12 Comments

    1. Hi! I was motivated to research this topic my sophomore year at KU. I was taking biogeochemistry and found the carbon cycle, plus how human activities like land use changes affect water quality, extremely fascinating so I reached out to my research mentor, Dr. Burgin, to see if I could start an independent research project. I wanted to pay particular attention to organic carbon and from there we chose to characterize dissolved organic matter ( a major form of carbon) using fluorescence spectroscopy. We also chose to characterize dissolved organic matter in two different land uses (cropland and grassland) because streams draining primarily agriculturally-dominated landscapes like our cropland sites receive less attention regarding the composition of dissolved organic matter in comparison to montane and forested environments.

  2. I am impressed that you were able to find your mentor so early at KU. What advice do you have for other aspiring undergraduate researchers?

    1. I was fortunate enough to see an email the summer before my freshman year sending me an application for the Emerging Scholars program at KU. This program helps low-income and first-generation students get started in a research experience their freshman year. From my experience, it was very beneficial to determine early on if I liked research and made the transition smoother from high school to college. My advice to other aspiring undergraduate researchers is to not be afraid to ask professors what their research is and if they could be a research assistant for them. Last semester I was a seminar assistant, and I saw so many first-year students reach out to their professors for research opportunities and many received interviews and positions in labs despite the pandemic! Taking that initial step to send an email is key to potentially obtain a research opportunity.

  3. Great job, Kaci! It’s been a pleasure watching you develop as a scientist. I speak for the rest of our lab when I say we are so proud of you!

  4. Beautiful poster! Enjoyed watching your project develop through all it’s stages and always love your enthusiasm in presentations.

    1. Hi Senator Francisco! Thank you for your comment! It is awesome to hear you are interested in water quality and the effects human activities can have on our streams.

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