygen Evolution 

Reaction 


Koel Group, Department 

of Chemical and 

Biological Engineering, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Bruce Koel, Professor 

of Chemical and 

Biological Engineering; 

Rachel Selinsky, 


Scholar, Chemical and 

Biological Engineering 

I worked on improving a process essential to 

cost-efficient electrolysis (water splitting), which 

is an emissions-free way to produce hydrogen 

fuel. The reaction is limited, however, by the 

inefficiency of one of its half reactions, the 

oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The most 

efficient OER catalysts are made from the 

prohibitively expensive metals iridium and 

ruthenium. I helped develop procedures for 

synthesizing OER electrocatalysts made from 

nanostructured metal-oxide thin films composed 

of catalytically active metal oxides (namely 

ruthenium, iridium and cobalt) and oxides of 

less expensive metals (zirconium, hafnium 

and titanium). I designed a new non-reactive 

electrochemical cell in which to synthesize 

metal-oxide films through electrodeposition; 

optimized the polishing and etching processes 

for the titanium substrates on which the films 

are grown; and synthesized potential oxalate 

single-source precursors for ruthenium, cobalt 

and iridium oxides. I also received training on 

how to operate a scanning electron microscope, 

Raman spectrometer, and an X-ray photoelectron 

spectrometer. This internship taught me 

concepts in imaging instrumentation and 

valuable wet-lab techniques, confirming my 

aspirations to conduct chemistry-based research 

with environmental applications. 


53

Connor Matthews ’20 


ENGINEERING 


PROJECT TITLE 

Mechanical Engineering 

and Design for High-Rate 

Recharging Vehicles 


Lightening Energy 

LOCATION(S) 

Dover, New Jersey 

MENTOR(S) 

Eric Materniak, 

Energy Systems Manager, 


I helped Lightening Energy with the development 

of a high-rate recharging electric-vehicle battery 

pack. My main responsibility was to design 

the cooling plate to be as efficient and effective 

as possible. Iterations were created in the 

computer-aided design program Creo, as well 

as in Autodesk Computational Fluid Dynamics 

(CFD). Another goal was to submit a provisional 

patent for certain charging designs, including 

charging stations for electric vehicles. I gained 

skills using CFD and in battery-cell development. 

Additionally, I learned the process of filing for 

a patent and of being a working engineer by 

interacting with Lightening Energy employees. 

This experience made me want to continue to 

explore the world of electric vehicles, as their 

development will be an important part of 

reducing anthropogenic carbon emissions. 

54

Rebecca Mays ’21 


PROJECT TITLE 

Optogenetic Control of 

Microbial Consortia 


Avalos Group, 

Department of 

Chemical and Biological 


Andlinger Center 

for Energy and the 

Environment, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

José Avalos, Assistant 

Professor of Chemical and 


and the Andlinger Center 


Environment; 

Makoto Lalwani, Ph.D. 

candidate, Chemical and 


I researched the optogenetic, or light-dependent, 

control of microbes such as Escherichia coli 

and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which can be 

bioengineered to produce natural products 

such as biofuels, fragrance molecules and 

pharmaceuticals. My research consisted of 

studying previously engineered strains of 

optogenetic E. coli and S. cerevisiae and modeling 

their growth in different duty cycles of blue light. 

I also worked to insert optogenetic circuits into a 

strain of Pseudomonas putida, a bacterial species 

with great promise for biofuels, and successfully 

created a strain that grows in blue light and is 

suppressed in darkness. Finally, I fermented an 

optogenetic strain of E. coli with S. cerevisiae to 

produce isobutyl acetate (IBA). I measured the 

final IBA concentrations in the fermentations 

— as well as of its precursor, isobutanol — using 

gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to 

determine the best light condition and E. coli/S. 

cerevisiae inoculum ratio for IBA production. 

Working on these projects allowed me to learn 

valuable lab skills and research procedures for 

future classes and beyond. I also learned much 

about the field of bioengineering, giving me 

an idea of careers that could stem from this 

research. 


55

Natalia Miller ’21 


Certificate: Sustainable Energy 


PROJECT TITLE 

Biotechnology for 

Renewable Energy and 

Sustainable 

Manufacturing 


Avalos Group, 

Department of 





Environment, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

José Avalos, Assistant 



and the Andlinger Center 


Environment 

My internship focused on engineering 

the metabolism of yeast cells to produce 

plant-derived chemicals necessary for 

pharmaceuticals. The manufacturing of plantderived 

natural products is essential for a wide 

class of medicinal drugs, but current methods are 

not environmentally sustainable. Manufacturing 

these plant-derived natural products in yeast 

cells is a sustainable way to create drugs. 

The goal of my project was to transform 

yeast cells that produce 8-hydroxygeraniol, 

a chemical precursor to many plant-derived 

pharmaceuticals. I designed genes that would 

allow for the production of the P450 enzyme 

8-hydroxylase and its reaction partners in yeast 

cells. Then I transformed these genes into yeast 

containing metabolic clustering systems that 

would allow the P450 enzymes to complete 

the oxidation reaction necessary to produce 

8-hydroxygeraniol. Through this internship, I 

gained valuable lab experience that led me to 

decide that I want to pursue a graduate degree in 

chemical and biological engineering. 

56

Andres Montoya ’21 


ENGINEERING 

PROJECT TITLE 

Electrical Engineering and 

Design of High-Rate 




LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 




For my project, I learned the productdevelopment 

process and the key steps a 

company takes to create a new product. I also 

gained knowledge of mechanical design for 

engineering systems and learned the best 

practices for design review and implementation. 

I worked on a team that focused on innovating 

the components of high-rate recharging vehicles 

in an effort to further the improvement and 

impact of electric vehicles. Our team created and 

iterated cooling-plate designs for an electricvehicle 

battery pack using the computer-aided 

design programs Creo and Autodesk CFD. We 

also generated and described multiple electricvehicle 

charging stations and techniques for a 

provisional patent. We were able to consistently 

communicate with upper-level management as 

we presented various ideas in company meetings 

to discuss and improve upon designs. As a result 

of this internship, I learned the intricacies of 

Creo and Autodesk CFD, the process of filing 

a patent, and how to effectively collaborate 

with engineers from various disciplines in a 

laboratory setting. 


57

Chiara Nilsson-Salvati ’22 



PROJECT TITLE 

Synthesis of Nanosized 

Portlandite for Carbon 

Capture 


Sustainable Cements 

Group, Department of 

Civil and Environmental 




Environment, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Claire White, 

Associate Professor of 





Environment; 

Maria Curria, 

Ph.D. candidate, Civil 

and Environmental 

Engineering 

I worked on synthesizing a compound that could 

efficiently capture gaseous carbon dioxide from 

fossil fuel-burning power plants, which could 

greatly mitigate their environmental impact. 

I attempted to form nanosheets of portlandite 

crystals, which prior research in the White lab 

predicted would be good candidates for carbon 

capture. Based on published studies, I developed 

a procedure for separating the crystals into layers 

one-molecule thin. I analyzed the portlandite’s 

structure at different experimental stages using 

X-ray diffraction (XRD) and prepared a report 

on my findings to guide further attempts in 

the group to create nanosized portlandite. I 

experienced academic research firsthand by 

working closely with my mentors and using highlevel 

scientific instruments normally unavailable 

to undergraduate students. My work involved 

materials science, a discipline in the chemical 

and biological engineering major, providing me 

with insight as I decide which track to pursue. 

58

Jae Won Oh ’21 


Certificates: Applications of Computing, 

Sustainable Energy 

PROJECT TITLE 

Synthesis of Nanosized 

Portlandite for Carbon 

Capture 








Environment, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Claire White, 






Environment; 

Maria Curria, 

Ph.D. candidate, 


Engineering 

I researched the viability of nanosized 

portlandite as an efficient material for carbon 

capture. Portlandite, the crystalline form of 

calcium hydroxide, is a very accessible and 

well-known material already used for carbon 

capture, but the energy requirement for 

desorption (the release of captured carbon) 

is significant, which reduces its viability for 

industrial-scale implementation. Previous 

simulations done in the White lab have shown 

that a monolayer of portlandite could reduce the 

energy intensity of desorption. My work involved 

assessing the presence of nanosize crystallites in 

commercially available portlandite by sieving the 

material and running an X-ray diffraction (XRD) 

analysis. I also worked to develop a method of 

synthesizing nanosized portlandite crystals to 

further study their carbon-capture ability. By 

running a thermogravimetric analysis on the 

samples, I studied each sample’s hydration and 

carbonation at room temperature, as well as the 

rate at which desorption occurred for different 

sizes of portlandite. Through this internship, 

I reaffirmed my interest in energy and the 

environment while learning research skills and 

experimental design. 


59

Cristian Ruano Arens ’22 


Certificate: Materials Science and Engineering 


PROJECT TITLE 

Investigation of Ash 

Removal from Fusion 

Reactors via Palladium 

Membranes 




LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 




Princeton Plasma Physics 

Laboratory; Bruce Koel, 


Biological Engineering, 


Shota Abe, Postdoctoral 

Research Associate, 


Engineering, 


My internship involved helping to develop 

processes that could extend the usefulness of 

fusion as a clean-energy source. The combination 

of deuterium and helium-3 is being studied as 

a potential fuel for fusion reactors as it does 

not produce high-energy neutrons. However, 

deuterium can react with itself and fuse to 

produce a tritium atom, which can subsequently 

fuse with another deuterium atom to produce a 

high-energy neutron that can damage reactor 

walls and weaken plasma strength. Thus, tritium 

must be removed from the plasma. My project 

explored palladium foil as a possible membrane 

material to separate hydrogen and helium 

isotopes and remove tritium ash. My primary 

activity was to service the high-vacuum chamber, 

including venting the chamber and manually 

adding and removing various machines such 

as plasma sources, mass spectrometers, and a 

cylindrical mirror analyzer. After this internship, 

I have a better understanding of the functionality 

and fragility of high-vacuum chambers, plasma 

sources, and mass transport. My project has 

exposed me to the field of surface analysis and I 

am now considering studying surface science or 

plasma-materials interactions in graduate school. 

60

Christopher Russo ’20 

PHYSICS 

Certificates: Biophysics; Russian, East European 

and Eurasian Studies 

PROJECT TITLE 

Unattended Flow Monitor 

for Gas Centrifuge 

Enrichment Plants 


Woodrow Wilson School 

Program on Science and 

Global Security, 


Los Alamos National 

Laboratory 

LOCATION(S) 


Los Alamos, New Mexico 

MENTOR(S) 

Robert Goldston, 

Professor of 

Astrophysical Sciences, 


My internship was in support of a larger 

project to develop a thermal mass flow meter 

for remotely monitoring uranium centrifuges. 

Portions of my internship took place at the 

Princeton Program in Science and Global 

Security and at the Los Alamos National 

Laboratory (LANL). My responsibilities primarily 

consisted of computationally modeling the 

thermal transport phenomena that underpin the 

device's operation. I was able to make several 

concrete contributions to the project, including 

modeling the effect of hydrogen fluoride-gas 

contamination on the operation of the device; 

modeling the transient thermal states of the 

device during transition between flow rates; and 

working with the engineers at LANL to model the 

behavior of the air-based prototype they built. I 

learned a great deal about the physics of — and 

methods for — modeling thermal transport 

phenomena, computational fluid dynamics 

methods, and about nuclear safeguards and the 

role of the International Atomic Energy Agency 

in promoting nonproliferation. This internship 

furthered my interest in the application of 

science to global security issues, and I plan on 

applying to several related fellowships in the 

coming year. 


61

Ellen Scott-Young ’20 

ANTHROPOLOGY 



PROJECT TITLE 

New Solar Product Market 

Research and Launch 


BoxPower Inc. 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 







As a business development intern, my primary 

objective was to develop a go-to-market strategy 

for BoxPower's new solar product, which is 

a smaller version of the company’s original 

solar microgrid product. I conducted market 

research to understand if this new product 

would be successful, investigating possible 

customer verticals and creating compelling 

value propositions. In addition to strategy 

development, I also helped increase the company 

brand name through social media management, 

writing accelerator-fund applications, and 

shooting pitch videos. Working in green 

technology was incredibly rewarding and 

reaffirmed my dedication to an environmentally 

conscious career. I am now looking into pursuing 

consulting, an MBA or a career in the energy 

sector. 

62

Walker Stamps ’22 

ECONOMICS 

PROJECT TITLE 

Solar Market Strategy, 

Business Development 

Intern 


BoxPower Inc. 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 







As a business development intern, I worked to 

create a go-to-market strategy for BoxPower’s 

new trailerized/palletized solar generator. 

The generator was designed with the help 

of the interns as a replacement to current 

diesel or gasoline generators that are used 

in off-grid locations. I conducted outreach 

through phone calls, emails, and attending 

a business conference and networking. I also 

conducted secondary research to determine 

value propositions, the competitive landscape, 

barriers to entry and market feasibility. I worked 

to create a financial calculator to determine the 

savings customers would gain from using the 

generator. I learned about the cost-effectiveness 

of solar microgrids, the current users and their 

dependence on diesel/gasoline generators, and 

how firms and industries are moving towards 

becoming sustainable. This internship gave me 

a new perspective on solar energy and its future. 

I plan to continue working in a position where 

I can advance the principles of environmental 

stewardship and carbon-neutral power 

generation. 


63

Ethan Thai ’21 




PROJECT TITLE 

Electrical Engineering and 

Design of High-Rate 




LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 




My internship provided an opportunity to 

connect the electrical engineering topics of 

circuitry, devices and energy storage to the 

environment of a company. I worked on a project 

concerning battery management and other 

energy-storage systems. I learned and practiced 

financial modeling for the business, and I learned 

how to apply technical research in a business 

setting. Furthermore, I got the chance to work 

closely with mechanical engineers to see the 

different components of a single project. Being 

in a small team, the contributions I made to the 

financial analysis felt meaningful and clear in 

their importance to the company. Getting insight 

into how engineers work in the world of industry, 

especially in a small-business setting, made me 

want to pursue more courses at the intersection 

of business and engineering, and work in 

industry in the future. 

64

Hannah To ’22 


PROJECT TITLE 

Financial Modeling and 

Optimization for Electric- 

Mobility Business 



LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 




I interned as a financial modeling and 

optimization intern at Lightening Energy. 

I worked on and created financial models 

to project different values for a commercial 

expansion, such as revenue and return on 

investment. I worked with a model called BatPaC 

that took inputs such as battery chemistry, cell 

capacity, the size of the battery produced, and 

labor and production costs to estimate the cost 

of the battery. Using these models, I was able to 

create the financial projections for revenue and 

other indexes that we used in presentations for 

investors. I created a pitch deck that served as a 

summary of the company, project and financials. 

In this role, I was able to learn a lot about 

the battery market, and I also expanded my 

understanding of how companies calculate their 

financials and analyze future earnings. 


65

Kai Torrens ’22 

UNDECLARED 


PROJECT TITLE 

Clean, Small Fusion 

Reactors 




LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 






I studied the movement of gas within the 

Princeton Field-Reversed Configuration 

(PFRC), an experimental plasma-energy device 

at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory 

(PPPL). As this gas fuels the plasma within the 

PFRC, understanding its movement is key to 

understanding the plasma’s behavior and moving 

towards the goal of safe, clean fusion energy. I 

investigated this effect experimentally, taking 

data from our nine pressure sensors during 

biweekly experimental runs, then subtracting 

noise from these data, analyzing them, and 

sharing them weekly with the rest of our team. 

I supplemented this work with theoretical 

calculations of gas conductance. I used these 

calculations to develop a simple program in 

Python to model gas flow within the PFRC and 

compare the model’s predictions to experimental 

data. I learned valuable skills in data analysis 

and coding, and I gained an appreciation for 

the breadth of plasma physics through PPPL’s 

intensive weeklong introductory course. I also 

discovered the satisfaction of digging deeper 

into a complicated problem and the joy of 

collaboration. This summer gave me exciting 

insight into fascinating problems I would love to 

return to. 

66

Tobi Ajayi ’22 

ARCHITECTURE 

Certificates: Environmental Studies, Visual Arts 

PROJECT TITLE 

Day's End — Ecological 

Research and Curriculum 

Development* 



School of Architecture; 

Guy Nordenson and 

Associates 

LOCATION(S) 

New York City, New York 

MENTOR(S) 

Guy Nordenson, 

Professor of Architecture, 


Gina Morrow, Guy 

Nordenson and 

Associates 

My goal was to collect archival audio and 

video data to build a visual understanding of 

the history of the Day’s End sculpture being 

constructed at New York City’s Hudson River 

piers by Guy Nordenson and Associates and 

the Whitney Museum of American Art. The 

sculpture serves as a monument to the site’s rich 

industrial, immigrant and maritime history. 

The footage and audio I collected will be used 

in the production of educational materials 

surrounding the installment. It was important 

to not only document the construction proccess 

and research the site’s historical significance, but 

also explore various avenues so that this research 

could be presented to the Whitney in the most 

effective and engaging way. The skills gained 

in curating informative multimedia tools will 

undoubtedly be valuable as I continue to explore 

how visual arts and spatial representations 

can be used to engage, educate and inform 

communities. 

URBAN ADAPTATION 

AND RESILIENCY 

* This internship is connected to the PEI Urban 

Grand Challenges project, “Urban Adaptation to 

Climate Change.” 

67

Sierra Castaneda ’20 





PROJECT TITLE 

Methane Emissions from 

Wastewater Treatment 

Plants: Implications for 

Resource Recovery and 

Climate Mitigation 


Atmospheric Chemistry 

and Composition Group, 

Department of Civil 


Engineering, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Mark Zondlo, Associate 

Professor of Civil and 


Engineering 

I took measurements of greenhouse gases, 

methane and carbon dioxide in and around 

wastewater treatment plants throughout 

New Jersey using the Princeton Atmospheric 

Chemistry Experiment (PACE), a vehicle 

equipped with trace-gas and meteorological 

sensors. Concentration profiles downwind of the 

plants were incorporated into a Gaussian plumedispersion 

model to predict emission rates of 

these trace gases and estimate uncertainties. 

Because downwind trace-gas profiles are 

extremely variable due to atmospheric 

turbulence, repeated transects were conducted 

over a range of meteorological conditions. 

I investigated the use of an aerial source 

dispersion model to more accurately calculate 

emissions from tanks and other distribution 

sources. Quantifying emissions can inform the 

regulation of trace gases that impact air quality 

and climate, and can be useful to wastewater 

treatment plants in resource recovery, such as 

capturing methane. I gained problem-solving 

skills, experience collecting field data, and dataprocessing 

skills in MATLAB that were extremely 

valuable as I expand on these preliminary results 

for my senior thesis. 

68

Jessica Chen ’22 


PROJECT TITLE 

Princeton Community 

GHG Emission 

Reduction Analysis 


Sustainable Princeton 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Eric Larson, Senior 

Research Engineer, 



Environment, 


Christine Symington, 

Program Director, 

Sustainable Princeton 

I conducted research on calculating the 

emission-reduction potential of specific actions 

in the borough of Princeton's Climate Action 

Plan (CAP). As climate change becomes a global 

problem that affects multiple sectors of life, 

communities such as Princeton have begun 

to set goals to reduce local greenhouse gas 

emissions. I worked with Sustainable Princeton, 

the non-profit organization spearheading the 

CAP, performing calculations from spreadsheets 

showing emission projections until 2050. I 

used those data to create and add to the CAP’s 

methodology section, which explains the 

procedure behind the greenhouse gas emission 

calculations. At Sustainable Princeton, I met 

many dedicated people who have inspired me 

to continue incorporating sustainability into 

what I do. I hope to use this knowledge to obtain 

certificates that are related to sustainability, 

such as sustainable energy or environmental 

studies. In addition, as a civil and environmental 

engineering major, I hope to focus on green 

building within communities to lessen the 

impacts that the crisis of climate change has on 

the world. 



69

Hee Joo Choi ’21 





PROJECT TITLE 

Adding Nanoparticles to 

Metakaolin-based 

Geopolymers 








Environment, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Claire White, 






Environment; 

Christine Pu, Ph.D. 

candidate, Civil and 


Engineering 

I worked on synthesizing nanoparticles of 

zeolites to investigate their effect on the strength 

and durability of metakaolin-based geopolymer 

cements. This is important because producing 

geopolymers releases less carbon dioxide 

than producing the cement we use today. The 

nanozeolites are added to the geopolymer in 

hopes of increasing its endurance by acting 

as crystalline seeds that more crystals grow 

on. I synthesized various zeolites, milled 

them down to the desired nanosize, and used 

characterization machinery such as dynamic 

light scattering (DLS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) 

to verify the particle’s identity and size. I loved 

having the opportunity to find relevant papers, 

try to replicate the procedures they described, 

and learn about an exciting alternative to 

cement. My internship allowed me to explore 

up-to-date research on eco-friendly cement 

materials and truly appreciate the dedication and 

time put forth in the research process. 

70

Joseph Collins ’20 

ARCHITECTURE 

Certificate: Urban Studies 

PROJECT TITLE 

Noise Pollution, Barriers, 

Health, Equity and the 

City* 


Form Finding Lab, 



Engineering, 


LOCATION(S) 


Trenton, New Jersey 

MENTOR(S) 

Sigrid Adriaenssens, 



Engineering; 

M. Christine Boyer, 

William R. Kenan Jr., 

Professor of Architecture 

I studied noise pollution and how it adversely 

affects certain socioeconomic communities 

in the New York and New Jersey Metropolitan 

Area. I reviewed background literature, ground 

research, and data collection, and mapped my 

findings in geographic information systems 

software. Through my research and mapping, 

I helped identify the areas of Trenton for 

implementing and testing our sound-absorbing 

technology in hopes of having a positive impact 

on the communities living there. Working in 

Trenton, New Jersey, I worked with the East 

Trenton Collaborative to conduct interviews 

with residents about the noise they experience 

and its effect on them. I collected on-site decibel 

recordings from a residential street corner in 

Trenton that is surrounded by a major highway 

and industrial areas frequented by large trucks. 

My passion lies in cities and all that they offer 

to us. As great as they may be, all cities have 

inherent problems that have festered through 

their years of development, and I now aim to use 

my education to learn about and ideate modern 

ways to mitigate these problems. 




Grand Challenges project, “Noise Pollution, 

Barriers, Health, Equity and the City.” 

71

Allen Dai ’22 

UNDECLARED 



PROJECT TITLE 

Methane Emissions from 

Wastewater Treatment 

Plants: Implications for 

Resource Recovery and 

Climate Mitigation 


Atmospheric Chemistry 

and Composition Group, 



Engineering, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Mark Zondlo, Associate 

Professor of Civil and 


Engineering; Nathan Li, 



Engineering; Da Pan, 



Engineering 

I investigated methane emissions from 

wastewater treatment plants, which, along with 

agricultural-waste systems, produce a significant 

and rapidly increasing percentage of global 

methane, nitrous oxide and ammonia emissions. 

I participated in fieldwork to help quantify these 

emissions by driving a mobile lab topped with 

trace-gas sensors around wastewater treatment 

plants for several transects on a weekly basis. 

After gathering these raw data, I parsed and 

organized them for ease-of-use before postprocessing 

in MATLAB. I also wrote scripts to 

visualize the data in Google Earth. I gained 

a lot of valuable experience in data analysis, 

conducting field experiments, observing and 

analyzing atmospheric processes, and working 

as part of a team. The work I participated in has 

made me curious about how research informs 

and drives policy, and I definitely want to learn 

more about how to support policy changes aimed 

at creating a cleaner environment. 

72

Maria Fleury ’22 


PROJECT TITLE 

Norm Dynamics as Agents 

of Social Change and 


Sustainability* 


Behavioral Science 

for Policy Lab, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Elke Weber, Gerhard R. 

Andlinger Professor in 


Environment, 

Professor of Psychology 

and Public Affairs; 

Johanna Matt-Navarro, 

Research Lab Manager, 

Andlinger Center for Energy 

and the Environment; 

Alicia Cooperman, 



Institute for International 

and Regional Studies; 

Sara Constantino, 


Associate, Woodrow 

Wilson School 

My research focused on identifying social norms 

surrounding the implementation of offshore 

wind-energy projects in New Jersey. As part of 

the larger Rapid Switch project at Princeton, 

which looks at the fast decarbonization of India 

and the United States, our goal was to understand 

potential bottlenecks in the rapid transition to 

renewable energy. This included market research 

on the offshore wind-energy sector, mapping 

out and interviewing stakeholders, conducting 

fieldwork in Atlantic City and coding for social 

norms. I worked closely with our lab manager 

and postdoctoral fellows and presented findings 

in lab meetings. This experience helped develop 

my communication skills, and provided me 

with great insight into the social complexity 

of implementing such large-scale projects and 

deepened my interest in the societal part of 

engineering. 


Grand Challenges project, “Norm Dynamics as 

Agents of Urban Social Change and Environmental 

Sustainability: Investigating Cross-Cultural 

Differences and Longevity of Intervention.” 

73 


AND RESILIENCY

Ariane Fong ’20 

ARCHITECTURE 




PROJECT TITLE 

Flooding Infrastructure in 

the Venetian Lagoon* 





Associates; LTL 

Architects (Lewis. 

Tsurumaki. Lewis) 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 




Paul Lewis, 



My project investigated the island of Mazzorbo in 

the northern lagoon of Venice, Italy, ecologically, 

anthropologically and architecturally, 

culminating in a body of research for a graduate 

course in the Princeton School of Architecture. 

The course presents an urgency for housing in 

the Venetian lagoon and asks students to design 

social housing for Mazzorbo. While collecting 

general background information about Venice 

and Mazzorbo, my research also tracked the 

political and architectural precedent for postwar 

social housing in the lagoon. I further elucidated 

the precarious ecological state of the lagoon 

due to the increased severity of acqua alta (high 

waters), the MOSE floodgates, and tourism 

pressure on Venice, and suggested opportunities 

for an architectural response. Following the 

research phase, I mapped the island of Mazzorbo 

to generate a rough topobathymetric model of 

the lagoon comprising both the island and the 

seafloor surrounding the island. 


Grand Challenges project, “Venice: Amphibious 

Hotel.” 

74

Frank Ge ’22 


PROJECT TITLE 

Hurricane Impact on 

Seismograms* 


GuyotPhysics, Department 



I studied the links between seismology and 

weather with a focus on two primary projects. 

The first was developing an algorithm that 

would track the current locations of ocean 

seismometers given their past locations; the 

second was developing methods to visualize and 

research the effect of hurricanes on the seismic 

data produced by the Guyot Hall seismometer. 

This experience taught me many lessons in data 

science, allowing me to become more familiar 

with scripting in MATLAB and signal processing. 

This internship encouraged me to pursue 

more programming projects in the future and 

opened my eyes to the intriguing possibilities of 

research. 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Frederik Simons, 


Jessica Irving, Assistant 





Grand Challenges project, “Guyot Physics: 

Princeton University as an Urban Science Node.” 

75

Oleg Golev ’22 

OPERATIONS RESEARCH AND FINANCIAL 

ENGINEERING 



76 

PROJECT TITLE 

Norm Dynamics as Agents 

of Social Change and 


Sustainability* 


Behavioral Science 

for Policy Lab, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Elke Weber, Gerhard R. 

Andlinger Professor in 


Environment, 

Professor of Psychology 

and Public Affairs; 

Johanna Matt-Navarro, 

Research Lab Manager, 

Andlinger Center for Energy 

and the Environment; 

Alicia Cooperman, 



Institute for International 

and Regional Studies; 

Sara Constantino, 


Associate, Woodrow 

Wilson School 

With two other interns, I researched the 

bottlenecks to offshore wind-energy 

implementation in New Jersey. This project 

is part of the larger Rapid Switch project 

at Princeton, which examines the rapid 

decarbonization of India and the United States. 

Our research not only explored the public’s 

perceptions of modern renewables in New Jersey, 

but also provided a basis for comparison with 

these issues overseas. To compile reports, I 

conducted web research, stakeholder analysis, 

cold calling, fieldwork in Atlantic City, and 

interviews with high-level stakeholder officials. 

I gained numerous soft skills that are invaluable 

both personally and professionally. I also 

learned a lot about the offshore wind-energy 

market players, the complexity of tackling 

policy issues related to innovative renewables, 

the importance of social norms in defining 

individual perspectives, and the difficulty of 

engaging the populace in sustainability efforts. 

I gained valuable skills that will be applicable 

anywhere I go. 


Grand Challenges project, “Norm Dynamics as 

Agents of Urban Social Change and Environmental 

Sustainability: Investigating Cross-Cultural 

Differences and Longevity of Intervention.”

Victoria Gonzalez ’21 



PROJECT TITLE 

Day's End — Ecological 

Research and Curriculum 

Development* 





Associates 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 




Gina Morrow, Guy 

Nordenson and 

Associates 

I worked on providing both context and content 

for a podcast series that the Whitney Museum 

of American Art is creating to accompany its 

newest sculpture, Day’s End, being carried out in 

conjunction with Guy Nordenson and Associates. 

My fellow intern and I collected historic audio 

and video related to the Hudson River’s Pier 

52, including its markets, transportation and 

ecology. In order to best present our findings to 

the museum director, staff and podcast team, 

we created thematic and curated maps, online 

and on paper, each with points containing 

descriptions and links to the information we 

found. We also created a book of historical 

transcriptions and an online map of “now 

and then” pictures of the area to illustrate 

gentrification. Finally, we created QR cards 

to simplify access to our online information. 

Our work will help explain the context of Day’s 

End, justify its role as one of New York City’s 

newest monuments and explain the historical 

significance of the surrounding community. 




Grand Challenges project, “Urban Adaptation to 

Climate Change.” 

77

Shoichi Hayashi ’22 


Certificate: Architecture and Engineering 



PROJECT TITLE 

Urban Lead Monitoring 

Program in Trenton, New 

Jersey* 


Princeton-Isles Lead 

Lab, Department of 

Geosciences, 


LOCATION(S) 



MENTOR(S) 

John Higgins, Associate 


Jack Murphy, Ph.D. 


Nicolas Slater, Research 

Specialist, Geosciences 

I worked on an ongoing project to provide free 

lead testing of residential water and of paint and 

soil to low-income communities in Trenton. The 

team and I used a mass spectrometer to analyze 

water samples for a variety of lead isotopes that 

we could use to trace lead contamination back 

to the source. We created additional mapping 

of the concentration data and lead-ratio data 

so that observations could be made about the 

distribution of lead contamination in central 

New Jersey. I gained experience in the lab, in 

Microsoft Excel and with team collaboration that 

has increased my dexterity in these areas. In 

addition, serving less fortunate communities ties 

in to my goal as a civil engineer to help improve 

living conditions in developing nations. With this 

in mind, I seek to engage in future internships 

where I can widen my skills and pursue that goal. 


Grand Challenges project, “Anthropogenic Lead in 

the Urban Environment.” 

78

Rafi Lehmann ’20 

HISTORY 


PROJECT TITLE 

Fluvial Metropolis 


Fluvial Metropolis Group, 


School of Architecture 

and the Department 

of Architecture and 

Urbanism, University of 

São Paulo 

LOCATION(S) 

São Paulo, Brazil 

MENTOR(S) 

Mario Gandelsonas, 

Class of 1913 Lecturer 

in Architecture, 



Alexandre Delijaicov, 

Professor of Architecture 

and Urbanism, 

University of São Paulo 

I lived in São Paulo serving as the liaison 

between Princeton’s School of Architecture (SoA) 

and the University of Sao Paulo’s Faculdade 

de Arquitetura e Urbanismo (FAU) as they 

prepared the second book from the yearslong 

Fluvial Metropolis research initiative, which 

explores the interplay between urban design and 

natural waterways. I worked with the faculty in 

São Paulo to collect, edit and translate papers 

for publication. I also developed a map of key 

locations in São Paulo to be photographed for the 

book. In my spare time, I shadowed a few FAU 

graduate students to learn about local fluvial 

design projects. Additionally, the faculty at FAU 

gave me one-on-one lessons on the history of 

the city’s water infrastructure, as well as general 

advice on my senior thesis project. Through this 

internship, I learned about the complexities of 

academic publishing, international collaboration 

and urban water infrastructure. I also was able 

to explore São Paulo and experience its history, 

architecture and culture. 



79

Doris Li ’22 




PROJECT TITLE 

Guyot Hall Earthquake 

Catalog* 





LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 





I studied seismology and its various applications 

in other fields of science. I primarily performed 

data analysis with my internship consisting 

of two main parts. In the first half, I focused 

on creating a program that would predict the 

locations of certain ocean seismometers based 

on location files of previous floats. This was 

done to assist a project launched toward the end 

of the summer and help in data collection. The 

second half consisted of programming a catalog 

of seismic data from the seismometer located 

in Guyot Hall. I used an online earthquake 

database (IRIS) to find the times and locations of 

earthquakes, match them with Princeton data, 

and graph the data according to the epicentral 

distance to the event. I greatly expanded my skill 

set and knowledge of geosciences, data analysis 

and computer science. I learned more computing 

languages and gained insight into signals and 

systems and statistics. I see myself performing 

data analysis and using the numerous techniques 

I have acquired from this internship in the 

future. 




80

Aaron Lichtblau ’21 


PROJECT TITLE 

Noise Pollution and 

Barriers* 





Engineering, 


LOCATION(S) 



MENTOR(S) 




Engineering; Jessica Flores, 

Ph.D. candidate, Civil and 

Environmental Engineering 

I worked on reducing noise pollution from traffic 

in urban areas. I investigated the noise-reduction 

properties of a few curved-crease folding-wall 

patterns, which fold along curved lines in order 

to deflect sound waves from oncoming traffic. 

Because my findings illustrated that the patterns 

were not suited to outdoor noise reduction, the 

emphasis of my project shifted to indoor noise 

reduction. I was able to start the design of a 

hanging, curved-crease folding noise reducer. 

I also wrote a blog article on the potential 

uses of curved-crease folding in engineering 

applications. This experience taught me how 

to work in multiple software applications 

for computer-aided design (CAD), including 

Rhinocerous 3D and its plugin, Grasshopper 3D. 

I also learned how to design and run computer 

modeling experiments. I hope to ultimately use 

my new programming and experiment-design 

skills at an engineering firm. 




Grand Challenges project, “Noise Pollution, 

Barriers, Health, Equity and the City.” 

81

Chase Lovgren ’21 




PROJECT TITLE 

Storm-Surge Barriers and 

Jamaica Bay* 





Engineering, 


LOCATION(S) 



MENTOR(S) 




Engineering 

I worked with another intern to collect, analyze, 

and arrange data into digital maps with a 

narrative format for a project to implement 

storm-surge barriers in Jamaica Bay, New York 

City. We learned how to use ArcGIS Pro and 

other ESRI online applications to arrange the 

datasets, which we collected primarily through 

the U.S. Census Bureau. Additionally, our 

work consisted of interviewing stakeholders in 

coastal protection and design in order to gather 

a complete and multifaceted understanding 

of the decision-making dynamics in play. 

We interviewed experts from the New York 

City Mayor’s Office of Resiliency, the Science 

and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay, and 

Princeton researchers studying environmental 

policy. With our collected data and interview 

content, we provided new perspectives with 

which to approach organizations such as the 

Regional Plan Association — which has been 

responsible for significant public works projects 

in New York City — with proposals for this 

project. 


Grand Challenges project, “Novel Deployable Storm 

Surge Protection for Coastal Cities.” 

82

Peter Mwesigwa ’21 


Certificate: Statistics and Machine Learning 

PROJECT TITLE 

Oceanic Seismology with 

the MERMAID Project* 





LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 





I worked on the MERMAID project, an acronym 

for Mobile Earthquake Recorders in Marine 

Areas by Independent Divers. Each MERMAID 

float is a mobile seismometer that drifts freely 

in the ocean, diving to record seismic activity 

in the ocean bed and surfacing periodically 

to report observations. I continued work I 

began in 2018 programming a mobile app that 

displays information received from the floats. 

I also helped plan a deployment of more floats 

in the Pacific Ocean. With another student, I 

designed an algorithm that predicts a float’s 

future position using its past reported locations, 

which led to the interception of a MERMAID 

float and physically retrieving its data. I gained 

an appreciation for MATLAB, as well as for 

generating regression models using linear, 

quadratic and sinusoidal functions. I also 

gained a deeper understanding of mobile-app 

development for iOS using Xcode and the process 

of preparing an application for release on the 

App Store. I plan to continue working on the 

app in preparation for its release, and I’m also 

considering extracting an independent project 

from my experience. 






83

Katharine Schassler ’21 





PROJECT TITLE 

Storm-Surge Barriers and 

Jamaica Bay* 





Engineering, 


LOCATION(S) 



MENTOR(S) 




Engineering 

I worked on a project involving inflatable 

storm-surge barriers, a dynamic and largely 

still-emerging approach to coastal resiliency. 

Specifically, I helped the group understand 

how academic engineers can bridge the gap 

between theory and research to build structures 

that address environmental catastrophes. 

I interviewed community partners in a 

particularly susceptible region of New York City 

called Jamaica Bay, as well as a representative of 

the New York City Mayor's Office of Resiliency. 

I learned and used ArcGIS to map Federal 

Emergency Management Agency floodplains 

within this region, motivating future work 

and development of that technology to service 

this community. During my work, I honed the 

skills to navigate interdisciplinary research by 

communicating with engineers, civic officials 

and community organizers alike, and I developed 

an understanding of the relationship research 

groups have to the real world. My work also 

provided concrete jumping-off points for future 

directions of the project, specifically notes on a 

potential pilot site and additional collaborators. 


Grand Challenges project, “Novel Deployable Storm 

Surge Protection for Coastal Cities.” 

84

Yunzi Shi ’20 

ARCHITECTURE 

Certificates: Urban Studies, Visual Arts 

PROJECT TITLE 

Liquid Landscapes: 

Meadowlands Through the 

Cine Lens 


Fluvial Metropolis Group, 


School of Architecture 

and the Department 

of Architecture and 

Urbanism, University of 

São Paulo 

LOCATION(S) 

Lyndhurst, New Jersey; 


MENTOR(S) 

Mario Gandelsonas, 

Class of 1913 Lecturer 

in Architecture, 



Curt Gambetta, Ph.D. 

candidate, Architecture 

I directed a short film as part of the Fluvial 

Metropolis Research Network’s installation at the 

12th International Architecture Biennale in São 

Paulo. The installation presented case studies 

of public spaces and everyday experiences 

related to water infrastructure in New York and 

New Jersey. My film focused on DeKorte Park 

in the New Jersey Meadowlands, a remediated 

recreational site and tidal salt marsh where 

many landfills used to be. Through a motionpicture 

collage of the infrastructure, wildlife 

and human activities in the park, my film drew 

attention to the changing landscape in the 

Meadowlands as a result of urban development 

and climate change. It also addressed the 

multiple agencies — human and non-human — 

involved in creating the documentary narrative 

of the changes taking place. My work included 

researching the history of the region, conducting 

interviews and filming on site, and editing and 

producing the film. I was challenged and inspired 

to explore the possibilities of communicating 

architectural research through cinematography. 

This internship reinforced my interest in 

landscape architecture and filmmaking, which 

I plan to develop further in my visual arts thesis 

installation. 



85

Charles Bagin ’21 

OPERATIONS RESEARCH AND FINANCIAL 

ENGINEERING 

PROJECT TITLE 

Water Conservation 

Efforts in Laikipia County, 

Kenya 



LOCATION(S) 



MENTOR(S) 







I worked on local farms in Laikipia County, 

Kenya, to aid water conservation efforts. When 

the Kenyan dry season rolls around, scarce water 

incapacitates farms and leaves cattle desperate 

for water. My adviser thought that implementing 

drip irrigation systems on these local farms 

instead of existing flood irrigation systems 

woud save hundreds of thousands of liters of 

water. Every day, I measured exactly how much 

water was being wasted, collected soil samples 

to be used as controls for the experiment, and 

interviewed farmers on the economic costs 

of their operations. I also checked in on the 

farmers every few days to ensure they were 

setting up their farms for the experiment and to 

build rapport with them. In the last days of the 

internship, I aggregated the data I had collected 

and did a cost-benefit analysis of the farmers’ 

operations before and after the implementation 

of the drip irrigation system to estimate their 

total profits after the experiment. I learned a 

lot about farming and agricultural practices, as 

well as about research processes and working 

independently. 


86

Katie Barnett ’21 



PROJECT TITLE 

Farm Project Field 

Assistant 


Rubenstein Group, 




LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 






Gina Talt, Sustainability 

Project Assistant, 

Office of Sustainability 

I worked with three other interns to assess how 

different farming practices affect crop yield by 

collecting data samples from five farms located 

near Princeton’s campus. Each farm uses 

different farming techniques and we compared 

crop productivity using the data we collected. 

We used remote sensors, soil samples, insect 

collection, aerial surveys conducted by drone, 

and tracked crop sales and plant health to 

measure the productivity of each farm. These 

data also helped us track the health of the fields 

during the summer. The project also evaluated 

Princeton's agricultural land to determine 

the economic and environmental benefits of 

transitioning from conventional farming to more 

sustainable practices. The field was divided into 

sections and different weed- and pest-control 

methods were used to test which plot produced 

the greatest yield and exhibited the best overall 

health. The impact of deer on crop yield was 

measured by cordoning off half of the plots 

with an electric fence, which proved to be very 

beneficial to crop development. 


87

Abigail Baskind ’22 

GEOSCIENCES 

PROJECT TITLE 


Assistant 






LOCATION(S) 


My project aimed to answer two research 

questions: How do different farming strategies 

affect crop output and biodiversity, and what 

types of compost have the highest pasture 

productivity? I was tasked with collecting data 

through a variety of methods, including remote 

sensors, field measurements, deer camera 

traps, soil resins, and insect inventories. This 

internship taught me how to deal with vast 

and varied data in an organized manner, as 

haphazard data collection would only confuse 

the other interns and anyone else who may 

want to interpret it. I knew I wanted to study 

the relationship between agriculture and a 

changing climate and this internship was a good 

introduction. I'm excited to be able to explore 

this topic more in depth as I progress through my 

academic and professional career. 

MENTOR(S) 










88

Marina Carlucci ’21 

SOCIOLOGY 

Certificates: Cognitive Science, Urban Studies 

PROJECT TITLE 

Sustaining Diverse Income 

Streams in an Urban 

Setting: Poultry Farming 

and Newcastle's Disease 

in Antananarivo* 


Metcalf Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 

Antananarivo, Madagascar 

MENTOR(S) 

C. Jessica Metcalf, 



Biology and Public Affairs, 

Woodrow Wilson School; 

Fidisoa Rasambainarivo, 




I worked as one of five interns helping to collect 

data on the spread of Newcastle’s disease among 

small-scale poultry farms in Madagascar. We 

spent the majority of our time in the capital 

of Antananarivo traveling to markets around 

the city to survey poultry vendors and collect 

tracheal, cloacal and fecal samples from their 

chickens. In the lab, we isolated DNA from the 

samples and analyzed our data using computer 

modeling. Through this internship, I learned 

about coding in R programming language, 

laboratory skills such as pipetting, and what food 

security means for the people of Madagascar. I 

also began to comprehend the socioeconomic 

interactions between groups of people living in a 

developing country, which interested me greatly 

as I’m studying sociology in urban contexts. 

Being able to administer a survey and analyze 

the data collected made me realize how useful 

those results can be, and I want to continue to 

use the skills I learned in my independent work. 



Grand Challenges project, “Sustaining Diverse 

Income Streams in an Urban Setting.” 

89

Christine Cho ’22 


Certificates: Statistics and Machine Learning, 

Technology and Society 


PROJECT TITLE 

Mapping and Modeling 

Dynamics of MCR-1 and 

NDM-1 


ETH Zurich; Center for 

Disease Dynamics, 

Economics and Policy 

LOCATION(S) 


Zurich, Switzerland 

MENTOR(S) 

Ramanan Laxminarayan, 

Senior Research 

Scholar, Princeton 


Thomas Van Boeckel, 

Assistant Professor, 

Department of 

Environmental Systems 

Science, ETH Zurich 

I studied the spread of MCR-1 and NDM-1, genes 

that make animals and humans resistant to 

last-resort antibiotics. Outbreaks of these genes 

have been detected in countries other than the 

genes’ origin countries, making their spread a 

cause of great concern. I reviewed the scientific 

literature to compile a dataset of outbreaks and 

noted factors such as the date and location of 

each outbreak. I then created global outbreak 

maps to visualize the spread of these genes over 

time. Finally, I created models using stochastic 

simulations and statistical methods to estimate 

parameters in order to obtain information 

about within-country and within-continent 

dynamics. I also started to run simulations of 

the international spread of these genes. I learned 

new technical skills such as mathematical 

modeling and also obtained greater insight 

into the research process and how research can 

catalyze change in science and policy. Because 

of this project, I want to continue learning about 

the applications of data analysis and statistics. 

90

Sydney Hughes ’22 


PROJECT TITLE 

Microfluidics for Soil 

Carbon 


Complex Fluids 

Group, Department 




LOCATION(S) 


I worked on a project that examined the 

movement of fluids through clay soils to 

understand how these fluids affect bacteria that 

remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. 

I contributed to the project by using a camera 

and small-scale artificial clay soils to image 

the movement of nutrient-containing fluids 

through the soil. I found that different sugars 

moved through the soil differently. For example, 

dextran did not flow through the soil, but 

glucose did. I also found that more nutrients 

flowed through soil that was wet intermittently 

as opposed to when water was applied at once. 

Through this experience, I learned about 

diffusion (the movement of something to a 

lesser concentration), clay soils, programming 

in MATLAB, and the importance of imaging. I 

also gained insights into working in an academic 

research laboratory. 

MENTOR(S) 

Howard Stone, Donald R. 

Dixon ’69 and Elizabeth W. 

Dixon Professor of 

Mechanical and 

Aerospace Engineering; 

Qingjun (Judy) Yang, 


Associate, Mechanical 

and Aerospace 

Engineering 


91

Luqman Issah ’20 



PROJECT TITLE 

Electrokinetics for the 

Separation of Particles 

and Potential Water 

Purification 







LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 






Ankur Gupta, 



and Aerospace 

Engineering; Suin Shim, 



and Aerospace 

Engineering 

I conducted research to determine new methods 

for purifying water. Billions of people worldwide 

lack access to clean water and proper sanitation. 

With the human population growing rapidly, 

there is a need to improve water-purification 

technology to meet the demand for water. For 

my internship, I explored how electrokinetically 

induced diffusiophoresis would affect the 

transport of electrolytes out of dead-end pores. 

I created microfluidic channels using soft 

lithography techniques. In addition, I used a 

microscope with live imaging and a fluorescent 

mode to capture images that I later analyzed 

using ImageJ image-processing software. 

Through this internship, I gained experience in a 

myriad of laboratory techniques such as plasma 

treatment methods and microscopy. I also 

furthered my data-analysis skills and developed 

experience using ImageJ. This internship gave 

me insight into the role of multiple electrolytes in 

particle movement in fluids and it made me want 

to pursue a more research-based career path. 

92

Arjun Krishnan ’21 


Certificates: Linguistics, Quantitative and 

Computational Biology 

PROJECT TITLE 

Constrained Evolution 

After Spillover in Zoonotic 

RNA Viruses: An 

Investigation of Viral 

Evolution in Human Hosts 

After Human-Animal 

Transmission 


Levin Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Simon Levin, James S. 

McDonnell Distinguished 

University Professor 

in Ecology and 


Dylan Morris, Ph.D. 

candidate, Ecology and 


Chadi Saad-Roy, Ph.D. 

candidate, Lewis-Sigler 

Institute for Integrative 

Genomics 

I worked on a project investigating the trajectory 

of influenza evolution after a jump from animal 

to human hosts. My mentors and I investigated 

how the selective pressures of the host 

environment influenced adaptation and whether 

there was a necessary, replicable chronosequence 

of adaptations that followed such a jump. My 

internship involved computational work with 

virus genome data from the GISAID global 

database, which meant writing code in Python 

to extract and graphically plot trends from large 

sets of gene sequences. I received guidance and 

support on useful computational tools and on the 

background theory of our work from Professor 

Levin and the graduate students I worked with, 

and I gained experience writing scientific 

code. My work was exciting for its interesting 

theoretical implications and its practical 

applications for pandemic preparedness. I gained 

insight into the research process and enjoyed 

the lab environment. As a computer science 

major, this internship was valuable exposure to 

a more computational approach to ecology and 

evolutionary biology, a field I really enjoy and 

hope to pursue further. 


93

Emmanuel Mintah ’21 



PROJECT TITLE 

Diffusiophoresis in 1-D 

Pore Geometry* 







LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 






Ankur Gupta, 



and Aerospace 

Engineering; Suin Shim, 



and Aerospace 

Engineering 

My project centered on studying the 

diffusiophoresis of charged particles in aqueous 

solutions. Diffusiophoresis is the motion of 

charged molecules and colloids induced by the 

presence of a concentration gradient in solution. 

The mechanism by which diffusiophoresis occurs 

has been studied experimentally and is well 

understood in the case of a single-salt solution. 

However, cases in which multiple salts are in 

solution and multiple concentration gradients 

are present are less studied. I conducted 

systematic experiments using two salts and 

observed the effects that multiple concentration 

gradients have on the diffusiophoretic motion 

of particles. My time with this group gave me 

valuable experience in conducting successful 

research and allowed me to move through a 

research project in a methodical and efficient 

way. This experience further solidified my 

interest in a research career and affirmed that 

there will always be new and interesting subjects 

to study. 

* This internship is connected to the PEI Water 

and the Environment Grand Challenges project, 

“Diffusiophoresis of Control of Particles in Water 

Systems.” 

94

Aaron Nguyen ’22 


PROJECT TITLE 

Evaluating the Role of 

Unusual Nitrogen-Input 

Enzymes in the Global 

Nitrogen Cycle* 





LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 





Katja Luxem, Ph.D. 


I studied the effects of temperature and the 

partial pressure of hydrogen on various mutants 

of bacterial enzymes known as nitrogenase, 

which present a possible alternative to industrial 

fertilizers. Nitrogenase in agricultural soils 

would facilitate the microbial conversion of 

atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia — which 

is metabolized by most organisms — through 

a process known as nitrogen fixation. While 

previous studies have shown the effects of 

temperature and partial pressures of hydrogen 

on purified nitrogenase, I wanted to see if the 

same effects hold true inside the cell. I used an 

anaerobic bacteria known as Rhodopseudomonas 

palustris that contains various types of 

nitrogenase. The previously reported results held 

true within the cell, with increased temperatures 

resulting in a highter growth rate and increased 

partial pressures of hydrogen leading to a lower 

growth rate of the bacteria. I gained insight on 

how academic research works and, although 

I am interested in electrical engineering, the 

experience was invaluable and solidified my 

desire to work toward a cleaner Earth. 





Fixation.” 

95

Joseph Prentice ’22 

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 



PROJECT TITLE 

Gonococcal Resistance 

and HIV Transmission in 

South Africa 


National Institute for 

Communicable Diseases; 

Groote Schuur Hospital 

LOCATION(S) 

Cape Town, South Africa; 

Johannesburg, South Africa; 


MENTOR(S) 





I spent seven weeks in South Africa and one 

week in Princeton researching the impact of 

gonococcal drug resistance on HIV transmission. 

My first week in South Africa was spent at the 

National Institute for Communicable Diseases 

to get background information on how the 

surveillance of sexually transmitted diseases 

and antibiotic resistance are conducted. I had 

spent the week before in Princeton researching 

trends in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) 

and HIV prevalence in South Africa, and creating 

a timeline for implementing treatment protocols 

for these diseases. After Johannesburg, I spent 

six weeks at the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape 

Town researching the mechanisms through 

which STIs enhance the transmission of HIV and 

developed the mathematical models I would use 

for the study. Gonorrhoea became the focus of the 

study because it was the only STI in which there 

had been significant drug resistance. In addition 

to continuing my own research, I attended 

ward rounds at the hospital and helped with an 

antibiotic stewardship study being conducted. 

96

Madison Schwab ’21 


Certificates: Gender and Sexuality Studies, Global 

Health and Health Policy 

PROJECT TITLE 







Metcalf Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 




Biology and Public Affairs; 





I spent the summer in Antananarivo, 

Madagascar, as one of five Princeton interns 

surveying poultry vendors and collecting 

biological samples from live chickens. I was 

jointly responsible for entering, cleaning and 

processing data collected from the surveys, 

as well as for performing DNA extractions on 

tracheal, cloacal and fecal samples. The aim 

of the project is to construct a poultry trade 

network within the country and — by combining 

survey and molecular data — identify target 

districts, regions or markets to inform livestock 

vaccination campaigns. While this has an 

obvious impact on food security and animal 

health in Madagascar, it also has implications 

for conservation and biodiversity. If smallscale 

poultry farms can reliably produce more 

protein for rural families, conservationists and 

wildlife veterinarians hope that poaching and 

the consumption of bushmeat will decrease. 

This project excited my interest in epidemiology 

and expanded my understanding of the 

interconnectedness of human, animal and 

environmental health in new and fascinating 

ways. 





97

Annie Song ’21 


Certificates: Applications of Computing, Global 

Health and Health Policy 


PROJECT TITLE 

Mapping Antimicrobial 

Resistance in Humans in 

the Indian Subcontinent 


ETH Zurich; Center for 

Disease Dynamics, 

Economics and Policy 

LOCATION(S) 


Zurich, Switzerland 

MENTOR(S) 





Thomas Van Boeckel, 

Assistant Professor, 

Department of 

Environmental Systems 

Science, ETH Zurich 

I worked on mapping the prevalence of 

antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in people 

across India and surrounding countries. I first 

conducted a literature review and cleaned 

external data, then ran statistical models with 

covariates such as precipitation and proximity 

to major cities. I relied upon kriging, a spatial 

interpolation method, in order to use discrete 

AMR data from published studies to estimate 

AMR values at unknown points. I ran multiple 

models and combined their predictions using 

stacked generalization. Ultimately, I mapped 

the predicted AMR values, which allowed us to 

quickly identify different regions of high and 

low AMR. I learned and applied new knowledge 

about computer modeling, ensemble learning 

and spatial interpolation. As I am interested in 

the environmental contributors to health, the 

experience and technical skills I gained will help 

me with my junior- and senior-year academic 

work. 

98

Willemijn ten Cate ’21 


PROJECT TITLE 


Assistant 






LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 









I studied agricultural productivity and 

biodiversity under the increasing impacts of 

climate change for the Princeton Farm Project. 

The experiment focused on a variety of farms 

that use conventional, organic or biodynamic 

practices. Each day, I worked with other interns 

on the project to take samples from different 

farms and analyze them in a lab. We placed 

remote sensors in each crop row to analyze 

precipitation, chlorophyll index, solar radiation, 

and the normalized difference vegetation index 

(NDVI), which measures live vegetation. We 

also flew drones over each farm plot to give us 

additional NDVI values. We measured the length 

and weight of crops to determine the yield from 

each farm. This internship allowed me to collect 

large amounts of information and display it 

clearly on different platforms that can be used 

to conduct further analysis. I learned how 

important the environment is to agriculture and 

that farmers will have to adjust their techniques 

to survive in the drastic climate changes that will 

occur in the coming years. 


99

Misha Tseitlin ’21 

WOODROW WILSON SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AND 

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 

Certificates: Finance, Neuroscience, Statistics and 

Machine Learning 


PROJECT TITLE 







Metcalf Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 









I examined the spread of Newcastle’s disease 

and avian cholera among chickens in urban and 

rural Madagascar by studying vendors’ flocks at 

local marketplaces in and around the capital of 

Antananarivo. I conducted vendor surveys and 

collected biological samples from chickens, then 

conducted various biological tests, including 

DNA extraction, quantification and analysis. 

Statistical methods were used to describe and 

model disease transmission between urban 

poultry vendors. I also worked on data analysis 

for a lemur conservation project by looking 

at the effectiveness of chicken-vaccination 

campaigns on preserving lemur populations 

otherwise targeted by local communities for 

food. I learned about the intricacies of fieldwork 

while also honing my familiarity with survey 

design, data collection, biological analysis, 

statistical comparisons and models, and other 

epidemiological and social science methods that 

will serve me well in my future independent 

research. 




100

Ivan Vasquez-Barraza ’22 


PROJECT TITLE 







Metcalf Lab, 




I participated in creating a trade-network map 

of the smallholder poultry farms in Madagascar 

that highlighted the origin and final destination 

of chickens that end up in markets in the 

capital of Antananarivo. The purpose of the 

trade network was to identify the chickens that 

were infected with deadly Newcastle’s disease 

— which can wipe out an entire flock — and 

where they came from. To create this map, the 

team I worked with traveled to various markets, 

surveyed poultry vendors, collected biological 

samples from chickens, and analyzed those 

samples in the lab. This internship taught me 

how to collect data and conduct research, and 

it introduced me to a different culture that 

provided me with a lot of valuable experience 

that I greatly enjoyed. 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 













101

Michelle Woo ’22 



PROJECT TITLE 







Metcalf Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 









I spent the summer studying the chicken 

trade network in and around Antananarivo, 

Madagascar. I worked with other PEI interns and 

Malagasy veterinary students to conduct surveys 

and collect samples from live chickens at various 

markets located near central Antananarivo. 

We found that chickens are brought in from 

surprisingly far away, especially considering 

the country’s poor infrastructure. We used the R 

programming language to statistically analyze 

how the ways in which chickens are traded 

and kept at market affected the spread of avian 

disease and to create a visual map depicting the 

trade network. Finally, we analyzed biological 

samples taken from market chickens using 

techniques such as DNA extraction, polymerase 

chain reaction, and quantitative polymerase 

chain reaction, which we hope will eventually 

be used to study the presence of antibacterial 

resistance in the chickens. It was an amazing 

experience to be immersed in a unique culture 

for a summer, and I appreciated being able to 

learn R in a highly application-based setting. 




102

Kaylin Xu ’22 

CHEMISTRY 

PROJECT TITLE 

Assessing Exposure of 

Children to Waterborne 

Pollutants Using Their 

Deciduous Teeth 





LOCATION(S) 

Chicago, Illinois; 


MENTOR(S) 



I worked on a project investigating the usage 

of children’s deciduous teeth as biomarkers for 

indicating exposure to waterborne pollutants. As 

the project was in its infancy, I helped develop 

the research question, as well as compile and 

present various literature on the project. I 

conducted in vitro lab simulations synthesizing 

carbonated hydroxyapatite in the presence 

of various contaminants to assess the level of 

substitution of contaminants such as arsenic 

and lead in the dentin of teeth. I learned about 

and used ICP-mass spectrometry to evaluate 

my liquid samples. I also worked with the X-ray 

microprobe in the Advanced Photon Source 

synchrotron in Chicago to generate XRF maps 

and XANES data of my solid samples. I learned 

valuable skills in designing a research project 

and working within a natural sciences research 

group. I also gained an appreciation for the 

flexibility of academic research and gradudate 

school and for the usefulness of coding in 

research. I greatly enjoyed the research process 

and am considering conducting independent 

work within the field of environmental 

geochemistry, as well as applying to graduate 

school in the future. 


103

Caroline Adkins ’22 


Elif Aydin ’22 

OPERATIONS RESEARCH AND FINANCIAL ENGINEERING 

Jeremy Chizewer ’22 


Dale Lee ’20 


Madison Manning ’20 


Certificates: Engineering Biology, Materials Science and Engineering 

Jocelyn Wang ’20 

MECHANICAL AND AEROSPACE ENGINEERING 

Certificate: Robotics and Intelligent Systems 


PROJECT TITLE 

Potable-Water System 

Implementation for El 

Cajuil 


Engineers Without 

Borders (EWB), Princeton 

Chapter, Dominican 

Republic 

LOCATION(S) 

El Cajuil, Dominican 

Republic 

MENTOR(S) 

Peter Jaffe, 

William L. Knapp ’47 

Professor of Civil 

Engineering, Professor of 


Engineering, 


Nolan Perreira, 

Responsible Engineer in 

Charge, EWB 

We traveled to the Dominican Republic to 

continue implementing a plan for providing a 

gravity-fed potable water system to El Cajuil, a 

predominantly agricultural community. In 

previous years, the team installed chlorination 

and filtration systems, air-release valves and an 

additional section of pipeline to support equal 

access to safe, clean water throughout the 

community. This year, the team worked to 

improve the system by surveying the land for 

future water sources, chlorinating the existing 

water source, and protecting the existing 

infrastructure for increased sustainability. 

Additionally, the team worked to implement a 

break pressure tank to increase the flow rates of 

water within the community. This tank will 

provide an optimal tie-in point for our future 

project of connecting the community to an 

additional water source. Throughout the project, 

the team not only fulfilled the main Engineers 

Without Borders mission of finding an 

engineering solution to provide access to potable 

water, but also promoted sustainability and 

long-term community connections. 

104

PROJECT TITLE 

The Implementation of a 

Gravity-Fed Potable 

Water System in 

Pusunchás, Perú 



Borders (EWB), 

Princeton Chapter, Peru 

LOCATION(S) 

Otuzco, Peru 

MENTOR(S) 

Peter Jaffe, 



Engineering, 



Engineering, 


Corrie Kavanaugh, 

Technical Mentor, EWB; 

Josh Umansky, 

Technical Mentor, EWB 

Kristen Ahner ’22 


Certificate: Applied and Computational Mathematics 

Yulissa Cantero ’21 


Sydney Hsu ’21 


Certificates: History and the Practice of Diplomacy, Robotics and Intelligent Systems 

Pranav Iyer ’22 


Linda Pucurimay ’21 


Riley Wagner ’20 


Certificate: Sustainable Energy 

Claire Wayner ’22 


Certificates: Environmental Studies, Sustainable Energy, Urban Studies 

The Princeton Engineers Without Borders-Perú 

team finalized the implementation of a gravityfed 

water system in Pusunchás, Perú, which 

provides the rural community with reliable 

access to potable water. The project collects water 

from a mountain spring and brings it via a 

3-kilometer conduction line to a centralized 

reservoir tank. From the reservoir, three major 

distribution lines deliver that water directly to 

tap stands placed at each household. In August, 

seven students traveled for four weeks to connect 

the remaining houses to the distribution 

network, instruct the community water council 

on proper system maintenance, make 

improvements to the source capture, and install a 

chlorination tank at the reservoir tank. We also 

took time to visit nearby communities in search 

of a new project that the team will return to Perú 

in summer 2020 to assess. The team also will 

travel back to Pusunchás to ensure that the 

project is functioning properly and that the 

community has the resources and knowledge to 

maintain the water system once our partnership 

has ended. 


105


PROJECT TITLE 

The Implementation of a 

Solar-Powered Water 

System for Kuria West, 

Kenya 



Borders (EWB), Princeton 

Chapter, Kenya 

LOCATION(S) 

Isebania, Migori County, 

Kenya 

MENTOR(S) 

Peter Jaffe, 



Engineering, Professor of 


Engineering, 


Mahiri Mwita, Lecturer 

in Princeton Institute 

for International and 

Regional Studies; 

Larry Martin, 

Responsible Engineer 

in Charge, EWB 

Krystal Cohen ’21 

SOCIOLOGY 

Certificates: African American Studies, Statistics and Machine Learning 

Michael Fletcher ’22 

OPERATIONS RESEARCH AND FINANCIAL ENGINEERING 

Maria Fleury ’22 


Maya McHugh ’22 


Certificate: Latin American Studies 

Kalil Shaw ’21 


Certificate: Global Health and Health Policy 

Melissa Yuan ’20 

CHEMISTRY 

Certificate: Engineering Biology 

The Princeton Engineers Without Borders-Kenya 

team has been collaborating with the Kuria West 

district of southwest Kenya since 2012. Since 

then, the team has designed and implemented 

three rainwater catchment systems in the 

communities of Komosoko and Muchebe and two 

handpump borehole wells in Kiburanga and 

Kubweye. This year, we expanded the Kubweye 

system by constructing a distribution system 

powered by a solar-powered submersible pump. 

We also conducted house surveys in Kubweye and 

had formal meetings with members from other 

communities as part of our commitment to the 

sustainability of these projects. During our trip, 

we worked alongside contracted workers and 

community volunteers to overcome the 

challenges of implementing a water system. As a 

team of students from diverse backgrounds, this 

project helped inspire our future academic 

aspirations at Princeton and we hope to continue 

increasing our impact in the community to 

provide access to water. 

106

Acknowledgements 

FUNDING FOR THE 

2019 PEI INTERNSHIP 

PROGRAM HAS BEEN 

GENEROUSLY PROVIDED 

BY THE FOLLOWING 

SUPPORTERS: 

The Barron Family Fund for Innovations in 

Environmental Studies 

– 

The Ogden and Hannah Carter Fund 

– 

Chan’s Alternative Risk Transfer and The 

Lightening Energy Family of Innovative Electro 

Chemical Powering, Battery Ultra-Rapid 

Recharging and Mobility 

– 

The Martha Ehmann Conte ’85 Fund 

– 

The R. Gordon Douglas Jr. ’55 P86 and Sheila 

Mahoney S’55 Fund 

– 

The Edens Family Fund for Climate Change 

Research 

– 

Wesley R. Edens Fund in PEI 

– 

Ellis ’46 Fund in PEI 

– 

Luke Evnin ’85 and Deann Wright PEI Internship 

Fund 

– 

The Miller S. and Adelaide S. Gaffney Foundation 

– 

Gatto Family Undergraduate Research Fund 

– 

Carolyn and Jeffrey Leonard PEI Research Fund 

– 

Newton Family PEI Scholars Fund 

– 

Michael P.M. Spies ’79 Fund 

– 

Smith-Newton Undergraduate Research Fund in 

PEI 

– 

John H. T. Wilson ’56 and Sandra W. Wilson ’56 

Fund in PEI 

107

Princeton Environmental Institute 

Princeton University, Guyot Hall 

Princeton, New Jersey 08544-1003 

environment.princeton.edu 

pei@princeton.edu 

facebook.com/peipu 

twitter.com/PrincetonPEI 

instagram.com/princetonenviro 

youtube.com/user/PrincetonEnvInst

Environmental Internship Program - 2019 Booklet

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?