UURAF Winner: Olivia Wheeler
The 26th annual University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF) was held Friday, April 12, 2024 at the Breslin Center. Poster, oral, performance, film, and exhibit presentations were all on display, with a strong representation from EES! Our very own Olivia Wheeler grabs a win this year!
Liv's research was on understanding the iodine-to-calcium (I/Ca) proxy in modern ocean waters via foraminifera, single-celled microorganisms with calcite tests that have been used as geochemical parameters in ocean water since the Cambrian Era. This research has never been experimented with on live samples before and was conducted at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Santa Catalina Island for 3 weeks in August 2023. They conducted nine offshore plankton tows and individually picked the samples that they cultured into increasing iodine treatment groups for analysis. The results of this research were observational, and the conclusion was that there wasn't enough evidence to sway toward a direct or indirect relationship in the iodine-to-calcium proxy. However, they found that iodine does not negatively impact the calcite tests of the foraminifera. This is an important finding because the non-negative relationship shows that the I/Ca proxy can be a geochemical variable in present-day planktonic foraminifera. The next steps are measuring the treatment water and foraminifera shell iodate in each sample to understand how iodate is incorporated into the calcite shell.
Liv’s field experience on Santa Catalina Island, with an amazing, supportive group of female researchers from across the country, was an amazing opportunity that offered room to grow into the role of researcher. She felt an immense sense of responsibility for analyzing over 122 total samples in the lab both on the island and back at Michigan State. She learned how to organize her research questions and prioritize the research that had to be done under Dr. Janet Burke.
Liv has worked in Dr. Dalton Hardisty’s lab since September 2022. All her work has been under Dr. Janet Burke, Dalton's postdoc, who has been developing her research on deceased foraminifera in carbonate sediment cores. Liv indicated that she always felt comfortable reaching out for help inside and outside of the lab and learned so much about Earth's oceans during her time in Dalton's lab. “I am so grateful to Dalton and Jana for allowing me to work under them and conduct my own research”!
Congrats Liv!!!
