Skip site navigation
University of Maryland Division of Research
Who We Are Capabilities Partnerships Resources News
Analytical Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Service & Research Center Biomolecular Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Facility Biosciences Cores: Genomics, Imaging, and Flow Cytometry BioWorkshop Brain & Behavior Institute - Advanced Genomic Technologies Core CALCE Test Services and Failure Analysis Laboratory Center For Innovative Biomedical Resources (CIBR) Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center Daikin Energy Innovation Lab DLAR Imaging Core Exposome Small Molecule Core Facility Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel Herschel S. Horowitz Center for Health Literacy KIT-Maryland MEG Lab Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI) Maryland NanoCenter Maryland Neuroimaging Center Mass Spectrometry Facility Michelle Smith Collaboratory for Visual Culture Neutral Buoyancy Research Facility (NBRF) Surface Analysis Center The Laboratory for Biological Ultrastructure The University of Maryland Center for Health Equity The University of Maryland Prevention Research Center X-ray Crystallographic Center (XCC)
Africa Through Language and Area Studies (ATLAS) Anti-Black Racism Initiative Effective and Equitable Weather Forecasting in a Changing Climate with Machine Learning Encuentros: A University-Community Partnership to Mitigate the Mental Health Crisis for Latino Immigrant Youth Fostering Inclusivity through Technology (FIT) Helping Our Bodies Clear Respiratory Infections The Maryland Safe Drinking WATER Study Modeling the Evolution of Avian Influenza Viruses Music Education for All Through Personalized AI and Digital Humanities Observing Wildfires Through UAVs and Fire Imaging Technologies Programmable Design of Sustainable, All-Natural Plastic Substitutes Racial and Social Justice Research-Practice Partnership Collaborative Remediation of Methane, Water, and Heat Waste Seizing Opportunities: Social Capital, Businesses, and Communities Using Machine Learning to Measure and Improve Equity in K-12 Mathematics Classrooms Water Emergency Team
Accurate, Equitable, and Transparent Genetic Ancestry Inference Advancing Environmental Justice By Evaluating Climate-Ready Urban Street Trees In Historically Redlined Neighborhoods AFTER: A Hospital Violence Intervention Program For Youth Victims of Gunshot Injury An Innovative Intervention to Help Asian American Families Cope with Racism and Mental Health Difficulties Bridging the Gaps in Satellite Observations of Earth Systems to Support Climate Monitoring and Prediction Climate Change and Political Conflict Climate Mitigation and Land-Use Digital Equity Mapping Research and Training Program Establishing a Role for Psilocybin in Frontal Lobe Function Fetal Mammary Stem Cell Programming and Hormone Dysfunction Forecasting Acute Malnutrition for Anticipatory Action Genetic and Lifestyle Risk Factors of Accelerated Brain Aging in Severe Mental Illness How Does Statistical Learning Interact with Socioeconomic Status to Shape Literacy Development? Human Rights Politics and Policies: Lessons from Latin America Increasing Sustainability, Accessibility, and Equity in Urban Mobility with A Self-driving E-Scooter Increasing Participation of Minorities and Women In STEM Through Sports Performance Analytics Research Market Design, Energy Storage, and Interconnection to the U.S. Power Grid On-board Energy Harvesting for Long-endurance Earth Observation UAVs Promoting Youth Mental Wellbeing in Rural Honduras by Engaging Teachers as Catalysts Relating Attitudes on Democracy to Attitudes on Race and Ethnicity An Innovative Approach to Remove Emerging Organic Contaminants from the Environment Role of Mitochondria Dynamics in Opioid Addiction Towards an Early Warning System for Increased Probability of Community Infection by SARS-Cov-2 Variants Understanding the Impact of Wind on Fire Dynamics in Mass-Timber Compartment Visualizing Urban Flooding Due To Climate Change
Search
Who We Are Capabilities Partnerships Resources News

Climate Resilience Network Student Interns Present Summer Projects

Grand Challenges Initiative Offers Undergraduate Students Experiential Learning Opportunities

August 23, 2024

Climate Resilience Network Student Interns - Grand Challenges at the University of Maryland

The Climate Resilience Network (CRN), a Grand Challenges Grant supported initiative, launched its first Summer Internship program in June 2024. CRN supported nine undergraduate interns working on various projects, from testing water quality in College Park’s Watts Creek to installing sensors for the Maryland Mesonet. The student interns presented their work in 5-minute lightning talks on August 22, 2024, to an audience of their mentors and peers. 

"We are proud of what our interns accomplished over the summer, and look forward to providing the opportunity for future students to make a contribution to further CRN’s mission," said Ralph Ferraro, Director of the CRN and Interim Director of the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC).

Summer Internship Project Summaries:

Aiden Hathaway (B.S. Chemistry, 2025) worked with Dr. James Farquhar of the Department of Geology to develop a method to determine the amount and source of methane (CH4) in air samples. If the sources of methane can be accurately identified, work can be done to reduce the amount of it released into the atmosphere. To find out the concentration of methane in an air sample, the methane is separated from the sample in an extensive process to preserve its isotopic composition, which can help determine the source of methane in that sample. 

Duncan Santerre (B.S. Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, 2026) worked with Dr. Russell Dickerson and Dr. Xinrong Ren of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences to provide comprehensive and qualitative emissions data for greenhouse gases and pollutants from oil and gas production basins and urban and agricultural areas. Duncan traveled to Salt Lake City, UT to measure the amounts of greenhouse gases in the air in the valley between the Wasatch and Oquirrh mountain ranges. 

Jacob Keeley (B.S. Chemistry, 2025) worked with Dr. James Farquhar to improve headspace equilibration methods in water samples. Headspace is the air above a substance in a closed container. Headspace equilibration allows scientists to determine the concentration of methane dissolved in water.

Zoe Schlossnagle (B.S. Physics, Minor in Computer Science, 2025) worked with Dr. Mong-Han Huang of the Department of Geology to investigate the rock strength and water content in different landscapes by using near-surface geophysical techniques. They are interested in understanding the hydrology of groundwater in a given area.

Ross Clark (B.S. Geology, 2025) worked with Dr. Karen Prestegaard of the Department of Geology to determine how increasingly severe storms are affecting sediment load in the Anacostia River watershed. 

Jessica Zhou (B.S. Computer Science, Minor in Statistics and ACES, 2027) worked with a team led by Dr. James Hyde of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences to ensure that all parts of the Maryland Mesonet are functioning properly. She identified parts that needed to be replaced, improved the Mesonet website, and performed other quality checks.

Katherine Lehman (B.S. Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, 2025) worked with Dr. James Hyde to use Mesonet data to determine how the Chesapeake Bay impacts regional weather conditions. She found that the temperature difference between the water and land causes bay breeze events and changes in wind direction. Katherine also assisted in the installation of a Mesonet tower.

Katherine Cox (B.S. Geology, 2026) worked with Michael Maddox of the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center and Climate Resilience Network to determine whether Chesapeake Bay wetlands are sustaining themselves as sea levels rise. WHILE The results of her study were inconclusive, she found preliminary evidence of a correlation between total sediment load and marsh area lost along the Patuxent River in Maryland. This could have major implications for marsh resilience in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Madeleine Seppi (B.S. Environmental Science and Technology, 2025) worked with Dr. Sujay Kaushal of the Department of Geology to determine the relationship between forest cover percentage in riparian zones and the concentration of salt ions in freshwater. Her study of Watts Branch in Rockville, MD found that the concentration of salt ions in the water decreased as vegetation in the riparian zone increased. This, along with reducing pollutant sources could greatly improve the health of freshwater systems in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 

All the interns’ presentation slides will be posted on the CRN website.