I determined the organic matter content of some soils and sediments …
… spotted this little dude staring at me from the grass …
… and finished the day with some furry friends.
:)
Poudre River Canyon
High Park Wildfire
Spent last Saturday poking around the burn site of the High Park Wildfire in the Colorado Rockies – Collected a bunch of samples for an upcoming study and got a much better idea of the climate and hydrology of the area: 


Flew out there expecting to grab only 2 samples … Returned home with 11.
I will certainly be kept busy this summer!!
3 Things: Bought to you by the letter B
Florida Bay + Taylor River
Alaska Coffee Roasting Co.
My new favorite study spot: Alaska Coffee Roasting Co.
They have 2 locations: 1 in Fairbanks, AK and 1 in North Miami, FL (weird, right?)
They roast their coffee on site (I’ve had 3 different kinds already and love them all) and serve up some amazing sandwiches. I can’t wait to meet Jim for lunch there someday so we can try one of their wood-fire pizzas!
I spent about 7 hours there yesterday grading a giant stack of lab reports and studying for my last final ever. 

In a city where nearly every coffee shop is a chain, this little cafe is a welcome breath of fresh air :)
Never Stop
Just popping in to say “hello” – It’s been too long since I’ve posted here, but for good reason.
This month has been all together busy and exciting …
- I’ve been planning a trip to Colorado next week for field sampling and a dissolved organic matter fluorescence workshop
- I’m finalizing an experimental design that will likely take me all summer to finish, but I expect that the results are going to be pretty awesome
- Our group recently published in Science and the story was picked up by both NSF and the Wall Street Journal (!!) – This publication is essentially the precursor to what I am currently working on (just in case you were wondering what I do all day in lab) – We know that black carbon is associated with dissolved organic matter, but how? This is the question I need to answer
- After this week I am completely finished with college classes … of course I will still constantly be learning, observing and absorbing information related to my research, but I am stoked to never have to cram for another final ever again
P.S. It’s National Parks Week! Free admission to all national parks until April 28th! Get out and explore :)




















