SUMMER 2010: SCIENCE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
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Research Opportunities at the University of New Mexico
Research Opportunity #1: Climate Change Over Geological Time
The research project is testing the hypothesis that proposed warm climates in distant geologic past (Devonian Period ~375 million years ago) were punctuated by short cold intervals; cold enough for continental glaciers to form at polar and high latitudes and for seawater temperatures to change. We suggest that the periodic melting and growing of these high-latitude glaciers will cause global sea levels to rise and fall, respectively, and these sea-level changes can be detected by the changing patterns of marine sedimentary deposits and their chemical compositions.
This project focuses on Devonian limestones in central Nevada. The Fellow will accompany myself and a PhD student to Nevada for about 5-6 days of fieldwork to observed and describe the Devonian limestones and collect samples for chemical analysis. The Fellow will then spend the remaining 5 weeks preparing the samples for analysis which will include dissolving the limestones in dilute acids, concentrating the particular marine minerals, then preparing these minerals for analysis using the mass spectrometer in the E&PS Stable Isotope Laboratory. Results from these studies will be combined with additional geochemical analyses and hopefully presented at a national conference in Denver in October 2010.
The Fellow will learn field observations, basics of sedimentary geology, laboratory methods, chemical analysis, and research presentation methods. Fieldwork dates likely during late May-early June and will require hiking of sometimes steep slopes and carrying heavy backloads of rocks!
Researcher:
Maya Elrick
Research Opportunity #2: Sight Unseen: The Microbiology of Caves
The teacher who chooses this internship will work on a project to identify the microorganisms in the microbial communities of caves. Our study sites include the lava tubes of El Malpais National Monument, near Grants NM, limestone caves in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, and a hydrogen sulfide cave in Mexico. The teacher will have the opportunity to learn and use molecular biology and traditional microbiological techniques to characterize the microorganisms present in these cave microbial communities. Depending on the teacher’s aptitude and interests, he/she may do more laboratory-based work or more computer-based work as molecular biology involves both. If the teacher is physically fit and not claustrophobic, they can participate in fieldwork to obtain samples and abiotic measurements in the caves. Depending on the teacher’s background, interests, and desires, the possibility exists to obtain enough data for a poster presentation at a scientific meeting or for a publication. Information from this project is currently being used in an EPSCOR-funded teacher resource for grades 5-12 called the Cave Journey (www.caveslime.org/cavejourney), a web resource that includes activities, content, and photos. The possibility exists to expand the Cave Journey with new research results from this summer internship and/or to design new activities for students based on this research.
An interest in biology and a desire to learn new things. Some background in biology (formal or informal) would be helpful. June availability is essential.
Researcher:
Diana Northup
