Environmental Internship Program - 2023 Booklet

2023 SUMMER OF LEARNING 

Environmental 

Internship Program 

1

2023 Summer of Learning 

In summer 2023, 105 Princeton students from 23 academic 

departments worked with University faculty, researchers 

from other scientific enterprises, government agencies and 

not-for-profit organizations on projects focused on pressing 

environmental challenges. 

Students engaged in research, public outreach, policy 

analysis, communications and other practical work 

assignments that contributed meaningfully to research and 

solutions in the areas of biodiversity and conservation, 

alternative energy, climate change, environmental policy, 

water, agriculture and human health. Several students 

contributed to the development of new technologies, while 

others participated in projects aimed at urban sustainability 

and resilience, global climate policy and environmental 

justice. 

This booklet provides an overview of student experiences 

during the 2023 environmental internship program. The 

diversity of students’ backgrounds, talents, interests and 

contributions is captured in the descriptions of their 

individual projects. For many, their internship will serve as 

the foundation for continuing research and academic study. 

2

Students eagerly undertook research in laboratories on the 

Princeton University campus while others pursued 

fieldwork at sites in Australia, Brazil, Kenya, Madagascar, 

Mozambique, Alaska, California and Colorado. 

HMEI’s Environmental Internship Program provides 

opportunities for students to complement their academic 

interests with hands-on work experiences in the summer 

months and is designed to enrich students’ perspectives 

and prepare them as leaders. Many interns benefit from 

strong ties to HMEI’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 

envintern@princeton.edu. 

Front Cover: Meera Burghardt ’24 and Bailey White ’25 

3

Index of Students 

(Alphabetical) 

Sara Akiba ’26 84 

Maya Avida ’26 85 

Rio Baran ’25 22 

Rees Barnes ’26 67 

Mason Bates ’25 68 

Brooke Beers ’25 51 

Leilani Bender ’24 69 

Emeline Blohm ’25 37 

Helen Brush ’24 23 

Sarah Burbank ’25 96 

Meera Burghardt ’24 8 

Braeden Carroll ’26 97 

Dorothy Chan ’26 70 

Riyan Charania ’26 52 

Isabella Checa ’25 86 

Olivia Chen ’26 98 

Rebecca Cho ’26 87 

Clara Conatser ’25 88 

Ashley DeFrates ’25 99 

Emma Demefack ’26 9 

Yagiz Devre ’26 71 

Ariana Di Landro ’25 24 

Pia DiCenzo ’24 100 

Angel Dong ’25 72 

David Dorini ’25 10 

Billy Doyle ’24 38 

Dylan Epstein-Gross ’25 89 

Sava Evangelista ’26 53 

Kaeli Ficco ’24 54 

Helena Frudit ’25 73, 108 

Claire Gilbert ’26 11 

Isabella Gomes ’25 39, 108 

Alliyah Gregory ’25 55 

Tacy Guest ’26 25 

Bill Haarlow ’25 26 

Samuel Hanson ’24 40 

Shuchen He ’25 74 

Kelih Henyo ’26 56 

Grace Houlahan ’25 12 

Mulin Huan ’26 13 

Noe Iwasaki ’26 57 

Cynthia Jacobson ’26 101 

Chloe Kim ’24 14 

Jamie Kim ’24 102 

John Kim ’25 75 

Wiley Kohler ’25 103 

Sriya Kotta ’26 41 

Albert Kreutzer ’25 76 

Ava Krocheski-Meyer ’26 108 

Rohan Kumar ’26 15 

Maxwel Lee ’26 104 

Christopher Li ’26 105 

Nicholas Lim ’24 77 

Benjamin Liu ’24 27 

Isabel Liu ’26 28 

Maddie Machado ’25 29 

4

Aidan Matthews ’24 30 

Kat McLaughlin ’25 78 

Claire Meng ’26 58 

Charlotte Merchant ’24 90 

Brian Mhando ’26 16 

Senne Michielssen ’25 31 

Sophia Miller ’26 108 

Stephane Morel ’25 79 

Kaustuv Mukherjee ’26 32 

Patrick Newcombe ’25 17 

Trang Ngo ’25 18 

Chien Nguyen ’25 59 

Alex Norbrook ’26 42 

Giovanna Nucci ’25 80 

Charlie Nuermberger ’25 43 

Shalyn Nyakea ’25 108 

Lindsay Anne Pagaduan ’26 91 

Chloe Park ’25 81 

Marko Petrovic ’24 82 

Anna Pinkerton ’24 106 

Kennedy Primus ’24 60 

Martina Qua ’25 61 

Azhar Razin ’26 83 

Alyssa Ritchie ’25 107 

Isadora Rivera-Janer ’24 44 

Jamie Rodriguez ’24 45 

Eslem Saka ’26 108 

Bridgette Schafer ’24 62 

Angelica She ’26 63 

Hugh Shields ’24 92 

Hannah Shin ’26 46 

Peyton Smith ’25 33 

Cole Strupp ’26 64 

Naisha Sylvestre ’25 34 

Stella Szostak ’26 35 

Molly Taylor ’25 47 

Michelle Thurber ’26 19 

Sophia Villacorta ’24 93 

Grace Wang ’26 48 

Lily Weaver ’26 49 

Sarina Wen ’26 65 

Bailey White ’25 20 

Max Widmann ’24 50 

Natalie Wong ’25 66 

Jaeda Woodruff ’25 94 

Zehao Wu ’26 21 

Erin Yoo ’26 36 

Tienne Yu ’26 95 

Justin Zhang ’24 108 

5

Student Projects by Category 

BIODIVERSITY AND 

CONSERVATION 

Meera Burghardt ’24 8 

Emma Demefack ’26 9 

David Dorini ’25 10 

Claire Gilbert ’26 11 

Grace Houlahan ’25 12 

Mulin Huan ’26 13 

Chloe Kim ’24 14 

Rohan Kumar ’26 15 

Brian Mhando ’26 16 

Patrick Newcombe ’25 17 

Trang Ngo ’25 18 

Michelle Thurber ’26 19 

Bailey White ’25 20 

Zehao Wu ’26 21 

CLIMATE AND 

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 

Rio Baran ’25 22 

Helen Brush ’24 23 

Ariana Di Landro ’25 24 

Tacy Guest ’26 25 

Bill Haarlow ’25 26 

Benjamin Liu ’24 27 

Isabel Liu ’26 28 

Maddie Machado ’25 29 

Aidan Matthews ’24 30 

Senne Michielssen ’25 31 

Kaustuv Mukherjee ’26 32 

Peyton Smith ’25 33 

Naisha Sylvestre ’25 34 

Stella Szostak ’26 35 

Erin Yoo ’26 36 

ENVIRONMENT AND 

SOCIETY AND URBAN 

SUSTAINABILITY 

Emeline Blohm ’25 37 

Billy Doyle ’24 38 

Isabella Gomes ’25 39 

Samuel Hanson ’24 40 

Sriya Kotta ’26 41 

Alex Norbrook ’26 42 

Charlie Nuermberger ’25 43 

Isadora Rivera-Janer ’24 44 

Jamie Rodriguez ’24 45 

Hannah Shin ’26 46 

Molly Taylor ’25 47 

Grace Wang ’26 48 

Lily Weaver ’26 49 

Max Widmann ’24 50 

FOOD SYSTEMS AND 

HEALTH 

Brooke Beers ’25 51 

Riyan Charania ’26 52 

Sava Evangelista ’26 53 

Kaeli Ficco ’24 54 

Alliyah Gregory ’25 55 

Kelih Henyo ’26 56 

Noe Iwasaki ’26 57 

Claire Meng ’26 58 

Chien Nguyen ’25 59 

Kennedy Primus ’24 60 

Martina Qua ’25 61 

Bridgette Schafer ’24 62 

Angelica She ’26 63 

Cole Strupp ’26 64 

Sarina Wen ’26 65 

Natalie Wong ’25 66 

6

INNOVATION AND A NEW 

ENERGY FUTURE 

Rees Barnes ’26 67 

Mason Bates ’25 68 

Leilani Bender ’24 69 

Dorothy Chan ’26 70 

Yagiz Devre ’26 71 

Angel Dong ’25 72 

Helena Frudit ’25 73 

Shuchen He ’25 74 

John Kim ’25 75 

Albert Kreutzer ’25 76 

Nicholas Lim ’24 77 

Kat McLaughlin ’25 78 

Stephane Morel ’25 79 

Giovanna Nucci ’25 80 

Chloe Park ’25 81 

Marko Petrovic ’24 82 

Azhar Razin ’26 83 

OCEANS AND ATMOSPHERE 

Sara Akiba ’26 84 

Maya Avida ’26 85 

Isabella Checa ’25 86 

Rebecca Cho ’26 87 

Clara Conatser ’25 88 

Dylan Epstein-Gross ’25 89 

Charlotte Merchant ’24 90 

Lindsay Anne Pagaduan ’26 91 

Hugh Shields ’24 92 

Sophia Villacorta ’24 93 

Jaeda Woodruff ’25 94 

Tienne Yu ’26 95 

WATER AND THE 

ENVIRONMENT 

Sarah Burbank ’25 96 

Braeden Carroll ’26 97 

Olivia Chen ’26 98 

Ashley DeFrates ’25 99 

Pia DiCenzo ’24 100 

Cynthia Jacobson ’26 101 

Jamie Kim ’24 102 

Wiley Kohler ’25 103 

Maxwel Lee ’26 104 

Christopher Li ’26 105 

Anna Pinkerton ’24 106 

Alyssa Ritchie ’25 107 

Helena Frudit ’25 108 

Isabella Gomes ’25 108 

Ava Krocheski-Meyer ’26 108 

Sophia Miller ’26 108 

Shalyn Nyakea ’25 108 

Eslem Saka ’26 108 

Justin Zhang ’24 108 

7


CONSERVATION 

Meera Burghardt ’24 

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AND INTERNATIONAL 

AFFAIRS 

Certificates: Applications of Computing, 

Environmental Studies 

PROJECT TITLE 

Promoting 

Pro-conservation 

Behaviors in Recreational 

Scuba Divers on Coral 

Reefs in Southeast Asia 

ORGANIZATION(S) 

Wilcove Lab, 

Department of Ecology 

and Evolutionary Biology, 

Princeton University 

LOCATION(S) 

Bali, Indonesia; 

Malapascua, Philippines; 

Panglao, Philippines 

I traveled across Southeast Asia researching 

environmental attitudes and behaviors among 

recreational scuba divers. Bailey White and I 

worked together with our mentor, Bing Lin, to 

collect various types of data that will be used to 

make conclusions on the impact of recreational 

scuba diving on coral reefs. Coral reefs are dying 

at an alarming rate, and recreational scuba 

diving is one of the many human interactions 

causing their decline. In one facet of the 

research, we collected video footage of scuba 

divers during their dives and observed their 

interactions with the reef. We also conducted 

surveys to assess environmental attitudes among 

divers. This research will hopefully give insights 

into the specifics of how recreational scuba 

diving is hurting coral reefs that can be used to 

develop policy recommendations that promote 

pro-conservation attitudes and behaviors. 

MENTOR(S) 

David Wilcove, 

Professor of Ecology and 

Evolutionary Biology and 

Public Affairs and the 

High Meadows 

Environmental Institute; 

Bing Lin, Ph.D. candidate, 

School of Public and 

International Affairs 

8

PROJECT TITLE 

Climate-change Mediated 

Evolutionary Shifts in a 

High-alpine Hibernating 

Mammal 


vonHoldt Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 

Rocky Mountain 

Biological Laboratory, 

Gothic, Colorado 

MENTOR(S) 

Bridgett vonHoldt, 

Associate Professor of 

Ecology and Evolutionary 

Biology, Princeton 

University; Daniel 

Blumstein, Professor, 



University of California, 

Los Angeles; Stavi 

Tennenbaum, Ph.D. 

candidate, Ecology and 

Evolutionary Biology, 


Emma Demefack ’26 

ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY 

I worked as a field technician and research 

assistant on the Marmot Project, a historic study 

that began in 1962 and is one of the world’s 

longest-running studies of mammals in the wild. 

At the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in 

Gothic, Colorado, I worked alongside a highenergy 

field team of undergraduates, graduate 

students and postdoctoral researchers. My 

day-to-day responsibilities included taking 

behavioral observations, trapping and handling 

live animals, collecting biological samples such 

as blood and feces, performing timed running 

trials, taking morphological measurements, 

processing samples and managing our database. 

Additionally, I collected data to study the 

genomic responses of hibernating marmots 

to climate changes in high-alpine meadows 

in the Rocky Mountains. This meant focusing 

on drawing blood and preserving the blood’s 

RNA. Although the fieldwork was challenging, 

I ultimately found it very rewarding. I learned 

valuable technical fieldwork skills and a 

better understanding of high-alpine ecology, 

specifically within mammals. As a result, I 

now have a deeper curiosity about studying the 

evolutionary biology of other animals. 


CONSERVATION 

9


CONSERVATION 

PROJECT TITLE 

Understanding 

Biodiversity Loss in Large 

Tropical Forest Fragments 


Wilcove Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 

Mato Grosso, Brazil 

MENTOR(S) 





High Meadows 


Alex Wiebe, Ph.D. 


Evolutionary Biology 

David Dorini ’25 


I worked on a project studying the effects of 

forest fragmentation on bird communities in 

the Brazilian Amazon. Forest fragmentation is 

an issue for birds and biodiversity in general. It 

is a particularly important issue in the face of 

the widespread deforestation in the Brazilian 

Amazon, an area known for its enormous 

biodiversity. We conducted fieldwork in Mato 

Grosso, Brazil to examine forest fragments of 

diverse sizes. In each fragment, I assisted with 

a series of point counts to document every 

individual bird that was heard or seen from 

each point. I also assisted with surveys of mixed 

species flocks, which provided a different method 

of sampling bird communities in each fragment, 

and environmental surveys to document leaf 

litter depth and the number of groundcover 

plants in different transects throughout each 

fragment. I gained a focused understanding 

of habitat fragmentation and mechanisms of 

species loss and a greater understanding of 

concepts in ecology and biology more generally. 

It was particularly rewarding to see concepts that 

I had studied in class applied in the field, and I 

hope to further study some of these concepts in 

my own research at Princeton. 

10

PROJECT TITLE 

Naturalizing the 

Environmental Experience 

of “Model Mammals” for 

Immunology and Beyond 


The Graham Group, 




LOCATION(S) 

Princeton, New Jersey 

MENTOR(S) 

Andrea Graham, 


Evolutionary Biology; 

Yoon Chang, Ph.D. 



David Chang van Oordt, 

Postdoctoral Research 

Associate, Ecology and 

Evolutionary Biology; Alec 

Downie, Ph.D. candidate, 


Biology 

Claire Gilbert ’26 

NEUROSCIENCE 

I investigated immunological and social 

behavioral differences between lab mice that 

were “rewilded” — returned to nature in an 

outdoor enclosure at the Stony Ford Research 

Station — and those that remained in the lab. 

The Graham Group studies how the outdoor 

environment could affect the mice’s ability to 

fight off parasites and how mice’s social behavior 

could contribute to their immune profiles. I 

performed husbandry checks on the rewilded 

mice to ensure they had adequate food, water and 

shelter and to ensure their physical safety from 

predators. I analyzed data collected from radiofrequency 

identification tags, which had been 

implanted into each mouse to determine the 

number of mice that were active each day and to 

check whether any mice had escaped. I collected 

camera footage from select locations in the mice 

enclosure to track specific behaviors such as 

eating, fighting and climbing, which contributes 

to our understanding of how the mice interact 

with each other and their environment. Overall, 

the project gave me the opportunity to acquire 

fieldwork and laboratory skills, and experience in 

a new coding language. I deeply enjoyed the time 

in nature and working with a supportive network 

of researchers. 


CONSERVATION 

11


CONSERVATION 

PROJECT TITLE 

Comparing Large Mammal 

Behavior Across Two 

African-protected Areas 


Pringle Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 

Gorongosa National Park, 

Mozambique 

MENTOR(S) 

Robert Pringle, 



Joel Abraham, Ph.D. 


Evolutionary Biology; Erin 

Phillips, Ph.D. candidate, 


Biology 

Grace Houlahan ’25 

PSYCHOLOGY 

I worked with the Pringle Lab in Gorongosa 

National Park, Mozambique, under the 

supervision of Joel Abraham. In Gorongosa, 

ecological disturbances such as fire, flooding and 

herbivory affect plant life and ecosystems. Our 

research goal was to determine and understand 

how these disturbances interact and affect 

the savanna. To do this, we quantified the 

abundances of herbivores and invertebrates to 

understand herbivory presence, implemented 

flood sensors to measure flood levels, and 

collected soil cores to analyze soil composition. 

These methods were sometimes tedious, but I 

found my field work extremely rewarding. Along 

with these various sampling methods, I learned 

about the unique history of Mozambique and 

how enjoyable field research can be in a team 

environment. 

12

PROJECT TITLE 

Seasonal Evolution of Fruit 

Fly Competitive Ability 


Levine Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Jonathan Levine, 

J.N. Allison Professor in 

Environmental Studies, 



Jamie Leonard, Ph.D. 



Mulin Huan ’26 


I studied how fruit fly phenotypes such as heat 

tolerance, starvation tolerance, chill coma 

recovery and fecundity can rapidly evolve 

over a few months and used experiments to 

examine how these rapid evolutions affect their 

competitive abilities. I set up a field experiment 

site with fly cages and tents at the Princeton 

University nursery but ran into several issues 

when storms knocked down the tents and cages. 

However, my adviser and I came up with ideas 

to fix the problem. I also took part in making 

food for all the flies and recording data during 

the phenotyping of the flies. I learned many 

techniques, especially skills involving collecting 

and sampling flies from orchards and cages. As 

a rising sophomore, this opportunity offered 

me great insights including how to work safely 

and efficiently in a university laboratory and 

deal with unexpected challenges in the field. 

Overall, I developed further confidence in my 

aspired career as a researcher in ecology and 

evolutionary biology. 


CONSERVATION 

* This internship is connected to the HMEI 

Biodiversity Grand Challenges project, “The 

Maintenance of Species Diversity through the Rapid 

Evolution of Competitive Ability.” 

13


CONSERVATION 

Chloe Kim ’24 

HISTORY 

Certificate: Environmental Studies 

PROJECT TITLE 

Broad-tailed Hummingbird 

Foraging Patterns and 

Climate Change 


Stoddard Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 




I collected data on broad-tailed hummingbird 

feeding and wildflower availability to add to a 

long-term dataset maintained by the Stoddard 

Lab. My research partners and I identified flower 

species that hummingbirds are known to visit 

at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory 

and set camera traps on these flowers to record 

hummingbird visits. We also used this dataset to 

investigate whether changes in daily temperature 

affect hummingbird foraging patterns. The 

fieldwork component of this project taught 

me to be a careful observer and appreciator of 

my environment, and I also learnt the value of 

repetitive work and the importance of diligence 

and detail. This research experience has 

strengthened my data analysis skills and taught 

me to be critical and curious. I plan to continue 

conducting research at Princeton and am excited 

to work closely alongside other scientists who are 

passionate about the environment. 

MENTOR(S) 

Mary C. Stoddard, 



Biology; Benedict Hogan, 

Associate Research 

Scholar, Ecology and 


Audrey Miller, Ph.D. 



* This internship is connected to the HMEI Climate 

and Energy Grand Challenges project, “Investigating 

the Effects of Climate Change on Hummingbird 

Sensory Landscapes.” 

14

PROJECT TITLE 

Investigating the Structure 

and Composition of Dung 

Beetle Food Webs in an 

African Savanna 


Pringle Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 

Mpala Research Centre, 

Laikipia, Kenya 

MENTOR(S) 




Finote Gijsman, Ph.D. 



Rohan Kumar ’26 

UNDECLARED 

I helped investigate the structure, stability and 

complexity of species interaction networks 

between large mammalian herbivores and 

dung beetles in African savannas. Dung beetles 

are vital for ecosystem functioning, but their 

diversity, distribution and associations with 

mammals in these ecosystems are not fully 

understood. Moreover, dung beetles are at 

risk of extinction due to their vulnerability to 

environmental and anthropogenic disturbances, 

and this risk is exacerbated by the alarming 

reductions in large herbivore population 

reduction and growing human-environment 

interference. Understanding the beetles and their 

food webs is essential for their conservation. 

To learn more about beetle diversity in the 

presence of various savanna herbivores, I helped 

collect and process herbivore dung samples 

and surveyed dung beetles at various locations. 

I also assisted with laboratory trials to assess 

beetle food preferences. To improve species 

identification ability and create a large public 

database, I helped set up DNA barcoding plates 

and photographed dung beetle specimens for 

morphological trait measurements. I also aided 

in dissecting beetles so that their gut contents 

could be metabarcoded. The whole experience 

was incredibly rewarding as I gained an 

invaluable glimpse into the world of evolutionary 

and ecological biology research. 


CONSERVATION 

15


CONSERVATION 

Brian Mhando ’26 


Certificates: African American Studies, Global 

Health and Health Policy 

PROJECT TITLE 

Understanding 

Biodiversity Loss in Large 

Tropical Forest Fragments 


Wilcove Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 

Mato Grosso, Brazil 

MENTOR(S) 





High Meadows 


Alex Wiebe, Ph.D. 



I analyzed the impact of habitat fragmentation 

on bird populations in the Amazon rainforest. 

Over the past few years, huge tracts of land 

have been deforested for farm use, leaving the 

current landscape of the southern Amazon 

unrecognizable. In the field, I worked alongside 

doctoral candidate Alex Wiebe to conduct bird 

point counts each morning, and in doing so I 

learned how to identify some species of birds by 

sight and sound. I also collected environmental 

data by conducting understory tree surveys in 

eight meter transects. This project has helped me 

better understand the importance of understory 

and canopy trees for maintaining biodiversity 

in bird populations. What intrigued me the most 

were the possible political causes of biodiversity 

loss, such as the international demand for more 

farmland. Participating in this project has 

made me consider more career paths that bridge 

ecological concerns with public policy advocacy. 

16

Patrick Newcombe ’25 


Certificates: African Studies, History and the 

Practice of Diplomacy 


CONSERVATION 

PROJECT TITLE 

Competition, Coexistence 

and Carnivores: Intraguild 

Dynamics of Understudied 

Mesocarnivores in a 

Recovering African 

Savanna 


Pringle Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 

Gorongosa National Park, 

Mozambique 

MENTOR(S) 




Erin Phillips, Ph.D. 



I investigated the dynamics of carnivore 

competition and coexistence in Gorongosa 

National Park, Mozambique, a setting of 

conservation and development. I worked 

with doctoral candidate Erin Phillips, who’s 

mentorship granted me incredible experience 

in experimental design, diverse methods 

and on-the-ground insights. I conducted 

a manipulative field experiment to better 

understand fear-induced responses to a 

perceived threat. I learned and executed a 

variety of field methods, including carnivore 

capture and collaring, remote camera trapping, 

environmental DNA swabbing, soil sampling and 

dietary metabarcoding. I also gained exposure 

to vulture banding and antelope collaring and 

engaged in many discussions with Pringle Lab 

members and scientists that enhanced my 

understanding of ecological dynamics. I visited 

the forest restoration project, worked closely 

with the park’s rangers and discussed the park’s 

conservation and development strategies with 

staff at all levels of the organization, which gave 

me insight into challenges, creative solutions 

and opportunities that emerged over the park’s 

history. I spent time in the buffer zone and 

heavily populated parts of Mount Gorongosa, 

where public-private partnership leverages 

conservation to alleviate poverty and advance 

human rights — granting vital lessons in what it 

means for one African national park to be a “Park 

for Peace.” 

17


CONSERVATION 

PROJECT TITLE 





Stoddard Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 




MENTOR(S) 











Trang Ngo ’25 


Working at the Rocky Mountain Biological 

Laboratory (RMBL) in Gothic, Colorado I 

contributed to a long-term field dataset that the 

Stoddard Lab began collecting in 2018. Named 

the HummerFlowerWatch project, the data looks 

at broad-tailed hummingbirds’ foraging patterns. 

I collaborated with two other interns, and our 

daily routine including upkeep and monitoring 

of cameras at our sites and collecting flower 

abundance data. Our group also participated 

in RMBL’s undergraduate research program, 

which entails designing a research project and 

presenting it to the scientific community there. 

Our research question examined whether daily 

temperature changes affect hummingbirds’ 

foraging activities. This internship taught me 

the importance of collaboration and gave me a 

glimpse into the world of field biology and how 

to conduct a professional scientific project. It has 

inspired me to pursue this as a potential future 

career and prompted ideas for my senior thesis. 





18

PROJECT TITLE 





Stoddard Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 




MENTOR(S) 











Michelle Thurber ’26 


I worked with a team of researchers to collect 

data on broad-tailed hummingbird foraging 

patterns. My teammates and I placed motionsensing 

cameras on wildflower species at the 

Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) 

in Gothic, Colorado and recorded broad-tailed 

hummingbird visits. This project is part of a 

long-term study on how climate change affects 

wildflower blooms and hummingbird foraging 

patterns. As participants in RMBL’s Summer 

Education Program, we also investigated the 

effect of shorter-term temperature variation 

on hummingbird visitation rates using data 

collected by previous HMEI interns. We did 

not find evidence of a relationship between 

temperature and visitation rate, which was an 

intriguing result for a tiny, fast-moving bird that 

we thought would require even more frequent 

refueling of nectar during colder temperatures. 

This was my first experience doing research and 

writing a scientific paper, and it was also my 

first time climbing a mountain and seeing the 

Milky Way. My summer of complete immersion 

in nature, through science and my adventures, 

transformed me in many ways. As a result, I’ve 

become interested in helping others connect with 

birds, stars, mountains or whatever elements of 

nature speak to them. 






CONSERVATION 

19


CONSERVATION 

Bailey White ’25 



PROJECT TITLE 

Promoting 

Pro-conservation 

Behaviors in Recreational 

Scuba Divers on Coral 

Reefs in Southeast Asia 


Wilcove Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 

Bali, Indonesia; 

Malapascua, Philippines; 

Panglao, Philippines 

MENTOR(S) 





High Meadows 


Bing Lin, Ph.D. candidate, 



I investigated the behavior of recreational scuba 

divers on coral reefs in the Philippines and 

Indonesia. These countries lie within the Coral 

Triangle, the most biodiverse marine ecosystem 

on the planet. Coral reefs are hotspots of 

ecotourism, yet tourists such as scuba divers can 

damage a reef by intentionally or accidentally 

touching the coral. This project aimed to collect 

data on the prevalence of contacts between 

divers and reef by recording divers underwater. I 

reviewed this footage and tabulated all contacts, 

their suspected cause, and the resulting damage. 

I also asked divers to complete a survey after 

their dives to shed light on the potential root 

causes of reef contacts. Throughout this project, 

I conducted 37 research dives and collected data 

on dozens of divers. I gained an understanding 

of and practice with scientific research diving 

principles and learned how to use diving as a 

tool for research. This experience has reaffirmed 

my passion for conservation biology and my 

commitment to studying threats to marine 

biodiversity. 

20

Zehao Wu ’26 


Certificates: East Asian Studies, Environmental 

Studies 


CONSERVATION 

PROJECT TITLE 

Naturalizing the 

Environmental Experience 

of “Model Mammals” for 

Immunology and Beyond 


The Graham Group, 




LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Andrea Graham, 



Yoon Chang, Ph.D. 



David Chang van Oordt, 


Associate, Ecology and 

Evolutionary Biology; Alec 

Downie, Ph.D. candidate, 


Biology 

In many biomedical experiments, lab mice 

are considered “model mammals.” However, 

immune profile differences contribute to a 

disparity between mice and clinical results. At 

Stony Ford Research Station, I participated in 

a study of how releasing lab mice into a natural 

environment impacts how their immune system 

responds to parasitic nematode (Trichuris muris) 

infection. In the field, I assisted with cleaning the 

mouse feeders, refilling food and water and fecal 

sampling. I also edited camera footage of mouse 

activity to present to the lab and assisted with 

compiling daily reports that checked the number 

of mice and the number of escapees. I found that 

observing mice’s behavior patterns and social 

interactions was one of the most captivating 

aspects of the work. Through this experience, 

I gained a more robust knowledge of fieldwork 

logistics and a more advanced understanding 

of R programming. This internship affirmed my 

interest in the intersection of environmental 

science and immunology. Although fieldwork 

was initially challenging, I plan to continue 

researching immunology and environmental 

science through lab or fieldwork. 

21

Rio Baran ’25 

GEOSCIENCES 

CLIMATE AND 


PROJECT TITLE 

Archaeocyathids, Earth’s 

First Reef-forming 

Animals: Were They 

Crucial to the Emergence 

of Complex Life? 


Maloof Research 

Group, Department of 

Geosciences, Princeton 

University 

LOCATION(S) 

Flinders Ranges, 

Australia; Princeton, 

New Jersey 

MENTOR(S) 

Adam Maloof, 

Professor of Geosciences; 

Ryan Manzuk, Ph.D. 

candidate, Geosciences 

Archaeocyathids, Earth’s first reef-building 

animals, may hold clues to the sudden and 

rapid evolution of complex animal life during 

the Cambrian explosion. I examined Paleozoiclayered 

sedimentary rocks in the Australian 

outback to better understand aspects of the early 

environment such as potential global glaciations 

and the ecologies from 500 million years ago. My 

research addressed the questions, to what extent 

did archaeocyathid reefs modify the surrounding 

environment and ecologies, and thus, to what 

extent did archaeos control the emergence of 

complex life? I camped near the research sites, 

where I made observations, took measurements 

and collected samples. Then, returning to 

Princeton, I dove into sawing and polishing my 

samples, measuring chemical isotope ratios and 

looking for spatial patterns in the facies and 

isotopes. I continue to interpret what these data 

mean for understanding the ancient past and 

ponder the luck and beauty of research made 

possible by rocks — windows into the past. I 

think about the poetry of walking through time 

and space as a geologist. 

22

Helen Brush ’24 


Certificate: Applied and Computational 

Mathematics 

PROJECT TITLE 

Mechanisms of 

Shrubification in a 

Changing Arctic 


Levine Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 

Toolik Field Station, 

Fairbanks, Alaska 

MENTOR(S) 






Ruby An, Ph.D. candidate, 


Biology 

I worked at the Toolik Field Station in the 

Alaskan Arctic to investigate the mechanisms 

driving increased shrub presence, or 

“shrubification,” in the Arctic tundra. This 

widely observed Arctic phenomenon can 

have local and large-scale consequences. 

Understanding the environmental drivers 

of shrubification is important for predicting 

the trajectory of this ecosystem under future 

climate scenarios as the Arctic rapidly warms. I 

helped to establish a manipulation experiment 

subjecting nearly 1,000 individual shrubs 

across 80 experimental plots to combinations 

of warming, lengthened growing season, 

and nutrient addition. In these plots, we 

conducted extensive phenological and physical 

measurements of the shrubs and surrounding 

soils and plant communities to track treatment 

effects. As this was my second summer working 

at Toolik, I practiced greater independence and 

contributed more meaningfully to conversations 

about experimental design and data analysis. 

Outside of the shrub experiment, I engaged 

with other members of the Toolik community, 

learning about their research and helping when 

they needed extra hands in the field. I gained a 

heightened appreciation for interdisciplinary 

work as we took approaches from multiple fields, 

including community ecology, soil chemistry, 

and mathematical modeling. Spending the 

summer in such awe-inspiring wilderness with 

wonderful people was a privilege that I’m very 

grateful for. 

CLIMATE AND 


23

Ariana Di Landro ’25 



CLIMATE AND 


PROJECT TITLE 

Mechanism of 

Shrubification in a 

Changing Arctic 


Levine Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 

Toolik Field Station, 

Fairbanks, Alaska 

MENTOR(S) 






Ruby An, Ph.D. candidate, 


Biology 

I observed how different drivers such as warming, 

nutrient availability and a longer growing season 

impact shrub expansion or “shrubification“ 

across the Arctic, focusing on three species: 

Betula nana (dwarf birch), Salix sp. (dwarf willow) 

and Alnus viridis (green alder). Other research 

has observed that these shrubs are expanding 

across the Arctic, but with no clear explanation 

for how and why. Understanding the mechanisms 

of shrubification is critical in understanding 

how shrubs impact carbon cycling. I tracked the 

shrubs’ phenological or developmental changes 

in summer and fall, for example buds breaking, 

leafing out and senescence. I also helped set up 

boardwalks for easier access to plots and to limit 

the destruction of the tundra, and I assisted 

in taking soil cores to determine how nutrient 

addition has influenced the composition of the 

soil. While learning about plants for the first time 

and learning to identify them was challenging, 

it was extremely rewarding to look at the tundra 

at the end of the summer and be able to identify 

most of the species below me. I have gained 

an appreciation for the Arctic’s uniqueness as 

I gained experience in botany, phenological 

measurements, biogeochemical skills and data 

analysis. 

24

Tacy Guest ’26 



PROJECT TITLE 

Investigating Nitrogen 

Allocation in Corals and 

Their Symbionts 


The Ward Lab, 

Department of 

Geosciences, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Bess Ward, 

William J. Sinclair 

Professor of Geosciences 

and the High Meadows 


Moriah Kunes, Ph.D. 


I worked with The Ward lab to standardize 

a method for separating coral tissue from 

the symbionts that live within the tissue. 

Coral is composed of coral tissue and singlecelled 

photosynthetic algae symbionts called 

zooxanthellae. The zooxanthellae undergo 

photosynthesis and provide energy and fixed 

carbon to the coral, but little is known about 

how they contribute to nitrogen uptake. 

Understanding these relationships is critical 

to the future preservation of coral species. To 

understand the nitrogen uptake however, it is 

necessary to separate the coral tissue and the 

symbionts. While many methods exist in the 

literature, there is no standardized method, and 

the cross contamination between the tissue and 

the zooxanthellae in existing methods has never 

been quantified. I tested different variations of 

the method by preparing samples, assisting in 

cell counts and running the mass spectrometer, 

a machine that detects the nitrogen and carbon 

content of a sample. I also participated in the 

data analysis that followed these experiments. I 

practiced technical lab techniques and learned 

troubleshooting techniques for the mass 

spectrometer. I’m excited to continue working 

with The Ward Lab through my sophomore year 

and on my junior paper and senior thesis. 

CLIMATE AND 


25

Bill Haarlow ’25 

GEOSCIENCES 

CLIMATE AND 


PROJECT TITLE 

Metal Isotopes in Ancient 

Carbonates 


Higgins Lab, 

Department of 

Geosciences, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

John Higgins, 


Matthew Nadeau, Ph.D. 


I gathered data about various isotopes in 

ancient carbonates, including lithium, carbon 

and oxygen, to study how their concentrations 

changed over time and with ocean depth. These 

ancient carbonates included limestones and 

dolomites from around the world, ranging from 

formations in the United States to the middle of 

the Pacific Ocean. The carbonate rocks studied 

may preserve information from ancient surface 

environments about their local climate and 

ecosystems and may thus serve as proxy archives 

of paleoclimate at various times in the ancient 

past. We used column chromatography and mass 

spectroscopy to determine the compositions and 

concentrations of isotopes within the carbonates. 

The isotopic records for many different elements 

are incomplete due to the recency of the work. It 

was awesome to work with people at the cutting 

edge of the field. Through this internship, I 

gained experience in experimental design and 

learned to use common technology used in the 

field, including automatic ion chromatography 

machines, ion columns and mass spectroscopy 

machines. These skills will be useful in my 

ongoing research projects at Princeton and my 

future career. 

26

Benjamin Liu ’24 

COMPUTER SCIENCE 

PROJECT TITLE 

Beyond Roughness: 

Statistical 

Characterization of 

Two-dimensional Fields 

Under Random Sampling 


Simons Research 



University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Frederik Simons, 


I explored machine learning methods to estimate 

and analyze different types of environmental 

data. Environmental data come as geographically 

distributed sets of measured or modeled 

variables, for example rainfall or vegetation 

type, that we may treat as samples of a spatial 

random field and its temporal evolution. Random 

fields are characterized by hyperparameters 

that define the statistical relationship between 

their values at different points in space and 

time. The isotropic Matérn random field is a 

general class with three continuous parameters 

that define its spectral structure: variance 

(σ2), mean-squared differentiability (ν) and 

correlation length (ρ). Working with Frederik 

Simons, I developed machine-learning methods 

to estimate the parameters of random fields. 

I employed MATLAB and Python programs 

to generate large sets of training data and 

developed a convolutional neural network to 

estimate their parameters. I gained significant 

experience working with neural networks and 

non-classification forms of machine learning 

methods. The project has given me more 

insight into the research process in the field of 

machine learning and artificial intelligence as 

a whole and how to apply these technologies to 

environmental data. 

CLIMATE AND 


27

Isabel Liu ’26 


CLIMATE AND 


PROJECT TITLE 

Carbon Dioxide and 

Hydrogen Storage in 

Water-saturated 

Bentonite Clay Systems 


Interfacial Water Group, 

Department of Civil 

and Environmental 

Engineering, Princeton 

University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Ian Bourg, 


Civil and Environmental 

Engineering and the High 

Meadows Environmental 

Institute; Xiaojin Zheng, 


Associate, Civil and 

Environmental Engineering 

Montmorillonite is a smectite clay mineral that is 

useful for defining fluid migration pathways and 

investigating gas storage due to its high swelling 

pressure and low permeability. In this study, I 

researched carbon dioxide and hydrogen storage 

in the subsurface environment, specifically in 

the interlayer space of montmorillonite that hosts 

water molecules and hydrated cations. These 

two gases are stored very differently, but both 

are important for environmental and industrial 

reasons; while carbon dioxide is intended to be 

conserved as long and stably as possible at a 

depth of more than 800 meters to alleviate global 

warming, hydrogen is stored at a more superficial 

level for seasonal injection and removed for 

industrial purposes. To lay the groundwork 

for permeability analyses, I used the programs 

LAMMPS Molecular Dynamics Simulator, 

Visual Molecular Dynamics and MATLAB to 

simulate carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas 

storage in montmorillonite clay at different water 

saturations. I found it inspiring to be able to 

use computer simulations to estimate realistic 

dynamics between molecules and explore this 

important industrial application at minimal 

cost. Through this experience, I acquired many 

technical skills, learned to develop my creativity 

and gained important insights into geosystems 

engineering. 

28

Maddie Machado ’25 



PROJECT TITLE 

Plant Pathogens in a 

High-altitude System 


Metcalf Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 




I worked as part of a team studying “flax rust,” a 

fungal infection that affects the flax wildflower 

in the Gunnison Valley in Colorado. Working in 

sites across low, middle and high elevations, we 

conducted repeat surveys in areas between 50 

and 200 square meters of plant height, degree of 

disease infection as determined by the surface 

area covered by fungal pustules, soil moisture, 

wind direction, wind speed and several other 

climatic variables. Ultimately, we hope these data 

will help predict the dynamics between the flax 

plant and flax rust, as climate change contributes 

to hotter and drier conditions in the Gunnison 

Valley. I enjoyed my time in Gothic at the Rocky 

Mountain Biological Laboratory because I 

was exposed to many other research studies 

happening nearby and was able to collaborate 

with and learn from other ecologists. 

CLIMATE AND 


MENTOR(S) 

C. Jessica E. Metcalf, 



Biology and Public Affairs, 

Princeton University; 

Keenan Duggal, Research 

Associate, High Meadows 

Environmental Institute, 


Juliana Jiranek, Ph.D. 

candidate, Biology, 

University of Virginia 

29

Aidan Matthews ’24 

CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING 

CLIMATE AND 


PROJECT TITLE 

Water Use Strategy in 

Plants 


Porporato’s Research 




University 

LOCATION(S) 

Princeton, New Jersey; 

Durham, North Carolina; 

Palermo, Italy 

MENTOR(S) 

Amilcare Porporato, 

Thomas J. Wu ’94 Professor 

of Civil and Environmental 

Engineering, Professor of 




Institute, Princeton 

University; Sara Cerasoli, 

Ph.D. candidate, Civil and 

Environmental Engineering, 


Gabriel Katul, Paul M. Gross 

Distinguished Professor, 

Department of Civil and 

Environmental Engineering, 

Duke University; Saverio 

Perri, Visiting Research 

Scholar, Department of 


Biology, Princeton 

University 

My project examined the theory of optimization 

in plants. With the support of advisers, 

particularly Professor Amilcare Porporato, I 

surveyed and identified gaps in the literature, 

and attended an ecohydrology graduate school 

in Italy, where I learned about different areas 

of ecohydrology. Learning about the impact of 

plants and water on society expanded my view 

of the field and its applications. I enjoyed using 

my knowledge to explore possible explanations 

for the different strategic responses to water 

stress and exploring the potential to predict 

evaporative cooling via an optimization model. 

This internship has helped cement my passion 

for research and my decision to continue my 

studies in a related field through a doctoral 

degree.

Senne Michielssen ’25 


PROJECT TITLE 

Application of Image 

Segmentation to Trezona 

Formation Fossils 





University 

I studied fossils from the Trezona Formation 

in Australia with Professor Adam Maloof. We 

applied computer vision techniques to segment 

cross-sections of these fossils with the goal 

of better understanding the 3D structure 

of these organisms. My contribution to this 

project involved applying these computer 

vision techniques to build upon significant lab 

work that was previously conducted by other 

members of the Maloof Research Group. The 

project enhanced my technical and interpersonal 

skills, which will serve me well in coursework 

and future research opportunities. I enjoyed the 

collaborative nature of research and look forward 

to continuing to explore research at Princeton. 

CLIMATE AND 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Adam Maloof, 


31

CLIMATE AND 


PROJECT TITLE 

Carbon Dioxide and 

Hydrogen Storage in 

Water-saturated 

Bentonite Clay Systems 






University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Ian Bourg, 





Institute; Xiaojin Zheng, 


Associate, Civil and 


Kaustuv Mukherjee ’26 

OPERATIONS RESEARCH AND FINANCIAL 

ENGINEERING 

Certificates: Architecture and Engineering, 

Finance 

I developed molecular dynamics simulations 

to visualize how bentonite clay would perform 

as a barrier for supercritical CO 2 

injected below 

the Earth’s surface. Studying clay mineralogy 

and sequestration methods helped enhance my 

understanding of these simulations. I worked 

with the Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively 

Parallel Simulator software to run simulations, 

utilizing Princeton’s Stellar computing cluster to 

run the larger scripts and the Visual Molecular 

Dynamics program to visualize the output files. 

Most of my time was spent using the MATLAB 

programming language to add CO 2 

to a bentonite/ 

montmorillonite clay system at different water 

saturation levels, simulating CO 2 

sequestration 

in the porous subsurface. I used the elementary 

physical model of CO 2 

due to its agreement with 

experimental data in our relevant temperature 

range. The clay-water-CO 2 

models that I 

developed can help predict seal integrity over 

time for large-scale sequestration projects. 

I enjoyed working with the Interfacial Water 

Group and found how physics concepts play 

into developing accurate molecular dynamics 

simulations especially interesting. 

32

Peyton Smith ’25 


Certificate: American Studies 

PROJECT TITLE 

Plant Pathogens in a 

High-altitude System 


Metcalf Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 




MENTOR(S) 






Keenan Duggal, Research 




Juliana Jiranek, Ph.D. 

candidate, Biology, 

University of Virginia 

I investigated the effect of elevation on 

the spread of a fungal pathogen, flax rust 

(Melampsora lini), on Lewis flax (Linum lewisii), 

a purple wildflower in the Rocky Mountains. 

Though this plant pathogen system has been 

investigated as a model of molecular plant-fungal 

interactions for decades, little is known about 

how climate change may affect its spread within 

and between hosts. We studied the impact of 

climate on disease by using replicate elevational 

transects to collect standardized observations 

and measurements. Each week, we hiked to the 

transects to survey plants for rust. The data we 

collected will be used to understand further and 

model plant-pathogen interactions, which could 

inform agricultural practices to support food 

security in the coming decades. In addition to 

fieldwork, I gained experience using the software 

R for image analysis and spatial data. I have long 

been interested in host-pathogen interactions 

in humans, but this project introduced me 

to the intricate world of disease ecology and 

plant pathogens. Consequently, I developed an 

appreciation for the complicated nature of these 

coevolved plant-pathogen systems that will 

frame my future research. 

CLIMATE AND 


33

Naisha Sylvestre ’25 

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 

Certificates: Global Health and Health Policy, 

Latin American Studies 

CLIMATE AND 


PROJECT TITLE 

Metal Isotopes in Ancient 

Carbonates 


Higgins Lab, 

Department of 

Geosciences, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

John Higgins, 


Matthew Nadeau, Ph.D. 


My project’s objective was to gather data on the 

isotopic carbon and oxygen content of ancient 

carbonate samples across time and ocean 

depth. This isotopic data will allow us to infer 

whether differences in sample composition are 

due to local processes of rock formation or more 

indicative of global paleoclimate. The carbonate 

rocks studied may preserve information from 

ancient surface environments about their local 

climate and ecosystems, and thus may serve as 

proxy archives of paleoclimate at various times 

in the ancient past. I analyzed ancient carbonate 

samples from a region in the Pacific Ocean by 

first using imaging techniques to identify each 

sample’s composition and then performing mass 

spectroscopy to determine isotopic composition 

and concentration. Using isotopic records in 

this manner is somewhat new in the field, and I 

enjoyed getting to work with people at the cutting 

edge of paleoclimate research. I learned many lab 

skills including experimental design and how to 

operate seminal technology such as automatic 

ion chromatography and mass spectroscopy 

machines. I will utilize the skills I developed in 

my junior independent work, senior thesis and 

beyond Princeton. 

34

Stella Szostak ’26 

GEOSCIENCES 

PROJECT TITLE 

The Coevolution of Life 

and Climate Over 800 

Million Years (in Australia) 





University 

LOCATION(S) 

Adelaide, Australia; 


MENTOR(S) 

Adam Maloof, 


Ryan Manzuk, Ph.D. 

candidate, Geosciences; 

Julia Wilcots, 


Associate, Geosciences 

I investigated the coevolution of life and climate 

in Australia during two periods: Snowball Earth 

and the Cambrian Explosion. Snowball Earth 

describes two events when the Earth became 

completely glaciated during the Neoproterozoic 

era, between 720 and 635 million years ago. 

The Cambrian Explosion, when animals rapidly 

evolved into the major groups we recognize today, 

occurred 100 million years later. In the field, 

we studied and measured layers of carbonate 

sedimentary rock from the Neoproterozoic to 

make interpretations of the paleoenvironment. 

Beyond making these observations, I took 

GPS points, collected and labeled samples and 

measured rock layers. To study the Cambrian era, 

we measured, mapped and sampled a fossilized 

reef to understand how reef environments impact 

rapid evolution. Back on campus, I sorted, sawed 

and polished the Neoproterozoic samples for 

imaging and analysis while running the mass 

spectrometer. Participating in the process from 

field to lab forced me to view geology in a new 

sense. I began to recognize the sheer amount 

of information that can be read from the rocks; 

from observations in a bedded layer to data out 

of a mass spectrometer. After deep-diving into 

sedimentary geology, I look forward to exploring 

even more possibilities within geoscience. 

CLIMATE AND 


35

Erin Yoo ’26 

GEOSCIENCES 

CLIMATE AND 


PROJECT TITLE 

Ground-truthing Nitrogen 

Isotopes in Celtis 

(Hackberry) Endocarps as 

a Paleoclimate Proxy 


Sigman Research 

Laboratory, Department 

of Geosciences, Princeton 

University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Daniel Sigman, 

Dusenbury Professor of 

Geological and 

Geophysical Sciences, 


Mason Scher, Ph.D. 


Hackberry trees are a deciduous group that 

have had widespread distribution across the 

Americas and Mediterranean since at least 

the Paleocene epoch (56-66 million years 

ago). Hackberry trees are a useful model for 

reconstructing the historical climate because 

of the structure of their endocarps, a hard layer 

of the seed. Hackberry endocarps are made of 

calcium carbonate, a mineral commonly used 

to reconstruct the historical climate, and they 

also trap organic matter as they form. My project 

examined the potential for using the isotopic 

nitrogen composition of Hackberry endocarps 

as a paleoclimate proxy. I measured the nitrogen 

isotopic composition of modern U.S. hackberries 

and analyzed their composition in relation to 

mean annual temperature and precipitation. I 

found that high δ 15 N endocarp values correlated 

with hotter and drier sample regions, indicating 

that fossil hackberries have promising 

potential to be paleoclimate proxies. Climate 

reconstructions based on hackberries could 

provide insight into modern-day global warming. 

Through my internship, I learned how to use new 

lab equipment, including a sonicator, aspirator, 

muffle oven and mass spectrometer. I realized 

that I love pipetting to a surprising degree. I 

enjoyed learning about the natural world and 

I plan to continue studying geosciences at 

Princeton. 

36

Emeline Blohm ’25 


PROJECT TITLE 

Modeling Tree Rainfall 

Interception Through Open 

Data Analysis 


Urban Modeling Group, 

Tandon School of 

Engineering, New York 

University (NYU) 

LOCATION(S) 

Brooklyn, New York 

MENTOR(S) 

Debra Laefer, 

Professor of Urban 

Informatics, Tandon 

School of Engineering, 

NYU 

I developed an original methodology to estimate 

the rainfall interception and storage capacity 

of 98,700 trees in Brooklyn, New York. Urban 

flood models often neglect tree canopy as a form 

of green infrastructure mitigation, but trees 

mitigate pluvial flooding by intercepting and 

storing rainfall. The quantity of rain mitigated 

by an individual tree depends on characteristics 

such as species, diameter, height and canopy 

area. For large areas with diverse tree types, 

remote sensing datasets can be used to estimate 

these features. I gathered tree features for 

20.25 km 2 of Brooklyn from two open datasets. 

I processed these datasets and calculated the 

bark and leaf storage per block based on values 

aggregated from peer-reviewed literature. In the 

application QGIS, I visualized the distribution 

of tree canopy and bark and leaf rainfall storage 

per block and total storage per square meter of 

canopy. I used the storage values in an existing 

model and found that for the study area, the total 

tree storage is over 1.7 million liters of rain. I 

also found that the bark surface intercepts more 

water than the leaf surface (77.5% vs. 22.5%). 

These results can be integrated into flood models 

to evaluate the impact of tree cover on pluvial 

flooding. 

ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY 

AND URBAN SUSTAINABILITY 

37

Billy Doyle ’24 


AFFAIRS 

Certificate: German Language and Culture 



PROJECT TITLE 

The Social-ecological 

Dynamics of the Harvest, 

Consumption and Trade of 

Aquatic Biodiversity in 

New York City 


High Meadows 



American Museum of 

Natural History; New York 

City Department of Parks 

and Recreation (NYC Parks) 

LOCATION(S) 

New York City, New York; 


I helped conduct a pilot study on the trade, 

harvest and consumption of marine wildlife 

caught within New York City waters. The project 

involved fieldwork at multiple sites around 

the city, interviews with a variety of experts in 

academia, activists and other professionals. I 

also performed a thorough literature search, 

drafted a report and presented my findings to a 

working group from a variety of organizations. 

Through this internship, I learned what research 

looks like at a professional level. I gained 

first-hand experience in conducting research, 

how to investigate and adapt to a project on a 

topic I knew little about and how to effectively 

communicate findings in a professional setting. 

MENTOR(S) 

Christian Rivera, 




Princeton University; Erin 

Betley, Biodiversity 

Specialist and Coordinator, 


Natural History; Mary Blair, 

Director, Biodiversity 

Informatics Research, 


Natural History; Neha 

Savant, Wildlife and 

Fisheries Ecologist, NYC 

Parks

Isabella Gomes ’25 


Certificate: Urban Studies 

PROJECT TITLE 

Fine Spatio-temporal 

Variation in Intra-urban 

Heat Stress in U.S. Cities 


Urban Nexus Lab, 




University 

LOCATION(S) 


Minneapolis, Minnesota 

The Urban Nexus Lab aims to advance 

sustainable, healthy and equitable cities through 

knowledge co-production and nexus modeling 

of key transboundary infrastructure and food 

systems. I worked on a project that is assessing 

fine-scale temperature and humidity data to 

study variations in intra-urban heat stress in 

different cities in the United States. My role 

was to analyze fine-scale air temperature and 

humidity data downloaded from PurpleAir, 

a crowdsourced sensor network. Along with 

data analysis for different U.S. cities, I worked 

on downloading land surface temperature 

data from Google Earth Engine to aid the 

lab’s work on comparing the accuracy of air 

and land surface temperature observations 

for determining human heat stress. I hope to 

continue researching sustainable development 

and the impacts of climate change on the urban 

environment. 



MENTOR(S) 

Anu Ramaswami, 

Sanjay Swani ’87 

Professor of India 

Studies, Professor of Civil 



Institute for International 

and Regional Studies and 

the High Meadows 

Environmental Institute 

39

Samuel Hanson ’24 

MUSIC 



PROJECT TITLE 

Religion and 

Environmental Justice in 

Panama and the Peruvian 

Amazon 


High Meadows 



Paz y Esperanza Perú 

LOCATION(S) 


San Martin, Perú 

MENTOR(S) 

Rob Nixon, 

Thomas A. and Currie C. 

Barron Family Professor 

in Humanities and the 

Environment, Professor of 

English and the High 


Institute; Ryan Juskus, 




Our project aimed to explore the link between 

religion — both colonial and indigenous— 

and the environment in Panama and the 

Peruvian Amazon. During our two-week stay 

in Moyobamba, Perú, we interviewed members 

of Paz y Esperanza, a faith-based organization, 

and other members of the community, asking 

questions about why they are motivated to fight 

for environmental justice. The work we did 

opened my eyes to the reality of modernity and 

the forces driving the extraction of resources 

from the Amazon rainforest. It also gave me 

perspective on the types of lifestyles that are 

causing suffering. For instance, visiting a nearby 

rainforest preserve gave me a very different 

taste of life compared to the busy town I stayed 

in. I also gained insight into the knowledge 

that Indigenous people have of the cycles of 

life and the relationship between humans and 

non-humans. I have come to appreciate that 

this knowledge is something that we need 

to reconnect with in order to reintegrate our 

way of being with the natural order. We are all 

indigenous someplace on the earth, but at the 

same time, we seem to have forgotten our true 

connection. 

40

Sriya Kotta ’26 


PROJECT TITLE 



Heat Stress in U.S. Cities; 

Relevance of Polluting 

Fuel Used in Informal 

Eateries in Indian Cities 






University 

LOCATION(S) 


Minneapolis, Minnesota 

MENTOR(S) 











I worked on two projects within the Urban 

Nexus Lab, whose overall goal is to advance 




systems. In the first project, I investigated 

intra-urban heat stress by analyzing data from 

PurpleAir sensors in Minneapolis. During a field 

trip to the city, I visited several sensor sites in 

order to calibrate the PurpleAir sensors with 

other sensors used in the lab. We discovered 

that the sensors need a new correction factor 

and are now working to develop this. We also 

devised a methodology for fine-scale heat stress 

measurement in other cities. In the second 

project, I studied emissions from the informal 

food sector in Surat, Gujarat. This oftenoverlooked 

sector may contribute significantly 

to the country’s emissions and air pollution. 

To quantify this, I compared the informal food 

sector, household cooking and other industries 

by analyzing national datasets like the Socio 

Economic and Caste Census and the Economic 

Census datasets. Working with the Urban Nexus 

Lab was an enriching experience as it allowed 

me to connect with exceptional researchers and 

professionals and gain valuable insights into 

urban sustainability. 



41

Alex Norbrook ’26 

HISTORY 




PROJECT TITLE 

Mining for the Climate 


Blue Lab, 

Effron Center for the 

Study of America, 


LOCATION(S) 

Pasadena, California; 

Thacker Pass, Nevada; 


Gaston County, North 

Carolina 

MENTOR(S) 

Allison Carruth, 

Professor of American 

Studies and the High 



University; Nate Otjen, 





Juan Manuel Rubio, UC 

President’s and Andrew 

W. Mellon Postdoctoral 

Fellow, Department of 

Global Studies, University 

of California, Santa 

Barbara 

The net-zero transition will be fueled by 

mineral extraction. The Biden administration 

and climate policy experts aim to expand 

domestic extraction of critical minerals to 

rapidly deploy electric vehicles and combat 

transportation emissions. Mining companies 

are moving forward with new projects in states 

like Nevada, North Carolina and California. 

Because narratives around climate mitigation are 

usually crafted and disseminated at a distance 

from those directly affected by mining activity, 

I wanted to examine how they are deployed and 

experienced on the ground. I aimed to address 

questions including, how do mining companies 

use net-zero narratives to justify their projects, 

and how do residents and activists counter them 

while opening alternate paths to a climatesafe 

future? I conducted 10 days of fieldwork at 

two proposed mine locations to contribute to a 

podcast on critical mineral narratives. I learned 

to conduct in-depth interviews and deploy audio 

equipment and then worked to craft a five-part 

audio series on one mine in North Carolina. I 

used podcast editing software to draft the third 

episode, which focuses on the logistics of the 

mine. I now have a clearer understanding of why 

an environmental justice approach is necessary 

for a successful energy transition.

Charlie Nuermberger ’25 

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE 


PROJECT TITLE 

Identifying Advocacy 

Opportunities for a 

Basin-scale Approach to 

Natural Infrastructure 


Environmental Defense 

Fund (EDF) 

LOCATION(S) 

Raleigh, North Carolina 

MENTOR(S) 

Will McDow, 

Director, Climate Resilient 

Coasts and Watersheds, 

EDF 

Because the biophysical boundaries of a 

watershed like the Mississippi River basin 

don’t correlate well with political units like the 

municipality, county or state, the Environmental 

Defense Fund (EDF) advocates for a “whole river” 

or basin-scale approach to improving water 

resource conditions in major watersheds. Two 

central challenges for producing change at this 

scale are modeling project benefits and accessing 

appropriate funding mechanisms for project 

implementation. I worked with EDF to develop 

an agenda and produce a summary report 

about a workshop entitled “Quantifying the 

Downstream Benefits of Natural Infrastructure” 

that convened to discuss modeling opportunities 

in the basin. I also drafted briefs on state-level 

policy for the Clean Water State Revolving 

Fund to identify changes that could enable 

better access to funds. I practiced skills like 

workshop facilitation, technical writing and 

policy research. My experience highlighted the 

importance of informational collaboration and 

careful maneuvering through existing economic 

structures. 



43

Isadora Rivera-Janer ’24 





PROJECT TITLE 

The Social-ecological 

Dynamics of the Harvest, 

Consumption and Trade of 

Aquatic Biodiversity in 

New York City 


High Meadows 




Natural History; New York 

City Department of Parks 

and Recreation (NYC Parks) 

LOCATION(S) 

New York City, New York; 


MENTOR(S) 

Christian Rivera, 




Princeton University; Erin 

Betley, Biodiversity 

Specialist and Coordinator, 


Natural History; Mary Blair, 

Director, Biodiversity 

Informatics Research, 


Natural History; Neha 

Savant, Wildlife and 

Fisheries Ecologist, NYC 

Parks 

I helped conduct a preliminary study of the 

harvest, trade and consumption of aquatic 

wildlife in New York City (NYC). Our methods 

included field visits to fish markets and coastal 

sites in NYC, interviews with stakeholders 

from various fields and reviews of relevant 

academic literature. After synthesizing 

information from these sources, we then used 

the Mental Modeler software to create models 

that attempt to represent the trade systems of 

NYC and Jamaica Bay. We found relationships 

between many factors including fish advisories, 

law enforcement, inflation, targeted wildlife 

populations and climate change. Overall, we 

found many research gaps in the knowledge 

of wildlife trade systems in NYC in terms of 

ecological, cultural, legal and social aspects. This 

project gave me a rare glimpse into how to create 

methods for data collection, even when working 

with unfamiliar systems.

Jamie Rodriguez ’24 

ENGLISH 

PROJECT TITLE 

Archival Ecologies 


Blue Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 

Lytton, British Columbia, 

Canada; Princeton, New 

Jersey 

I worked to develop a podcast called “Archival 

Ecologies” that explores the changing meaning of 

archives in Lytton, British Columbia, following a 

fire that leveled the town in 2021. In the podcast, 

our definition of archives included not only local 

museums but also personal collections and the 

natural environment. I conducted research that 

helped guide the podcast’s storyline and then 

traveled to British Columbia with the podcast 

team to interview caretakers of local archives 

and individuals who experienced the fire. When 

we returned to campus, I helped write and record 

a draft of the podcast’s first episode. My time as 

an intern for “Archival Ecologies” introduced me 

to a form of research that bridges my interests in 

humanities research and audio storytelling. 



MENTOR(S) 





Institute; Jayme Collins, 




45

Hannah Shin ’26 

PHILOSOPHY 

Certificate: Computer Science 



PROJECT TITLE 

Religion and 

Environmental Justice in 

Panama and the Peruvian 

Amazon 


High Meadows 



Memoria Indigena 

Pamana; Paz y Esperanza 

Perú 

LOCATION(S) 


Guna Yala, Panama; San 

Martín, Perú 

MENTOR(S) 

Rob Nixon, 

Thomas A. and Currie C. 

Barron Family Professor 

in Humanities and the 

Environment, Professor of 

English and the High 


Institute; Ryan Juskus, 




I explored the landscape of indigenous 

environmental justice in Latin America and 

how religion interacts with environmental 

commitments. My team’s approach was nonextractive 

and rooted in decolonization as we 

collaborated and communicated across diverse 

knowledge systems. I visited two islands in 

Guna Yala, Panama, and met evangelical 

Christian Guna, who maintain their indigenous 

worldviews. I learned how they navigate their 

seemingly incongruous identities and beliefs. I 

wrote a report about environmental issues on the 

islands, the relationship between Guna Yala and 

the Panamanian government, and the climate 

change-driven migration to Panama’s mainland. 

The Guna hope to relocate but have no plan, 

insufficient funds and empty promises of support 

from the Panamanian government. In Perú, I 

visited Indigenous communities and interviewed 

religious members and government ministers 

about deforestation, conflicting interests and 

corruption. I contributed to a pronouncement 

about illegal gold mining in the Cenepa River 

region, which will be circulated to demand that 

the Peruvian government protect and support 

Indigenous communities. I observed the ethics of 

the environmental defenders and examined what 

moves them to do what they do despite dangers 

and death threats. I observed that while there is 

vulnerability in these communities, there is also 

great resistance. 

46

Molly Taylor ’25 

HISTORY 

Certificate: Computer Science 

PROJECT TITLE 

Archival Ecologies 


Blue Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 

Lytton, British Columbia, 

Canada; Princeton, New 

Jersey 

MENTOR(S) 





Institute; Jayme Collins, 




As climate change increases the frequency 

of extreme weather events, museums and 

archives are increasingly at risk of damage and 

destruction. I contributed research and writing 

to an audio series about the collections lost in 

the 2021 wildfire in Lytton, British Columbia. 

Through the story of Lytton, this project explores 

the connection between climate change and 

cultural preservation. Our team spent a week 

in British Columbia interviewing the stewards 

of Lytton’s cultural institutions about their 

collections and plans for recovery. Participating 

in fieldwork strengthened my interest in the 

environmental humanities and expanded the 

possibilities for my independent work as a history 

major. In the final weeks of the internship, we 

produced the first episode of the series. This 

work reinforced my excitement for nonfiction 

storytelling, as I loved thinking creatively to 

present interviewees’ perspectives alongside 

historical context. Beyond the concrete skills I 

developed during this internship, which included 

writing for audio, recording high-quality audio 

and finding obscure sources through the library, I 

gained an understanding of how to tell nuanced, 

personal stories around climate change. 



47

Grace Wang ’26 

UNDECLARED 



PROJECT TITLE 



Blue Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 





Carolina 

MENTOR(S) 

















Barbara 

I worked with the Blue Lab’s Mining for the 

Climate team to research lithium mining in 

the United States and produce a public-facing 

podcast series about a proposed lithium mine 

in Gaston County, North Carolina. Following 

preliminary research, our team undertook 10- 

days of fieldwork in North Carolina, California 

and Nevada. We traveled to proposed mine sites 

and interviewed mining company executives, 

local activists and government officials. During 

our fieldwork, we reckoned with the challenges 

posed by the renewable energy transition and 

the consequences of the extractive processes 

necessary for it. After returning, we workshopped 

our podcast’s first season and began writing 

the episodes. I spearheaded production on 

the fourth episode in the series, which delves 

into the narratives of local residents in Gaston 

County. During this internship, I gained valuable 

fieldwork research and audio production skills, 

as well as expansive knowledge of the complex 

issues surrounding energy transition and 

extraction.

Lily Weaver ’26 


Certificates: Engineering Biology, Statistics and 

Machine Learning 

PROJECT TITLE 



Heat Stress in U.S. Cities 






University 

LOCATION(S) 


The Urban Nexus Lab aims to advance 




systems. I worked on a project to examine 

intra-urban heat stress patterns in various U.S. 

cities. I created a data download tool to access 

temperature and humidity data from PurpleAir, 

a crowdsourced sensor network that collects air 

quality data. I also worked on analyzing and 

creating visualizations for the PurpleAir data 

to help us determine the viability of PurpleAir 

sensors to measure fine-scale intra-urban 

temperature variation. I’m grateful I had the 

opportunity to learn from the outstanding 

professors and graduate students at the Urban 

Nexus Lab and I hope to continue researching 

urban sustainability in the future. 



MENTOR(S) 











49

Max Widmann ’24 

HISTORY 

Certificates: Environmental Studies, Urban 

Studies 



PROJECT TITLE 



Blue Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 





Carolina 

MENTOR(S) 

















Barbara 

I researched lithium extraction in the United 

States. Lithium is an alkali metal essential for 

most electric vehicle batteries and grid-scale 

energy storage, but its mining is damaging 

and irreversible. I wanted to understand the 

competing narratives behind the green energy 

transition and inherently unsustainable 

extractive systems. Working with my co-interns 

and postdoctoral researchers in Princeton’s Blue 

Lab, I compiled an archive of statements from 

government agencies and mining corporations 

and secondary literature from environmental 

studies and the energy humanities. Additionally, 

I worked to identify potential stakeholders to 

interview, including environmental activists, 

mining corporation executives, affected Native 

American tribes, and ranchers. I participated 

in fieldwork in Gaston County, North Carolina; 

Pasadena, California; and northern Nevada. 

There, I conducted semi-structured interviews 

about residents’ experiences living near planned 

lithium mines. The first season of our podcast, 

“Mining for the Climate,” focuses on a junior 

mining company whose project, Carolina 

Lithium, has raised concerns among locals about 

noise, dust, water contamination and the future 

of their rural community. Working with the Blue 

Lab, interacting with environmental activists, 

and observing the insufficiency of environmental 

legislation has reaffirmed my desire to pursue a 

career that protects biodiversity and equitable 

access to federal lands.

Brooke Beers ’25 


Certificate: Sustainable Energy 

PROJECT TITLE 

Farm Project Field 

Assistant 


Rubenstein Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Daniel Rubenstein, 

Class of 1877 Professor 

of Zoology, Emeritus, 



Emeritus; Gina Talt, 

Project Manager, Food 

Systems, Office of 

Sustainability 

I worked on the Three Sisters Project through 

the Rubenstein Lab to study the mutualisms 

of maize, beans and squash. Our goal was to 

experimentally test whether growing these 

three plants together helps crop efficiency 

and soil health. I was involved with setting up 

and starting data collection for the project, 

which is still ongoing throughout the fall. I 

was also tasked with managing the irrigation 

system, a combination of drip tape and piping 

that spanned four fields. I learned more about 

sustainable farming practices, some hands-on 

skills with tools and the basics of data collection 

and analysis through JMP software. I was most 

interested in the challenges of conducting 

research in an agricultural setting, where 

conditions are difficult to control. This internship 

sparked my interest in increasing agricultural 

efficiency sustainably, and I’m now interested in 

potentially pursuing a career in that direction. 

FOOD SYSTEMS 

AND HEALTH 

51

Riyan Charania ’26 


FOOD SYSTEMS 

AND HEALTH 

PROJECT TITLE 


Assistant 






LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 










Due to an increasing global demand for food, 

it’s important that we have more productive and 

environmentally friendly growing methods. To 

address this, we researched the “three sisters” 

Native American agricultural growing technique, 

which utilizes mutualisms between corn, beans 

and squash to maximize their productivity. We 

tested different designs of growing these crops 

and analyzed each configuration by collecting 

field data through Arable sensors. These sensors 

provided information about factors such as 

plant health, environmental temperature and 

precipitation. We also collected data by setting 

up insect traps, collecting soil moisture data 

and taking drone photos of the field. We then 

used the statistical analysis software JMP to 

graph and analyze the data for insights into 

the potential benefits of using the three sisters 

farming method. Through this internship, I 

learned just how technology can be integrated 

into agriculture, and I hope to continue finding 

innovative ways to use technology to create a 

more sustainable future. 

52

Sava Evangelista ’26 


PROJECT TITLE 

Probing Microbial 

Colonization of Plants 

During Drought to Enable 

Microbiome-mediated 

Resilience in Crops 


Conway Lab, 

Department of 

Chemical and Biological 


University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Jonathan Conway, 

Assistant Professor of 


Engineering; Ting Jiang, 


Associate, Chemical and 

Biological Engineering; 

Chao Liao, Postdoctoral 

Research Associate, 


Engineering 

The primary goal of my project was to grow 

plants in a simulated drought environment and 

to analyze their root microbiomes. This data 

will enable us to identify which bacterial strains 

become enriched during drought and study them 

in hopes of creating techniques that would allow 

plants to survive better in drought conditions. 

I helped prepare farmland for the high tunnel 

used for the research and participated in many 

other projects at the Stony Ford Seed Farm. 

Additionally, I assisted postdoctoral researchers 

with their gene knockout experiments, took 

root measurements and imaged seedlings. 

Through this project and with the guidance of 

my mentors, I have gained a lot of lab experience 

and more general science knowledge and I was 

especially interested to observe the amount 

of meticulosity that goes into each step of an 

experiment. Although I don’t think I will pursue 

work in the chemical and biological engineering 

field, the internship was helpful in providing me 

with a further understanding of the sciences. 

* This internship is connected to the HMEI Water 

and the Environment Grand Challenges project, 

“Probing Microbial Colonization of Plants During 

Drought to Enable Microbiome-Mediated Resilience 

in Crops.” 

FOOD SYSTEMS 

AND HEALTH 

53

Kaeli Ficco ’24 

CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING 

PROJECT TITLE 

Probing Suppression and 

Evasion of the Plant 

Immune System by 

Commensals From the 

Plant Root Microbiome 


Conway Lab, 

Department of 



University 

I studied how root commensal bacteria can 

suppress the plant immune system to enable 

these bacteria to cohabitate with the plant. 

Specifically, I investigated a group of bacteria 

that share a similar protein that cuts an immunetriggering 

microbe-associated molecular 

pattern. I was tasked with deleting these genes 

and using various assays to quantitatively and 

qualitatively classify immune suppression of my 

gene deletion strains compared to the wild-type 

bacteria. Throughout the internship, I utilized 

and developed multiple lab procedures including 

cloning, DNA and protein expression techniques, 

protein separation techniques and techniques to 

identify plant immune activation. I also learned 

valuable scientific presentation and writing skills 

that I look forward to utilizing as I continue my 

research in the Conway Lab next year. 

FOOD SYSTEMS 

AND HEALTH 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 




Engineering; Samuel 

Eastman, Postdoctoral 



Engineering 

54

Alliyah Gregory ’25 


Certificates: Environmental Studies, Latin 

American Studies 

PROJECT TITLE 

Exploring Natural 

Variation of Seed Oil 

Content in Okra 

(Abelmoschus esculentus) 

for Climate-resilient 

Agriculture 


Conway Lab, 

Department of 



University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 




Engineering 

I worked with Princeton University’s Conway 

Lab at the Stony Ford Seed Farm and in the 

laboratory on various projects related to climateresilient 

agriculture. For the okra project, we 

grew different varieties of okra as a practice for 

adapting agricultural processes in the face of 

climate change. Since okra is resilient to climate 

change, the goal is to examine the oil content 

of okra seeds as a sustainable cooking oil. For 

the drought project, we grew corn, sorghum, 

canola, soybean and oats under drought and 

well-watered conditions to compare interactions 

between plant roots and the microbiome under 

different water conditions. The ultimate goal 

of this project is to identify bacteria that help 

the plants survive during drought. At the Seed 

Farm, my primary duties were tending to the 

plants (watering, weeding, etc.) and ensuring 

that everything was in order. In the lab, I aided 

the postdoctoral researchers in their projects 

and performed general lab duties. I learned a lot 

about agriculture and biology in general during 

this internship, and I hope to combine lab and 

field work in my future career. 

FOOD SYSTEMS 

AND HEALTH 

55

Kelih Henyo ’26 

UNDECLARED 

FOOD SYSTEMS 

AND HEALTH 

PROJECT TITLE 

Health and Conservation 

at the Human-Domestic 

Animal-Wildlife Interface 

in Madagascar 


Metcalf Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 

Antananarivo, 

Madagascar; Betampona 

Natural Reserve, 

Madagascar 

MENTOR(S) 






Fidisoa Rasambainarivo, 





I studied the interplay of environmental, wildlife 

and domestic animal health on the health of 

people in Madagascar under the “One Health” 

framework. Our team tested for pathogens 

including Bartonella, Babesia and Leptospira, 

and I specifically focused on Toxoplasma gondii, 

a foodborne and zoonotic parasite that infects 

roughly one in every three people globally. I 

aimed to map out the disease ecology of this 

parasite. To do this, I used sentinel rats and 

chickens to ascertain its prevalence in the 

environment at the Betampona Natural Reserve 

and its surrounding communities, investigated 

its prevalence amongst Madagascar’s native 

wildlife species including lemurs and carnivores 

and explored possible connections and 

eradication strategies amongst the wildlife in 

Madagascar. Combining ecological fieldwork and 

molecular biology lab work in DNA extractions 

and polymerase chain reaction, I sought to 

understand the whole organism niche level 

of this parasite by profiling its presence in 

tissue samples collected from both lemurs and 

carnivores. From this research experience, I’ve 

gained a deeper appreciation for how all of life is 

intertwined in one collective fate and the many 

different angles scientific inquiry can take. I’m 

keen to continue studying toxoplasmosis and 

other diseases in the future. 


Biodiversity Grand Challenges project, “Biodiversity 

Conservation and Health at the Human-Domestic 

Animal-Wildlife Interface in Madagascar.” 

56

Noe Iwasaki ’26 

UNDECLARED 

PROJECT TITLE 

Exploring Natural 

Variation of Seed Oil 

Content in Okra 

(Abelmoschus esculentus) 

for Climate-resilient 

Agriculture 


Conway Lab, 

Department of 



University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 




Engineering 

Okra is extremely drought tolerant and grows in 

hot climates; thus, it would be a suitable crop for 

adapting to a changing climate and higher global 

temperatures. It also yields a large amount of oil 

per hectare and could be used as a market-viable 

cooking oil. I worked at the Stony Ford Seed Farm 

to grow okra plants in preparation for further 

research that will measure and characterize okra 

seed oil. The information gleaned from this study 

will inform future efforts to selectively breed 

okra varieties for greater seed oil content. Our 

team planted approximately 2,000 genetically 

distinct okra plants at the Seed Farm. I assisted 

in weeding, pruning and individually labeling 

each okra plant. I also bagged the okra flowers 

to ensure that the okra were self-pollinated and 

not crossed with other okra varieties. Though 

my focus was on the okra project, I also had 

the opportunity to work with other researchers 

at the Seed Farm on their projects. Through 

my experience, I learned a great deal about 

environmentally friendly farming practices and 

the work it takes to sustain a farm. 

FOOD SYSTEMS 

AND HEALTH 

57

Claire Meng ’26 


FOOD SYSTEMS 

AND HEALTH 

PROJECT TITLE 

Understanding the Air 

Quality and Health 

Impacts from Increasing 

U.S. Wildfires 


Mauzerall Group, 

Center for Policy 

Research on Energy 

and the Environment 

(C-PREE), School of Public 

and International Affairs, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Denise Mauzerall, 

William S. Tod Professor 


Engineering and Public 

and International Affairs; 

Yuanyu Xie, Associate 

Research Scholar, 



Wildfires are burning longer and occurring 

more frequently, and their adverse health 

effects are becoming more prominent. While 

increasing studies are analyzing the health 

effects of wildfire smoke particulate matter that 

are 2.5 microns or smaller in diameter (PM 2.5 

), 

few studies have investigated this particulate 

matter over longer time frames and in specific 

geographic areas. Thus, our project examined 

wildfire smoke PM 2.5 

in the United States from 

1990-2020 at the county level, using asthma as 

the main indicator of health. As previous studies 

have cited the lack of county-specific databases 

as a reason for taking a broader-level approach, 

I worked to compile data from various state 

and county sources to create comprehensive 

datasets on asthma-related hospitalization and 

emergency department visits. I also analyzed the 

data by creating time series charts and maps in 

the program R. From this experience, I gained 

invaluable knowledge in creating research 

proposals and experience in the highly detailed 

work required to produce practical results. 

Additionally, it opened my eyes to the breadth of 

possibilities in the research world, and especially 

in environmental research. 

58

Chien Nguyen ’25 


Certificates: Applied and Computational 

Mathematics, Statistics and Machine Learning 

PROJECT TITLE 

Distribution of Air 

Pollution in India 


Mauzerall Group, 

Center for Policy 

Research on Energy 

and the Environment 

(C-PREE), School of Public 



I worked with the Mauzerall Group to understand 

the distribution of air pollution in India and 

how air pollution policies impact the air quality 

and greenhouse gas emissions in India. For 

example, how the switch from coal-fired power 

generation to greener sources of energy would 

affect air quality. My main contribution over the 

summer was data collection for future analysis. 

I worked to automate the data collection process 

and transform data files into machine-readable 

formats. I also helped conduct a literature review 

and recommended articles for future reference. 

Through this internship, I gained experience 

using the coding language Python and the 

geospatial analysis program Google Geocoding 

API. 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Denise Mauzerall, 

William S. Tod Professor 


Engineering and Public 


Mi Zhou, Postdoctoral 




FOOD SYSTEMS 

AND HEALTH 

59

Kennedy Primus ’24 

AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES 


FOOD SYSTEMS 

AND HEALTH 

PROJECT TITLE 


Assistant 






LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 










Our project aimed to understand the mutualisms 

present in the Native American agricultural 

tradition of the “three sisters,” corn, beans and 

squash. My team and I maintained our study 

site and monitored plant growth using Arable 

sensors. We used sensors to track changes in 

vegetation cover, temperature, precipitation 

and other variables. We also measured soil 

moisture and identified populations of insects. 

I learned how to analyze data and apply it to 

crop development. We found that factors such as 

weed pressure inflated the estimated vegetation 

cover. I was fascinated by the concept of growing 

degree days, which links temperature to plant 

growth. By using Arable software, I learned 

how corn plants develop new leaves after 

experiencing daily temperatures within a certain 

range over time. In the future, I hope to engage 

with sustainability and food systems within the 

environmental policy field. After participating in 

this internship program, I would like to research 

how using agricultural methods like the three 

sisters could impact food systems across different 

communities. 

60

Martina Qua ’25 


PROJECT TITLE 

Climate Resilient Food 

Systems 



Fund (EDF) 

LOCATION(S) 

Austin, Texas 

MENTOR(S) 

Karly Kelso, 

Director, Climate Resilient 

Food Systems, EDF 

I worked on two projects with the Environmental 

Defense Fund’s (EDF) Climate Resilient Food 

Systems team. One goal was to bring more 

attention to blue foods — aquatic plants and 

animals — as they play crucial roles in providing 

food and nutrition security worldwide. Blue 

foods are often managed as natural resources to 

be conserved, but it is important to view them 

as food; aside from being nutritious, blue foods 

are central to the livelihoods and economies of 

many coastal communities. I created a database 

to track the investments of donor countries and 

multilateral organizations going into blue foods 

that EDF can use to identify top funders and 

advocate for more blue foods funding. I also did 

research for a regenerative aquaculture project 

in the Philippines that aims to raise seaweed 

(Sargassum) with mussels to create an ecosystem 

that stores carbon and will diversify livelihoods 

in the community. Through online research 

and interviews with community members 

in the Philippines, I created a report on the 

opportunities and potential alternative uses of 

Sargassum in the community. Overall, I learned a 

lot about aquatic food systems and developed my 

online and in-person research skills. 

FOOD SYSTEMS 

AND HEALTH 

61

Bridgette Schafer ’24 

POLITICS 

Certificates: Environmental Studies, Spanish 

Language and Culture 

FOOD SYSTEMS 

AND HEALTH 

PROJECT TITLE 

Climate-smart 

Agriculture: Tracking 

Livestock Methane 



Fund (EDF) 

LOCATION(S) 

San Francisco, California 

MENTOR(S) 

Peri Rosenstein, 

Senior Scientist, EDF 

I researched methane emissions from livestock 

in the United States and globally. My work 

focused primarily on collecting the most 

disaggregated data possible on livestock 

emissions in order to better understand the 

various sources and intensity of emissions 

from different sectors and species within the 

livestock industry. Specifically, I sought to use 

this data to better understand how species, 

breed, feed type, feed intake and production 

system affect the amount of methane produced 

by an individual animal. Working on a team of 

scientists was a new but very welcome challenge 

that helped me improve my technical skills and 

pushed me to think in new ways. I completed 

a certification from the United Nations’ Food 

and Agriculture Organization to calculate 

national livestock methane emissions at the Tier 

II level, streamlined statistics across various 

measurements and conversion factors and 

learned the intricacies of livestock animals’ 

development and digestive processes. My favorite 

aspect of this internship was the volume of new 

information I learned every day. 

62

Angelica She ’26 


PROJECT TITLE 

Potassium Isotopes in 

Plants: A Hydroponic 

Investigation With 

Arabidopsis 


Higgins Lab, 

Department of 

Geosciences, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

John Higgins, 


Mason Scher, Ph.D. 


Potassium is a vital plant nutrient and the 

most abundant cation in plants. In addition 

to regulating the opening of a plant’s 

stomata, through which gas is exchanged for 

photosynthesis, potassium also helps with pH 

maintenance and enzyme activation. Though 

potassium transport systems in plants are 

well studied, little is known about potassium 

isotope fractionation — the relative partitioning 

of light and heavy isotopes — associated with 

those transport systems. To fill this gap, we 

conducted a hydroponic growth experiment 

with Arabidopsis, a model plant, to investigate 

the relationship between potassium isotopic 

compositions and a plant’s transport system. 

I started the seeds in a control condition with 

plenty of potassium before transferring them to 

growth buckets supplied with nutrient solutions 

of varying potassium concentrations. I recorded 

plant growth, replenished nutrient solutions and 

sampled the plants after the experiment. I also 

dried and ground the plant parts into powders 

to be dissolved in nitric acid and analyzed 

for potassium concentration and isotopic 

composition. As the specks of seeds grew into 

tall plants with budding flowers, so, too, did my 

confidence in experimental work and aspirations 

to create environmental change through 

research, engineering or both. 

FOOD SYSTEMS 

AND HEALTH 

63

Cole Strupp ’26 


Certificates: Global Health and Health Policy, 

Quantitative and Computational Biology 

FOOD SYSTEMS 

AND HEALTH 

PROJECT TITLE 

Health and Conservation 

at the Human-Domestic 

Animal-Wildlife Interface 

in Madagascar 


Metcalf Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 

Antananarivo, 

Madagascar; Betampona 

Natural Reserve, 

Madagascar 

MENTOR(S) 




Biology and Public Affairs; 

Fidisoa Rasambainarivo, 




Benjamin Rice, Associate 

Research Fellow, High 


Institute 

I researched the prevalence of the zoonotic 

parasite Toxoplasma gondii among native 

carnivores in Madagascar’s rainforests. T. gondii 

is an invasive pathogen in Madagascar. The 

parasite only reproduces sexually in cats, which 

were introduced to the island relatively recently 

with the arrival of humans. As deforestation and 

settlement pushes humans (and their pet cats) 

closer to the island’s endemic carnivores, the 

threat posed by toxoplasmosis could intensify. 

To assess the current prevalence of the disease, I 

spent nearly a month in the Malagasy rainforest 

trapping and tracking native carnivores in order 

to perform physical examinations and collect 

blood samples. I also helped trap and examine 

lemurs, poultry and rodents to assist other 

researchers at the reserve. In the lab, I tested 

heart tissue for T. gondii infection by performing 

DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction 

amplification and gel electrophoresis. The project 

concluded with data analysis in the program R. 

This internship exposed me to the excitement 

and challenges of fieldwork and scientific 

inquiry as a whole. I gained appreciation for the 

interconnectedness of environmental, animal 

and human health. I plan to continue studying 

disease ecology in future. 


Biodiversity Grand Challenges project, “Biodiversity 

Conservation and Health at the Human-Domestic 

Animal-Wildlife Interface in Madagascar.” 

64

Sarina Wen ’26 


Certificates: Biotechnology, Neuroscience 

PROJECT TITLE 

Probing Microbial 

Colonization of Plants 

During Drought to Enable 

Microbiome-mediated 

Resilience in Crops 


Conway Lab, 

Department of 



University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 




Engineering 

I worked at the Stony Ford Seed Farm and 

Conway Lab at Princeton University, where 

I gained valuable laboratory and field skills 

by working on various projects related to 

agriculture and crop resilience. For the drought 

project, I planted seeds and crafted a watering 

system that puts plants through a simulated 

drought. This setup allows for later sampling 

and investigation of the microbiomes to gain 

knowledge of plant-microbial interactions during 

droughts. In another project, I tagged, organized 

and documented over 1,500 okra plants to later 

harvest to evaluate for seed oil content in hopes 

of discovering a new alternative and more 

sustainable oil source. In the laboratory, I worked 

to purify and extract DNA from Arabidopsis 

plants and performed polymerase chain 

reactions to identify primers for future research. 

I also performed lab tests to determine whether 

plants were homozygous for certain genes. I 

loved learning about what can be accomplished 

through chemical and biological engineering and 

cannot wait to do more of this type of research. 

FOOD SYSTEMS 

AND HEALTH 



“Probing Microbial Colonization of Plants During 

Drought to Enable Microbiome-Mediated Resilience 

in Crops.” 

65

Natalie Wong ’25 



FOOD SYSTEMS 

AND HEALTH 

PROJECT TITLE 


Assistant 






LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 










Along with my co-interns in the Rubenstein 

Lab, I investigated the effects of mutualisms 

among the “three sisters” crops — corn, beans 

and squash — on plant growth and health. 

Indigenous groups have implemented the 

practice of planting the three sisters together 

for centuries, but the potential benefits of 

this system for sustainable agriculture in a 

climatically uncertain world have yet to be 

studied robustly. On the farm, I learned how 

to prepare the field using organic agriculture 

techniques, planted different types of seeds and 

set up experimental configurations within the 

constraints of outdoor conditions. Then, I used 

the software JMP to visualize trends and perform 

statistical tests on the data we collected. Overall, 

I found the project’s interdisciplinary nature to 

be the most fascinating and rewarding aspect 

and I gained knowledge about Native American 

history in the Princeton area. I hope to continue 

fusing scientific and humanistic research in my 

independent project to explore my primary area 

of interest: building a more planet- and peoplefriendly 

food system. 

66

Rees Barnes ’26 

ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING 

PROJECT TITLE 

Investigating India’s 

Future Need for Electrical 

Power Transfer 


Energy Systems Analysis 

Group, Andlinger Center 

for Energy and the 

Environment, Princeton 

University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Eric Larson, 

Senior Research 

Engineer, Andlinger 

Center for Energy and 

the Environment; Ganesh 

Hegde, Postdoctoral 


Andlinger Center for 

Energy and the 

Environment; Cecelia 

Isaac, Associate 

Professional Specialist, 



Environment 

I worked with the Energy Systems Analysis 

Group and the Zero-carbon Energy Systems 

Research and Optimization Laboratory to 

work toward decarbonizing India’s electricity 

grids. I used ArcGIS and other geographical 

information systems to map the country’s major 

grid infrastructure by applying geographical 

data to independent photos provided by India’s 

government. Then, I began investigating how 

shifting the locations of India’s power plants 

would affect the need for interregional power 

transfer capacity (i.e., the ability to share energy 

across different grid sections). This experience 

taught me a lot about the different kinds of 

research. Up to this point, my experiences 

largely focused on hard sciences, so working with 

non-physical data was initially challenging, but 

my appreciation for the work grew immensely, 

and I found myself enjoying it. I came into this 

internship solely interested in developing new 

energy technologies, but I left as someone more 

intrigued by the implementation and policy 

surrounding our global energy future. 

INNOVATION AND A 

NEW ENERGY FUTURE 

67

Mason Bates ’25 


PROJECT TITLE 

Small Clean Fusion 

Reactor Shields 


Princeton Plasma Physics 

Laboratory 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Samuel Cohen, 

Director, Program in 

Plasma Science and 

Technology, Princeton 

Plasma Physics 

Laboratory 

I worked with the Princeton Plasma Physics 

Laboratory to investigate a more energy efficient 

neutron shield design for the Princeton Field 

Reversed Configuration (PFRC) fusion reactor. To 

keep operators safe and equipment functional, 

such a shield must be able to block high energy 

neutrons, a byproduct of the PFRC’s fusion 

reaction, but it must not block the magnetic 

fields required for radio frequency heating to 

avoid siphoning off wasted energy. I designed 

and conducted experiments to investigate 

the electrical properties and radio frequency 

penetration through shields of packed stainlesssteel 

spheres, a proxy for electrically conductive 

high temperature shielding materials. I also 

performed calculations to model the Hertzian 

contact mechanics of conductive spheres. I 

mapped the magnetic fields produced by our 

antennas through various shield models to 

evaluate their energy efficiency. The experience 

taught me hands-on skills in radio frequency 

design, electrical engineering experimentation 

and plasma physics. I’ve learned a lot about 

nuclear fusion and the avenues it may open for 

clean energy in the future. 



68

Leilani Bender ’24 


PROJECT TITLE 

Wind Tunnel Construction 

and Experimentation on 

Umbrella Forms 


Creative and Resilient 

Urban Engineering 

(CRUE) and Structural 

Health Monitoring 

(SHM) Research Groups, 




University 

My project aimed to test the resilience of kinetic 

umbrellas to wind. The aims of this summer 

were to finish the construction of a wind tunnel, 

construct a balance to measure forces and 

compare preliminary results of wind testing on 

model kinetic umbrellas with the results from the 

University of Oviedo in Spain. We constructed 

the nozzle of the wind tunnel, connected its 

modular pieces and created and troubleshot the 

balance. Then, we tested the umbrella using 

different angles to compare the results obtained 

from the University of Oviedo, on a different 

sized wind tunnel. The most rewarding part of 

the internship was when the wind tunnel was 

finally turned on after many weeks of hard work. 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Maria Garlock, 

Professor of Civil and 



University; Branko Glisic, 




University; Antonio 

Navarro-Manso, 

Associate Professor, 

University of Oviedo 



69

Dorothy Chan ’26 


Certificates: Sustainable Energy, Urban Studies 



PROJECT TITLE 

A Case Study on the 

Future of Peaker Plants in 

New York City 






University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Eric Larson, 




the Environment; 

Cecelia Isaac, Associate 

Professional Specialist, 



Environment 

New York operates on a transmission bottleneck, 

forcing its most densely populated areas to rely 

on peaker plants — outdated fossil fuel plants 

that only run a few times a year during periods 

of “peak” demand. Peakers are typically located 

in environmental justice communities, cost 

millions of dollars to maintain and produce 

highly polluting emissions, all of which bring 

cause for their retirement as soon as possible. For 

my research project, I first ranked which peakers 

should be retired first based on technical, 

environmental and financial factors represented 

by the capacity factor, surrounding air pollution 

and operating costs of each plant, respectively. 

Then, I used a least-cost optimization tool for 

electricity resource planning to model New 

York’s electrical grid in 2025, 2030 and 2040. 

I established these basic ranking and timeline 

frameworks in hopes that they may be further 

used in other urban areas that rely on peaker 

plants. I especially want to highlight the 

prioritization of disadvantaged communities in 

transitioning to a zero-emissions future. This 

internship allowed me to explore my interests in 

energy systems and urban planning, which I plan 

to continue pursuing through my concentration 

and certificates. 

70

Yagiz Devre ’26 


Certificates: Environmental Studies, Finance, 

Statistics and Machine Learning 

PROJECT TITLE 

Density Functional 

Theory-based Machine 

Learning Reactive Force 

Fields for Water and 

Aqueous NaCl and CO 2 

Solutions 


Carter Group, 

Department of 

Mechanical and 

Aerospace Engineering, 


LOCATION(S) 


Laboratory, Princeton, 

New Jersey 

MENTOR(S) 

Emily Carter, 

Gerhard R. Andlinger 

Professor in Energy and 

the Environment, 

Professor of Mechanical 

and Aerospace 

Engineering; John Mark 

Martirez, Staff Research 

Scientist, Princeton 


Laboratory 

I delved into the innovative realm of carbon 

dioxide (CO 2 

) capture and storage through 

mineralization in seawater. My project aimed to 

understand the molecular processes underlying 

CO 2 

mineralization into inert solids. I employed 

multi-level simulations, encompassing quantum 

mechanics and molecular dynamics, to explore 

the dynamics of CO 2 

hydration and bicarbonate 

formation in the presence of calcium and 

magnesium ions. I also developed machinelearned 

atomic interaction potentials tailored 

for aqueous CO 2 

systems involving calcium ions, 

magnesium ions and chloride ions, utilizing 

data from density functional theory-molecular 

dynamics simulations and refined simulation 

methodologies to generate datasets for potential 

development. This experience gave me valuable 

insights into quantum mechanics simulations, 

molecular dynamics and machine-learning 

techniques. I was particularly intrigued by 

how intricate atomic-scale interactions could 

drive large-scale environmental solutions and 

the machine-learning aspect of the algorithms 

utilized. This internship significantly 

influenced my academic trajectory by inspiring 

me to incorporate computational modeling 

and environmental research into my future 

endeavors. It has guided me toward a more 

focused pursuit of sustainable chemistry and 

environmental applications, shaping my senior 

independent project and long-term career 

aspirations in scientific research and innovation. 



71

Angel Dong ’25 


Certificates: Architecture and Engineering, 

East Asian Studies 



PROJECT TITLE 

Wind Tunnel Construction 

and Experimentation on 

Umbrella Forms 


Creative and Resilient 

Urban Engineering 

(CRUE) and Structural 

Health Monitoring 

(SHM) Research Groups, 




University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Maria Garlock, 




University; Branko Glisic, 




University; Antonio 

Navarro-Manso, 

Associate Professor, 

University of Oviedo 

My project aimed to develop kinetic structures 

for coastal defense. These structures are 

umbrellas with a hyperbolic paraboloid, saddlelike 

shape, with a hinge to adjust it to different 

angles. They can act as sources of shade when 

upright in normal conditions but can be tilted to 

act as a flood barrier in hazardous conditions. I 

focused on testing these umbrella structures for 

performance under wind using a wind tunnel 

that we constructed. Then, I compared our 

results to results obtained from the University of 

Oviedo in Spain, where the same structure was 

tested. I learned a lot about wind engineering 

through my internship, as well as many new 

skills including 3D modeling and printing, 

the program MATLAB and how to operate 

different power tools. I enjoyed the hands-on 

construction experience and the conversations 

we had working alongside our professors every 

day. This experience has helped me be more 

confident in applying for graduate school. It has 

also convinced me to try participating in more 

research during my time here at Princeton as an 

undergraduate student. 

72

Helena Frudit ’25 

MECHANICAL AND AEROSPACE 

ENGINEERING 

PROJECT TITLE 

Estimating Solar Rooftop 

Potential and Investigating 

Small-scale Generation in 

the United States 


Climate Central 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Jennifer Brady, 

Manager of Analysis and 

Production, Climate 

Central; Eric Larson, 

Senior Research Engineer, 




University 

I worked at Climate Central on WeatherPower, a 

platform that estimates solar and wind electricity 

generation based on installed capacity and the 

weather forecast. My objectives were twofold: to 

improve the reporting of small-scale facilities 

and to design a tool to convey the intrinsic value 

of solar energy. For my first goal, I identified 

datasets that included solar photovoltaic 

installations with a capacity below one megawatt 

and adjusted the current methodology. For the 

second goal, I planned to create a platform that 

could estimate the solar rooftop potential in 

various geographic resolutions and translate 

that potential into metrics such as monetary 

values. I studied the feasibility of creating such 

a tool, developed a methodology and created a 

proof of concept. I gained significant technical 

experience with the software ArcGIS Pro and 

improved my programming knowledge in 

Python. This internship also exposed me to 

the nonprofit world and to research outside of 

universities. It was fascinating to work with 

people from different academic backgrounds 

toward the goal of communicating the realities of 

climate change. This experience has reinforced 

my desire to generate a positive impact in 

the renewable energy field and convey the 

unprecedented pace and scale of the energy 

transition. 



73

Shuchen He ’25 

OPERATIONS RESEARCH AND FINANCIAL 

ENGINEERING 



PROJECT TITLE 

Location Optimization for 

Electric Two-wheeler 

Charging Stations in South 

Bangalore 






University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Eric Larson, 




the Environment; 

Ganesh Hegde, 


Associate, Andlinger 


the Environment 

To cut carbon emissions, the Indian government 

has set the ambitious goal of electrifying its 

transportation system by 2030, and the city 

of Bangalore aims to become “the Capital of 

Electric Vehicles” in India. It is estimated that 

the number of electric vehicles, especially 

two-wheelers, will grow significantly in 

Bangalore, which will lead to a soaring demand 

for public chargers. I studied where public 

electric two-wheeler chargers should be sited 

in south Bangalore. The location of chargers 

matters because the accessibility of charging 

infrastructures determines people’s willingness 

to adopt electric vehicles. I first collected traffic 

data from Bangalore government surveys and 

used ArcGIS software to clean and process 

the data before analyzing it in Python. Then, I 

formulated and solved an optimization problem 

to generate a set of optimal locations for electric 

two-wheeler chargers. This internship allowed 

me to apply textbook knowledge to real-world 

problems, encouraged me to think as a scholar 

and engineer, and allowed me to build valuable 

friendships with my mentors and colleagues. 

I plan to further develop this project into my 

senior thesis. 

74

John Kim ’25 

PHYSICS 

Certificates: Engineering Physics, Materials 

Science and Engineering 

PROJECT TITLE 

Calcio-olivine Synthesis 


Sustainable Cements 



Engineering and the 

Andlinger Center 



University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Claire White, 



Engineering and the 



Environment; Kumaran 

Coopamootoo, 


Associate, Andlinger 

Center for Energy and the 

Environment 

I investigated the methods and conditions 

for synthesizing calcio-olivine (γ-Ca 2 

SiO 4 

), a 

silicate that could be used to reduce carbon 

emissions associated with cement production. 

The manufacturing of Portland cement is a 

substantial contributor to anthropogenic carbon 

emissions. Cement-based silicate constituents 

like calcio-olivine have demonstrated CO 2 

mineralization, which, if well understood, 

could be utilized to develop sustainable cement 

that cures with CO 2 

. To further study the 

characteristics of calcio-olivine, synthesizing 

the material with a high purity level is essential. 

I aimed to optimize and perfect the synthesis 

process by modulating various synthesis 

parameters such as precursor molar ratio, 

heating rate, calcination temperature and time, 

and cooling rate. I used visual observations 

and X-ray diffraction to analyze the impact of 

different conditions parameters, and performed 

the Rietveld refinement technique on the X-ray 

diffraction data to ultimately calculate the 

degree of crystallinity. With this internship, 

I gained more experimental experience in 

materials science, a subject that I have always 

been interested in. After this project, I feel 

comfortable committing and delving deeper into 

the field. Moreover, I appreciated the opportunity 

to pursue my academic passion while also 

tackling climate-related issues. 



75

Albert Kreutzer ’25 


ENGINEERING 

PROJECT TITLE 

Opportunities and 

Challenges of Liquified 

Petroleum Gas as a Marine 

Fuel 


Global Centre for 

Maritime Decarbonisation 

LOCATION(S) 

Singapore 

MENTOR(S) 

Lynn Loo, 

Chief Executive Officer, 



My project examined the uptake of energyefficient 

technologies on ships. The problem of 

the uptake of these technologies can be split into 

two components: the split-incentive problem 

of financing, and the risk and uncertainty 

assessment regarding the technology. Our tasks 

contributed more to the uncertainty assessment 

of the efficiency measures, where we specifically 

looked at the devices and measures themselves 

and identified potential solutions for measuring 

their effectiveness and lowering the uncertainty. 

This involved integrating knowledge on the 

specific technology and the general shipping 

industry in order to identify the best possible 

solution. I also met with other stakeholders in the 

industry, which was an incredible opportunity 

to gain insight into their workflows, and an 

understanding of how the industry is working 

towards global environmental targets. All in 

all, this experience has taught me a lot about 

the challenges that the future holds, but has 

made me hopeful that the world will face these 

challenges. 



76

Nicholas Lim ’24 


AFFAIRS 

PROJECT TITLE 

Social Norm Dynamics 

and Behavior and 

Organizational Change 

Toward Net-Zero Carbon 

Emissions 


Behavioral Science for 

Policy Lab, Princeton 

University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Elke Weber, 




Professor of Psychology 

and the School of Public 


Jordana Composto, Ph.D. 

candidate, Psychology 

My project aimed to identify behavioral barriers 

to decarbonization in the United States and 

Europe. I investigated the integration of lowcarbon 

technology. The project’s foundation 

is a survey given to various stakeholders in 

the net-zero transition. I identified areas 

where progress was lacking and supplemented 

this with information on how polarization 

has impacted the integration of low-carbon 

technology. The data illustrated that there 

has been some progress — perceived levels 

of investment are high, as is prioritization of 

implementing low-carbon technology. However, 

the data indicated that levels of sharing of 

intellectual property is comparatively low, and 

levels of sharing of technological information 

were lower in polarized countries. Through 

this project, I gained experience with the 

program R, and how to analyze and present 

data. I enjoyed the opportunity to combine my 

passion for sustainability with my academic 

interest in polarization and I now have a 

greater understanding of the harmful effects of 

polarization in society. This research illustrates 

the importance of sharing information and 

intellectual property in the net-zero transition. 



77

Kat McLaughlin ’25 

ANTHROPOLOGY 




PROJECT TITLE 

Equitable Energy 

Transitions: Investigating 

Community Response 




University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Elke Weber, 








Holly Caggiano, Assistant 

Professor in Planning, 

University of British 

Columbia; Sara 

Constantino, Visiting 

Research Scholar, 


International Affairs, 


I investigated the community response to 

solar development in southern Pennsylvania. 

My goal was to use a qualitative approach to 

understand the diverse perspectives of local 

community members living or working close to 

solar projects. This work will provide insight into 

how communities will impact and be impacted 

at the local level by the necessary large-scale 

transition to net-zero. This perspective is vital 

for the implementation of an equitable energy 

transition. For this project, I transcribed and 

summarized scoping interviews to help drive 

and focus future research. I also sent out 1,000 

mailers to recruit more interview participants, 

and I began preliminary thematic analysis, 

a reflexive and inductive method to identify 

patterns from our interviews. Thanks to my 

incredible mentors, I learned a lot about 

qualitative approaches to research, especially 

within the scope of behavioral science and 

psychology. I look forward to implementing 

these new perspectives and skills in future 

anthropological projects. 

78

Stephane Morel ’25 


PROJECT TITLE 

Allowing Radio Frequency 

Passthrough in the 

Princeton Field Reversed 

Configuration Neutron 

Shields 



Laboratory 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Samuel Cohen, 





Laboratory 

I investigated the possibility of creating radio 

frequency penetrant neutron shields for use 

in fusion research in future iterations of 

the Princeton Field Reversed Configuration 

fusion reactor (PFRC). This reactor would burn 

deuterium-helion (D-He3) fuel, turning them 

into easily stopped beta particles and protons, 

in contrast to the more commonly proposed 

deuterium-tritium reaction, which produces 

many high-energy neutrons that quickly degrade 

all known structural materials. A field reversed 

configuration produces fewer neutrons, but these 

must still be stopped to avoid degrading the 

superconducting coils. Most neutron shielding 

materials become electrically conductive at 

high temperatures and would therefore block 

one of the main heating methods of the PFRC. 

To overcome these issues, I helped design and 

conduct an experiment to test whether the radio 

frequency could penetrate a shield made of 

stainless steel spheres, which were being used 

as a proxy for high-temperature boron. I also 

conducted simulations in the programs openMC 

and Ansys Electrical Workbench to optimize 

the shape and size of slits in the shield, which 

would provide a much simpler design. Through 

this internship, I learned numerous simulation 

techniques, gained hands-on experience with 

radio frequency tools and acquired a more 

intimate understanding of fusion research. 



79

Giovanna Nucci ’25 


ENGINEERING 



PROJECT TITLE 

B10-pellet Fluidized Bed 

for D-He3 Fusion Reactor 

Shielding 



Laboratory 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Samuel Cohen, 





Laboratory 

Neutron shielding is essential to protect fusionreactor 

components from damage. Energy 

from the neutron bombardment and from 

radiation must be extracted from the shielding 

at high efficiency for conversion to electricity. 

I researched whether shielding in the form of a 

fluidized bed of B-10 pellets contained between 

two concentric nonconducting cylinders can 

solve many problems faced by historical neutron 

shielding designs whose primary function 

was tritium breeding. I worked with another 

Princeton student to conduct simulations using 

CFD-ANSYS software to understand fluid flow 

and discrete element method simulations to 

understand particle behavior. The simulations 

were then compared to a single-cylinder 

simple setup that used a fast camera for data 

collection. We then analyzed the various forms 

of data and looked for connections to relevant 

literature to gain insight into the instabilities 

and challenges a fluidized bed would present. I 

gained valuable experience with ANSYS and a 

greater comprehension of the research process. 

Conducting a research project from start to 

finish — from reviewing literature, to running 

simulations, to experimentation itself and 

into analysis — meant I gained a breadth of 

knowledge that has helped me understand which 

phases of research I enjoy and want to pursue 

further. 

80

Chloe Park ’25 

CHEMISTRY 

Certificates: Classics, Environmental Studies 

PROJECT TITLE 

Carbon Negative Fuels and 

Plastics 


Chirik Group, 

Department of Chemistry, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Paul Chirik, 

Edwards S. Sanford 

Professor of Chemistry; 

Hanna Cramer, 


Fellow, Chemistry; 

Cherish Nie, Ph.D. 

candidate, Chemistry 

Most of the plastics we use daily, from shrink 

wrap to soda bottles, are in a class of polymers 

called polyolefins. Typical polyolefins are very 

stable materials that cannot be broken down 

completely, leading to accumulation in the 

environment. Developing depolymerizable 

polyolefins that can be broken down chemically 

is crucial since it enables plastics to be recycled 

infinitely, without worrying about subsequent 

losses in quality. I worked on developing a metal 

catalyst to break down a new type of polyolefin 

into its monomer building blocks. I was 

responsible for synthesizing different ligands — 

molecules that bind to a metal center and modify 

the catalytic activity of the overall complex — 

that were of interest to our project. I learned to 

set up chemical reactions, purify compounds and 

analyze the structures of molecules via nuclear 

magnetic resonance spectroscopy. I also gained 

practice presenting in front of other lab members 

and searching the chemical literature. Since the 

conclusion of my internship, I have decided to 

pursue a minor in Environmental Studies and I 

will continue to work with the Chirik Group on 

my junior independent project this year. 



81

Marko Petrovic ’24 


AFFAIRS 

Certificates: Cognitive Science, French Language 

and Culture 



PROJECT TITLE 

Social Norm Dynamics 

and Behavior and 

Organizational Change 

Toward Net-Zero Carbon 

Emissions 




University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Elke Weber, 







Jordana Composto, Ph.D. 

candidate, Psychology 

I worked with the Behavioral Science for Policy 

Lab to examine social norms and behavior in 

the context of the shift to net-zero emissions. 

The first project I completed involved selecting 

articles to be included in a meta-analysis of 

query theory, which is described in Professor 

Elke Weber’s research as “a psychological 

process model of preference construction 

that explains a broad range of phenomena in 

individual choice with important personal and 

social consequences.” I also worked to analyze 

a stakeholder survey for the Net-Zero project, 

which aims to measure the current global pace 

of transition toward net-zero. I found interesting 

correlations where business revenue explained 

both environmental, social and governance 

perceptions and behavior, but those behaviors 

and perceptions did not align. Moreover, I found 

preliminary evidence that societal trust could 

predict whether values were shared amongst 

different stakeholders. This research experience 

helped me gain better coding and data analysis 

skills and I plan to continue working on this 

project for my senior thesis. The experience gave 

me many new career insights, helped solidify my 

plans to pursue future psychological research 

and study, and to pursue a career that utilizes 

psychology to address environmental issues. 

82

Azhar Razin ’26 


PROJECT TITLE 

Understanding Low 

Uptake of Energy-saving 

Devices on Board Ships 




LOCATION(S) 

Singapore 

MENTOR(S) 

Lynn Loo, 

Chief Executive Officer, 


Maritime Decarbonisation; 

Shane Balani, Director of 

Research and Projects, 


Maritime Decarbonisation; 

Sanjay C. Kuttan, Chief 

Technology Officer, Global 

Centre for Maritime 

Decarbonisation 

As an intern at the Global Centre for Maritime 

Decarbonisation, I investigated the low uptake 

of energy-saving devices on board ships and 

formed a data-driven commercial framework 

to overcome this environmental barrier. 

Retrofitting ships with energy-saving devices 

such as Flettner rotors, air lubrication systems 

and kites reduces overall fuel consumption, 

which reduces greenhouse gas emissions. 

However, the uptake of these technologies 

has been low, and this is attributed to the low 

financial incentive and consistent fuel savings 

data. I researched these energy-saving devices 

and analyzed the gaps in their effectiveness 

and measurability. Specifically, I focused 

on how sensors could potentially bridge the 

differences between theoretical and actual 

fuel savings for more accurate readings. To 

address the issue of low financial incentives, 

I researched the possibility of implementing 

a carbon credit system based on fuel savings. 

I also had the valuable opportunity to discuss 

my research with different stakeholders in the 

industry, including charterers, shipowners and 

device manufacturers. This project gave me 

the opportunity to gain technical skills such 

as coding, and to situate myself in professional 

environments. It also made me realize that every 

small contribution is important in reducing 

greenhouse gas emissions. 



83

OCEANS AND 

ATMOSPHERE 

Sara Akiba ’26 

GEOSCIENCES 

PROJECT TITLE 

A Revised Pleistocene 

View of the Effect of 

Climate on North Pacific 

Oxygenation From 

Foraminifera-bound 

Nitrogen Isotopes 





University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 






Matthew Lacerra, Ph.D. 


My project examined the effect of climate on 

ocean oxygenation in the Eastern Tropical North 

Pacific (ETNP), a region that is home to one of the 

ocean’s largest oxygen-deficient zones due to the 

region’s high productivity and slow circulation. 

When oxygen is depleted, organisms rely instead 

on nitrate for respiration via water column 

denitrification. During denitrification, the 

lighter nitrogen-14 is preferentially lost, which 

leads to increases in the ratio of nitrogen-15 

to nitrogen-14. This signal of denitrification 

is incorporated into organic matter via 

nitrate assimilation in the surface ocean and 

preserved through burial on the seafloor. Fossil 

foraminifera-bound organic matter thus provides 

a record of the extent of denitrification in oxygendeficient 

zones over glacial-interglacial periods. 

I prepared and analyzed foraminifera samples 

to extend an existing record of denitrification 

in the ETNP back to ~180,000 years before the 

present. I prepared samples by washing sediment 

material and selectively sorting two species of 

foraminifera for analysis. I also assisted in the 

wet chemistry stages of preparing the samples 

for mass spectrometry. This experience has 

strengthened my microscopy and laboratory 

skills and enhanced my understanding of paleooceanography 

and research processes, which has 

inspired me to do further research on this topic. 

84

Maya Avida ’26 

PHYSICS 

Certificates: Statistics and Machine Learning, 

Sustainable Energy 

OCEANS AND 

ATMOSPHERE 

PROJECT TITLE 

Deep Learning for 

Prediction of Ocean 

Turbulence 


School of Oceanography, 

University of Washington 

LOCATION(S) 

Seattle, Washington 

MENTOR(S) 

Georgy Manucharyan, 

Assistant Professor, 


University of Washington; 

Scott Martin, Ph.D. 

candidate, School of 

Oceanography, University 

of Washington 

Sea surface height (SSH) is a critical metric 

for understanding ocean eddies and currents. 

However, satellites are only able to measure 

SSH in one dimension, along the track in 

which they pass over the ocean. The standard 

method of estimating ocean currents uses 

optimal interpolation, which is an imperfect 

deterministic statistical method. This year, 

my research mentor Scott Martin published a 

paper demonstrating a new method for gridding 

SSH that significantly outperformed optimal 

interpolation by using machine learning to 

synthesize observations of SSH and sea surface 

temperature. My project used this new model 

to predict sea surface height up to 30 days into 

the future from raw satellite data. Being able to 

predict SSH forward in time would be very useful 

to oceanographers for a broad range of benefits, 

for example aiding oceanographers during field 

research by predicting the location of future 

eddies. 

85

OCEANS AND 

ATMOSPHERE 

Isabella Checa ’25 

GEOSCIENCES 

Certificate: Journalism 

PROJECT TITLE 

Contrasting Air-Sea 

Carbon and Oxygen Fluxes 

in the Southern Ocean 




LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Alison Gray, 


Physical Oceanography, 


Channing Prend, 

Postdoctoral Scholar, 



I aimed to unravel the connection between 

air-sea carbon and oxygen fluxes in the highlatitude 

Southern Ocean. My project focused on 

understanding the region’s carbon sink behavior 

by deciphering the relationship between 

dissolved oxygen (O 2 

) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 

) 

concentrations in data from biogeochemical 

floats in the Antarctic Southern Zone and 

Seasonal Ice Zone. I interpreted O 2 

and CO 2 

concentrations relative to surface saturation 

by making graphs and interpreting data from 

autonomous floats in the Southern Ocean Carbon 

and Climate Observations Modeling project. The 

experience enriched my analytical skills and 

expanded my knowledge of biogeochemistry, 

climate systems, the program Python, coding 

and scientific analysis. The most captivating 

aspect was decoding covariation patterns, 

notably in the Seasonal Ice Zone, where O 2 

and 

CO 2 

displayed a more direct correlation. I plan to 

incorporate the skills and information I learned 

into my upcoming junior paper. This experience 

solidified my aspiration to contribute to climate 

science and oceanography research and has 

given me a better understanding of the research 

process in the oceanography community. I hope 

to underline the importance of interdisciplinary 

research and its potential to illuminate critical 

aspects of our planet’s changing dynamics. 

86

Rebecca Cho ’26 

GEOSCIENCES 

OCEANS AND 

ATMOSPHERE 

PROJECT TITLE 

Reconstructing the Marine 

Environmental Changes 

Across the Cretaceous- 

Paleogene Mass 

Extinction With Nitrogen 

Isotopes in Planktonic 

Foraminifera 





University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 






Crystal Rao, Ph.D. 


Reconstructions of how marine environments 

responded to past global disturbances can 

improve our understanding of the modern ocean. 

Foraminifera, marine microorganisms with 

calcium carbonate shells, preserve records of past 

ocean conditions in their shells. Approximately 

66 million years ago, the Cretaceous-Paleogene 

mass extinction event caused significant 

ecological turnover and impacted the ocean’s 

biogeochemical cycling. Analyzing the nitrogen 

isotopic signatures of organic matter bound in 

foraminiferal shells from this period allows us 

to infer how this event impacted the marine 

nitrogen cycle and oxygenation. I assisted in 

generating the nitrogen isotope records of fossil 

planktonic foraminifera shells preserved in deep 

ocean sediment from western North Atlantic 

Ocean Drilling Program sites by washing and 

sieving bulk sediment to collect foraminifera 

shells and assisted with chemical cleaning 

and subsequent isotope analysis. I developed 

skills for the preparation of geologic marine 

sediments, foundational laboratory procedures 

in geochemistry, and a novel method for nitrogen 

isotope analysis developed in the Sigman 

Laboratory and its application to marine nitrogen 

cycling dynamics. This experience solidified my 

interest in paleoceanography and geochemical 

reconstruction with biological proxies and I 

plan to pursue research of similar significance 

to ascertain historical associations between the 

ocean and environmental perturbations. 

87

OCEANS AND 

ATMOSPHERE 

Clara Conatser ’25 

GEOSCIENCES 

Certificates: French Language and Culture, Music 

Performance 

PROJECT TITLE 

Real-time Forecasting 

System for Hurricane 

Hazards and Risk 


Hurricane Hazards and 

Risk Analysis Group, 




University 

LOCATION(S) 


I studied and compared different methods of 

forecasting tropical cyclones. These methods 

included simple consensus, which compares 

several models that are weighted equally; and 

corrected consensus, in which models are 

weighted according to how accurately they 

predict storms in a training set. My analysis used 

a previously published equation to identify the 

best predictors of storm track (i.e., geographic 

location) and intensity. I also compared the 

absolute and relative error for the different 

models. Overall, I found that velocity, minimum 

pressure, latitude and longitude created the 

most accurate model. Through this project, I’ve 

become familiar with many ensemble forecasting 

methods and gained experience coding in 

the program Python. This knowledge will be 

invaluable for my junior project, which will focus 

on some aspect of tropical cyclone climatology. 

MENTOR(S) 

Ning Lin, 



Engineering; Christine 

Blackshaw, Ph.D. 

candidate, Civil and 


Engineering; Avantika 

Gori, Ph.D. candidate, 


Engineering 

88

Dylan Epstein-Gross ’25 


Certificate: Statistics and Machine Learning 

OCEANS AND 

ATMOSPHERE 

PROJECT TITLE 

Deep Learning for 

Interpolation of Sea 

Surface Temperature 




LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 





My project focused on developing deep learning 

models to interpolate missing values of sea 

surface temperature (SST) in gridded satellite 

data. SST is an extremely important variable for 

climate models and a key input for predicting 

ocean currents, but current high-resolution 

observations are incomplete due to cloud cover. 

To improve these valuable SST maps, I filled 

in the clouded data using state-of-the-art data 

processing pipelines and neural networks. I 

developed, trained and tested several neural 

network architectures in the lab and compared 

them with the deterministic statistical method 

used for interpolation in the literature. I found 

that certain models that process both spatial and 

temporal features of data were more effective 

than the baseline in reducing the deviation of 

interpolated values from actual temperature 

measurements. In the process, I researched 

many different neural network designs and 

learned a lot about the fascinating complexities 

of spatiotemporal interpolation as it relates 

to climate science. This research experience 

confirmed my passion for machine learning 

and inspired me to pursue it further during my 

time at Princeton, especially in conjunction 

with real-world problems like those found in 

oceanography. 

89

OCEANS AND 

ATMOSPHERE 

Charlotte Merchant ’24 




PROJECT TITLE 

Sensitivity Analysis of 

pCO 2 

Estimations and 

Code Migration for 

Enhanced Climate 

Modeling 


Max Planck Institute 

for Meteorology 

LOCATION(S) 

Hamburg, Germany; 

Ostend, Belgium 

MENTOR(S) 

Peter Landschützer, 

Research Director, 

Flanders Marine Institute 

(VLIZ); Annika Jersild, 

Postdoctoral Researcher, 

Max Planck Institute for 

Meteorology 

I studied the influence of sea surface 

temperatures on the estimation of the 

partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO 2 

) 

globally. As a fundamental indicator of the 

ocean’s thermodynamic interactions, mixing 

phenomena, and air-sea interactions, sea 

surface temperature remains a key predictor of 

pCO 2 

in statistical, algorithmic and machine 

learning approaches. However, input sea surface 

temperature datasets are inconsistent across all 

pCO 2 

estimation methods due to differences in 

spatial and temporal focus, leading to sources 

combining different instrumental records 

and interpolation techniques. By evaluating 

the sensitivity of pCO 2 

predictions to different 

datasets, I aimed to distill the reliability of these 

estimations. In the program MATLAB, I used a 

previously described two-step neural network 

methodology for global pCO 2 

estimation. I also 

worked on migrating the MATLAB code into 

the program Python to enable execution within 

a high-performance computing environment. 

Engaging with an early implementation 

of machine learning in a climate science 

context motivated me to explore how other 

computational advancements can amplify the 

predictive capabilities of climate models. I also 

enjoyed the opportunity to engage in dynamic 

discussions with colleagues. The intellectually 

stimulating environment of the institute 

cemented my desire to pursue further study in 

climate computing. 

90

Lindsay Anne Pagaduan ’26 

CHEMISTRY 

Certificates: Environmental Studies, Korean 

Language 

OCEANS AND 

ATMOSPHERE 

PROJECT TITLE 

Nitrous Oxide Fluxes From 

the Ocean and Estuaries 


The Ward Lab, 

Department of 

Geosciences, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Bess Ward, 





Weiyi Tang, Postdoctoral 


Geosciences 

I investigated the production of nitrous oxide, 

a powerful greenhouse gas, in the Potomac 

River, which connects to the Chesapeake 

Bay. Specifically, I considered how a nearby 

sewage treatment plant could affect nitrous 

oxide production in the Potomac River. This 

is essential to understanding how land use 

contributes to greenhouse gas production and 

climate change. In water samples from the 

Potomac River, I measured the concentrations of 

three different nitrogen nutrients (ammonium, 

nitrite and nitrate) that play a role in producing 

nitrous oxide. Each nutrient concentration was 

measured with a different tool — a fluorometer 

for ammonium, a spectrophotometer for nitrite, 

and a NOx box machine for the combined nitrite 

and nitrate concentrations. I also helped prepare 

the water samples, nutrient standards and 

chemical reagents involved in each experiment. 

As a result of this experience, my technical lab 

skills have become more precise, and I gained 

a more complex understanding of greenhouse 

gas production. Through this internship, I have 

become more interested in participating in 

future studies and research on the chemistry 

behind climate change. 

91

OCEANS AND 

ATMOSPHERE 

Hugh Shields ’24 

GEOSCIENCES 



PROJECT TITLE 

SubZero: Discrete Element 

Sea Ice Modeling 




LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 





Brandon Montemuro, 

Postdoctoral Scholar, 



My research focused on pancake ice, a type of 

sea ice composed of rounded floes. Pancake ice 

is found in the Southern Ocean and has begun 

appearing more frequently in the Arctic due 

to climate change. The scale of pancake ice 

formation is too small to be resolved in today’s 

global climate models, and the processes 

that drive pancake ice formation are poorly 

understood. As pancake ice becomes more 

common, understanding its formation will be 

useful for naval navigation of an increasingly 

ice-free Arctic and will also help resolve oceanatmosphere 

couplings in climate models. I 

worked to reproduce pancake ice in SubZero, a 

sea ice model that represents chunks of ice as 

an interacting set of polygons constrained by 

physical laws, that can fracture, weld together 

and interact with topography. Specifically, I 

developed code to represent wavefields in the 

model, improving corner fracturing of floes at 

a small scale, and building in the capability for 

wave curvature-induced fractures, which are 

necessary processes for pancake ice formation. 

Working with SubZero gave me insight into 

the computational challenges of working with 

a complex discrete element model and the 

difficulties of modeling processes that are hard to 

observe. 

92

Sophia Villacorta ’24 

GEOSCIENCES 

OCEANS AND 

ATMOSPHERE 

PROJECT TITLE 

A Revised Pleistocene 

View of the Effect of 

Climate on North Pacific 

Oxygenation From 

Foraminifera-bound 

Nitrogen Isotopes 





University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 






Matthew Lacerra, Ph.D. 


I utilized the foraminifera-bound nitrogen 

isotope as a climate proxy to reconstruct past 

changes in water-column denitrification strength 

in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific (ETNP). I 

focused on the region’s oxygen deficient zone, 

which is formed through a combination of slow 

ventilation and high biological productivity. 

Reconstructing this zone’s history is important 

for understanding climate controls on various 

ocean processes, including oxygen content, 

circulation and nutrient cycling. Under low 

oxygen conditions, organisms rely on nitrate 

for respiration, which increases the ratio of 

nitrogen-15 to nitrogen-14 ( 15 N/ 14 N) in the 

remaining nitrate. This nitrate is eventually 

consumed by organisms such as foraminifera in 

the surface ocean. When the resulting organic 

matter is buried on the seafloor, it preserves the 

signal of water column denitrification strength 

through time. I processed samples by sieving 

sediment material under a microscope to isolate 

specimens of two species of foraminifera, 

Neogloboquadrina dutertrei and Globorotalia 

menardii. I also assisted in chemically 

cleaning the specimens to prepare them for 

nitrogen isotope measurements using a mass 

spectrometer. I now have a solid grasp of this 

ocean system and how nitrogen isotopes can be 

used as a proxy for paleoclimate, which I hope 

to examine further in my senior independent 

research. 

93

OCEANS AND 

ATMOSPHERE 

Jaeda Woodruff ’25 

GEOSCIENCES 

PROJECT TITLE 

Real-time Forecasting 

System for Hurricane 

Hazards and Risk 


Hurricane Hazards and 

Risk Analysis Group, 




University 

MENTOR(S) 

Ning Lin, 



Engineering; Christine 

Blackshaw, Ph.D. 

candidate, Civil and 


Engineering; Avantika 

Gori, Ph.D. candidate, 


Engineering 

I compared the performance of various 

hurricane forecasting models from 2020-2022 

and created a customizable forecasting tool 

trained on publicly available data. The tool 

uses a super ensemble approach, combining 

multiple independent models in a performancebased 

weighted average. This tool will be used 

to enable real-time, highly accurate hazard 

forecasting of factors such as wind speed, storm 

surge, rainfall and storm path on a county-bycounty 

basis without reliance on subjective 

forecasts. Through this research experience, I 

learned a range of skills including data analysis 

in the program Python and how to use simple 

machine-learning models to minimize error 

with multiple linear regression. I also gained 

insights into the strengths and weaknesses of our 

current forecasting abilities and the unusually 

active 2020 and 2023 hurricane seasons. I plan 

to extend my work with extreme weather over 

the next semester by researching the historical 

relationship between greenhouse gases and 

extreme weather formation. 

94

Tienne Yu ’26 


OCEANS AND 

ATMOSPHERE 

PROJECT TITLE 

Molecular Biology of the 

Marine Nitrogen Cycle 


The Ward Lab, 

Department of 

Geosciences, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Bess Ward, 





Samantha Fortin, 


Associate, Geosciences 

I worked with the Ward Lab to study the 

molecular underpinnings of the marine nitrogen 

cycle. My project focused on the nirK gene, which 

is involved in nitrite reduction, and the bacterial 

16S gene, which is used to identify bacterial 

species. I contributed to two projects: a project 

studying the phylogeny and biogeography of 

bacterial species carrying the nirK gene, and 

a project studying nitrite oxidation in oxygen 

minimum zones, regions of the ocean with 

persistently low oxygen levels. For the first 

project, I organized and processed isolation 

source data of bacterial and archaeal nirK and 

assisted with creating a phylogenetic tree, a 

diagram that depicts the lines of evolutionary 

descent of genes from a common ancestor. For 

the second project, I optimized a PCR protocol 

for amplifying the 16S gene in water samples so 

that it can be sequenced to reveal the identities 

of the microorganisms within the samples. These 

results will provide a clearer understanding of 

how nitrite oxidation occurs in oxygen minimum 

zones. Through this internship, I gained valuable 

experience with molecular techniques and data 

processing and was introduced to oceanography 

and the marine nitrogen cycle. 

95

WATER AND THE 

ENVIRONMENT 

PROJECT TITLE 

Understanding Watershed 

Processes in Complex 

Terrain – Mountain 

Hydrology Field Camp 


Integrated GroundWater 

Modeling Center, 




University 

LOCATION(S) 




MENTOR(S) 

Reed Maxwell, 

William and Edna 

Macaleer Professor of 

Engineering and Applied 

Science, Professor of Civil 




Institute; Harry Stone, 



Engineering 

Sarah Burbank ’25 


Certificates: African American Studies, 

Quantitative and Computational Biology 

Mountainous watersheds are important for 

recharging the flow of Western American rivers. 

Understanding these watersheds is critical 

to modeling how climate change will affect 

water resources, however, they are difficult to 

model due to their complex terrain. I aimed 

to improve understanding of the spatial and 

temporal factors that govern soil moisture in 

mountainous watersheds and to investigate the 

viability of using machine learning to predict 

soil moisture in highly complex terrain from 

in situ measurements. I helped collect various 

data over a small drainage in Colorado’s East 

River watershed, including soil moisture data, 

meteorological data and drone-collected 

topographical characterization data. Then, 

I used these datasets to run a random forest 

regression machine-learning model to predict 

soil moisture. These methods can be used to 

extrapolate the findings of labor-intensive field 

campaigns to larger areas. I learned skills in 

data collection, organization and preprocessing. 

Seeing how research can translate data from 

real environmental trends into a computational 

output was exciting. The experience also gave 

me the opportunity to interact with successful 

people at all levels of academia, which enabled 

me to envision a future career path doing the 

same. 

96

Braeden Carroll ’26 


PROJECT TITLE 

Super Typhoon Haiyan 

— Public Imaginaries and 

Lived Legacies 


Blue Lab, 




LOCATION(S) 


Guiuan, Philippines; 

Manila, Philippines; 

Tacloban, Philippines 

MENTOR(S) 





Institute; Reed Maxwell, 

William and Edna Macaleer 

Professor of Engineering 

and Applied Science, 





Mario Soriano, Postdoctoral 

Research Associate, High 


Institute 

I worked with a small team within the Blue Lab 

to synthesize lessons learned in the 10-year 

recovery process since Super Typhoon Haiyan, a 

devastating tropical cyclone in the Philippines. 

This research involved interviewing government 

officials, academics, nongovernmental 

organization leaders and storm survivors, as 

well as visiting resettlement villages, weather 

forecasting stations and disaster memorials. 

From this research, we aimed to build a podcast 

to share the perspectives, experiences and 

voices of those affected by the storm. During 

our fieldwork in the Philippines, I alternated 

between the roles of interviewer, sound engineer, 

note taker and photographer. After the audio 

collection process, I created a seven-minute 

trailer for the podcast, which I presented 

to high school students as part of a science 

communication outreach program. Through 

this experience, I learned how to communicate 

research findings and ideas more effectively and 

I also gained significant experience in media 

editing and production, which are important 

skills in an increasingly digital world. I am glad 

I got to explore the impact of the environment in 

this creative way, and it has reaffirmed my desire 

to study civil and environmental engineering 

and understand how humanity interacts with 

natural and built environments. 

WATER AND THE 

ENVIRONMENT 

97

Olivia Chen ’26 


WATER AND THE 

ENVIRONMENT 

PROJECT TITLE 

Molecular Simulation of 

Natural Organic Matter 

and Organic Contaminants 






University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Ian Bourg, 





Institute 

I worked to construct and simulate organic 

contaminants using molecular dynamics 

simulations. I began by creating input files to 

model per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances 

(PFAS) or “forever chemicals”, a class of 

compounds that have recently received a lot 

of media attention due to their persistence in 

the environment and potential negative health 

effects. I also created input files for hydrophobic 

amino acids and fatty acids. I introduced the idea 

to model PFAS precursors, which contribute to 

PFAS levels but aren’t studied as much, and HFO 

refrigerants, which are a new class of refrigerants 

with a lower global warming potential but 

higher water pollution potential. In total, our 

team contributed over 30 new compounds to the 

Interfacial Water Group database. This work is 

important in revealing the physical properties of 

compounds and will also aid future development 

of removal techniques. Exploring chemistry in 

a computational way was new to me and I found 

it engaging to look at chemistry in an applied 

context. I am interested in taking this research a 

step further to look at these compounds in a more 

specific environment, and I plan to continue 

working with Professor Ian Bourg as a part of an 

independent research project. 

98

Ashley DeFrates ’25 


PROJECT TITLE 

The Interface of Hydrology 

and Machine Learning: 

Generating Better 

Information for Decisionmakers 

and Educating the 

Decision-makers of the 

Future 



Modeling Center (IGWMC), 




University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Reed Maxwell, 








Lisa Gallagher, Education 

and Outreach Specialist, 

IGWMC, Department of Civil 


Engineering 

Meteorological forcings are the weather inputs 

that drive hydrological models and govern the 

behavior of water in hydrologic simulations. 

Therefore, the accuracy of a model is heavily 

dependent on the accuracy of the forcings used 

in its development. My research focused on 

analyzing the temperature and precipitation 

forcing products used in the ParFlow-CONUS2 

model, an integrated hydrologic model developed 

by the Integrated GroundWater Modeling Center 

that resolves groundwater flow across the United 

States at 1 km resolution. I compared forcing 

products to observed data for multiple water 

years, making visual representations of spatial 

statistics such as relative bias. In addition to 

this research, I also helped develop and deliver 

educational modules at The Watershed Institute’s 

Watershed Academy for High School Students. 

It is becoming increasingly important that 

we understand our groundwater resources as 

the impacts of climate change persist, making 

both hydrologic modeling and scientific 

education crucial in the fight for a sustainable 

future. Engaging in this morally fulfilling 

work while improving my coding and scientific 

communication skills made this project a 

rewarding experience that inspired me to pursue 

further studies in hydrology. 

99 

WATER AND THE 

ENVIRONMENT

WATER AND THE 

ENVIRONMENT 

PROJECT TITLE 

Rheology of 

Polyelectrolytes in 

Aqueous Salt Solutions 


Complex Fluids 

Group, Department 

of Mechanical and 

Aerospace Engineering, 


LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Howard Stone, 

Donald R. Dixon ’69 and 

Elizabeth W. Dixon 

Professor of Mechanical 

and Aerospace 

Engineering; Pedro de 

Souza, Postdoctoral 



Engineering; Jonghyun 

Hwang, Ph.D. candidate, 

Mechanical and 

Aerospace Engineering 

Pia DiCenzo ’24 


ENGINEERING 

Certificate: Robotics and Intelligent Systems 

I researched how charged polymers dissolved 

in water respond to deformation under 

various conditions. This area of study is called 

polyelectrolyte rheology. I used a rheometer to 

look at how factors like salt concentration, salt 

type and pH affect the viscosity of these aqueous 

polymer solutions. I systematically completed 

measurements for various combinations of 

variables for two different polymers. Through 

this work, I gained experience in the lab and 

using new equipment, and explored a new topic 

that was beyond the scope of my classwork. For 

me, the most interesting aspect of this work is 

its environmental applications as they involve 

water filtration and soil remediation. I am 

interested in continuing research on this topic 

as part of my senior independent work because 

it has introduced me to the intersection of two 

of my main interests: fluid mechanics and 

environmental conservation. 

100

PROJECT TITLE 

Molecular Simulation of 

Natural Organic Matter 

and Organic Contaminants 






University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Ian Bourg, 





Institute 

Cynthia Jacobson ’26 


Certificates: Sustainable Energy, Theater and 

Music Theater 

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are 

large, complex chemicals that have been used 

for decades in consumer and industrial products 

due to their heat resistance and water-proofing 

capabilities. All PFAS contain a fluorinated 

alkyl chain, whose strong carbon-fluorine 

bonds allow them to be highly resistant to 

degradation. Due to their widespread use and 

long-lasting nature, these contaminants have 

accumulated in groundwater, soil and air. As 

a class of contaminants, PFAS are difficult to 

mitigate because they encompass thousands of 

molecules with various structures and behavioral 

tendencies. I used molecular dynamics 

simulations to model a set of 34 diverse PFAS 

contaminants in order to assess their behavioral 

differences. These contaminants can now be 

simulated in various environmental systems 

such as air, water and clay, and biological 

systems such as lipid membranes and placental 

walls. Understanding how various subgroups 

of PFAS interact with these systems will inform 

future research on the efficacy of water treatment 

methods and the movement of PFAS in the 

human body. I look forward to continuing this 

research through my independent work. 

WATER AND THE 

ENVIRONMENT 

101

Jamie Kim ’24 


Certificate: Applications of Computing 

WATER AND THE 

ENVIRONMENT 

102 

PROJECT TITLE 

The Interface of Hydrology 

and Machine Learning: 

Generating Better 

Information for Decisionmakers 

and Educating the 

Decision-makers of the 

Future 



Modeling Center (IGWMC), 




University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Reed Maxwell, 








Lisa Gallagher, Education 

and Outreach Specialist, 

IGWMC, Department of Civil 


Engineering 

Providing accurate information about our 

water sources is important for future decisionmakers 

to make wise and sustainable plans 

concerning water management. However, 

due to climate change, future environmental 

conditions have become further unpredictable, 

making it challenging to understand our water 

supplies. Using both physics-based and datadriven 

modeling in combination is essential 

for predicting conditions, as both modeling 

methods have advantages and disadvantages. 

To inform the integration of these methods, I 

analyzed the correlations between pumping 

data and climate condition variables and 

determined how groundwater pumping affects 

water table depth. I focused on implementing a 

machine learning, data-driven model that used 

a regression-enhanced random forest method 

to estimate water table depth in New Jersey. In 

addition, as part of the educational aspect of 

the internship, I helped teach at The Watershed 

Institute’s Watershed Academy for High School 

Students where I introduced the idea of pattern 

recognition and discussed the importance of data 

quantity and quality for training, all of which are 

fundamental to machine learning. Through this 

experience, I learned various practical skills in 

machine learning and data analysis which I hope 

to utilize for my senior thesis and other future 

work.

Wiley Kohler ’25 

MATHEMATICS 

PROJECT TITLE 

Understanding Watershed 

Processes in Complex 

Terrain – Mountain 

Hydrology Field Camp 



Modeling Center, 




University 

LOCATION(S) 




MENTOR(S) 

Reed Maxwell, 

William and Edna 

Macaleer Professor of 

Engineering and Applied 

Science, Professor of Civil 




Institute; Harry Stone, 



Engineering 

Much of the American West relies on the 

waters of the Colorado River, but the mountain 

processes that drive its flow are poorly 

understood. While models can help interested 

parties make water use decisions, they often 

fail to account for small-scale processes in 

small stream catchments. Through intense 

study of one such catchment, I aimed to better 

understand how conditions at these small stream 

catchments scale up to entire drainages. I worked 

with another intern and a Ph.D. candidate in 

an intensive field data collection campaign to 

gather vast amounts of hydrometeorological 

data, including soil moisture and streamflow 

data. I found this project exciting from a 

research perspective as a bridge between realworld 

observations and modeling. In addition, I 

preprocessed data for analysis, which included 

fixing data anomalies due to snowfall. I also 

developed a model for inferring the hydrologic 

properties of soil, which was an exciting 

opportunity to contribute to a larger project 

and ideate independently. I plan to refine and 

test my model as a part of my junior or senior 

independent work, and my summer experience 

will likely lead me to pursue similar research 

that includes a real-world field component in the 

future. 

WATER AND THE 

ENVIRONMENT 

103

Maxwel Lee ’26 


WATER AND THE 

ENVIRONMENT 

PROJECT TITLE 

StreamWatch Water 

Quality Monitoring 

Program 


The Watershed Institute 

LOCATION(S) 

Pennington, New Jersey 

MENTOR(S) 

Erin Stretz, 

Assistant Director of 

Science and Stewardship, 

The Watershed Institute; 

Jian Smith, StreamWatch 

Program Coordinator, The 

Watershed Institute 

I worked with the StreamWatch program, 

a program at The Watershed Institute that 

collects data on the water quality of freshwater 

ecosystems in central New Jersey. As part of the 

program, weekly tests are performed for E. coli, 

turbidity, chloride, nitrate, and orthophosphate, 

providing insight into the overall health 

of the local aquatic ecosystem. My project 

centered around mapping the collected data 

in the software ArcGIS to create an interactive 

dashboard that presented the data for each of 

the 60 sites in an easily understandable manner 

on The Watershed Institute’s main website. 

The dashboard will be utilized to educate local 

communities about the health of various water 

bodies in New Jersey, helping to raise awareness 

about the severity of harmful algal blooms and 

the importance of monitoring aquatic health. 

During my internship, I also had the pleasure of 

helping educate people on water pollution issues 

during the annual Butterfly Festival. It was very 

rewarding to teach people about all the work I 

undertook throughout the summer. 

104

Christopher Li ’26 


PROJECT TITLE 

StreamWatch Water 

Quality Monitoring 

Program 


The Watershed Institute 

LOCATION(S) 

Pennington, New Jersey 

MENTOR(S) 

Erin Stretz, 

Assistant Director of 

Science and Stewardship, 

The Watershed Institute; 

Jian Smith, StreamWatch 

Program Coordinator, The 

Watershed Institute 

The StreamWatch program at The Watershed 

Institute collects data on the water quality of 

freshwater ecosystems in central New Jersey by 

performing weekly tests for E. coli, turbidity, 

chlorides, nitrates and orthophosphates. These 

tests can give insight into the overall health of 

the local aquatic ecosystem. My project focused 

on using the software ArcGIS StoryMaps to 

create an interactive webpage about the Stony 

Brook-Millstone Watershed. This resource 

allows visitors to view water quality data from 

60 sites monitored by the StreamWatch program 

and to learn about different forms of water 

pollution and current threats to the ecosystem. 

In addition to its value as an educational 

asset, data insights from this resource offer 

a foundation for The Watershed Institute to 

recommend and implement environmental 

initiatives to protect and restore natural habitats. 

Through this internship, I gained experience 

in ArcGIS and learned how to operate various 

laboratory equipment utilized in the testing of 

water samples. The experience also allowed me 

to cultivate a personal interest in developing 

solutions to aquatic ecosystem threats. 

WATER AND THE 

ENVIRONMENT 

105

Anna Pinkerton ’24 

GEOSCIENCES 

WATER AND THE 

ENVIRONMENT 

PROJECT TITLE 

Study of Rock and Water 

Samples From Mpala 

Research Centre 


Niespolo Research 



University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Elizabeth Niespolo, 


Geosciences 

My project aimed to help establish a 

comprehensive geologic analysis of the Mpala 

Research Centre in central Kenya. The goal 

of this long term project is to determine the 

viability of groundwater in the region for use as 

drinking water or for crops. The field samples 

for this project are still in transit from Mpala 

Research Centre, so the majority of my work 

was to conduct a literature review and to gain 

familiarity with the necessary laboratory 

methods, for example thin section analysis and 

basic petrographic and geochemical analysis. 

Through this research experience, I have gained 

experience in fieldwork, lab work and literature 

review. My contributions to the project are in its 

groundwork, and understanding the rocks in this 

region is essential to future research on the water 

found in nearby aquifers. The project is of a much 

larger scope than I had originally anticipated, 

and I have chosen to continue with the project as 

part of my senior thesis research. 



“Initiating Natural History and Groundwater 

Research at Mpala Research Center.” 

106

Alyssa Ritchie ’25 

CHEMISTRY 

Certificate: Applications of Computing 

PROJECT TITLE 

Design of Light-activated 

Catalysts for Wastewater 

Contaminant Degradation 


Sarazen Research 




University 

LOCATION(S) 


MENTOR(S) 

Michele L. Sarazen, 



Engineering; Samuel 

Moore, Ph.D. candidate, 


Engineering 

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been 

the subject of much research in recent years due 

to their many applications and tunability. One 

subset of water-stable MOFs, the zirconiumbased 

UiO series, has shown promise in the 

photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue 

when used in combination with hydrogen 

peroxide. Methylene blue is a dye used in 

many industrial applications and can be 

used as a probe for removing other dyes from 

wastewater. Allowing dyes to be released into 

the environment can harm aquatic ecosystems. 

While some methods currently can remove 

methylene blue from wastewater, using MOFs 

could allow the dye to be recovered and reused, 

presenting a cost-effective and eco-friendly 

alternative to current approaches. Over 8 weeks, I 

ran reactions testing methylene blue degradation 

under various conditions. I gained knowledge 

in using many different instruments, laboratory 

techniques and the overall research process. 

I look forward to continuing to learn about 

environmental chemistry and metal-organic 

frameworks. 

WATER AND THE 

ENVIRONMENT 



“Design of Light-activated Catalysts for Wastewater 

Contaminant Degradation.” 

107

WATER AND THE 

ENVIRONMENT 

PROJECT TITLE 

Nyabohanse Water Supply 


Engineers Without 

Borders (EWB), Princeton 

Chapter, Kenya 

LOCATION(S) 

Kuria West, Migori County, 

Kenya 

MENTOR(S) 

Sigrid Adriaenssens, 




University; Roger Price, 

Responsible Engineer in 

Charge, EWB; Moses 

Sikuku Wakwabubi, 

Responsible Engineer in 

Charge, EWB 

Helena Frudit ’25 

MECHANICAL AND AEROSPACE ENGINEERING 

Isabella Gomes ’25 


Certificate: Urban Studies 

Ava Krocheski-Meyer ’26 


Sophia Miller ’26 


Shalyn Nyakea ’25 


Eslem Saka ’26 


Justin Zhang ’24 


Certificate: Visual Arts 

In Migori County, Kenya, many towns face limited access 

to clean water and water distribution infrastructure has 

yet to be established in many rural areas. Residents often 

rely on unsanitary water from nearby rivers, particularly 

during the dry season, and governmental agencies do not 

have the resources to reach rural areas with treated water. 

Seven members of Princeton’s chapter of Engineers Without 

Borders traveled to Nyabohanse in the Kuria District of 

Migori County. There, we spent several weeks working with 

key community and government stakeholders, evaluating 

potential solutions, visiting existing infrastructure and 

speaking with dozens of families in the Nyabohanse 

region to lay the groundwork for our largest project yet. 

This project aims to connect Nyabohanse residents to the 

existing regional water infrastructure, in collaboration 

with Rev. David Duveskog Primary School, the Lake Region 

Development Program, and the Migori County Water and 

Sanitation Company. 

108

Acknowledgments 

FUNDING FOR THE 

2023 ENVIRONMENTAL 

INTERNSHIP 

PROGRAM HAS BEEN 

GENEROUSLY PROVIDED 

BY THE FOLLOWING 

SUPPORTERS: 

Ogden and Hannah Carter Fund 

– 

Martha Ehmann Conte ’85 Fund 

– 

Crocker ’31 Fund in HMEI 

– 

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

S’55 Fund 

– 

Edens Family Fund for Climate Change Research 

– 

Ellis ’46 Fund in HMEI 

– 

Luke Evnin ’85 and Deann Wright HMEI 

Internship Fund 

– 

Gatto Family Undergraduate Research Fund 

– 

High Meadows Environmental Institute Fund 

– 

Carolyn and Jeffrey Leonard *85 HMEI Research 

Fund 

– 

Newton Family HMEI Scholars Fund 

– 

Yaverland Foundation HMEI Internship 

Endowment Fund 

– 

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

Fund in HMEI 

109

2023 ENVIRONMENTAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM 

High Meadows Environmental Institute 

Princeton University, Guyot Hall 

Princeton, New Jersey 08544-1003 

environment.princeton.edu 

environment@princeton.edu 

facebook.com/PrincetonEnviro 

twitter.com/PrincetonEnviro 

instagram.com/princetonenviro 

linkedin.com/company/princetonenviro

Environmental Internship Program - 2023 Booklet

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