UCSC-GEOPATHS SUMMER INTERNSHIPSoil Properties and Analysis of Sediment samples from a Site to be Used for Flood Managed Aquifer Recharge
Abstract
UCSC GEOPATHS is an NSF-supported initiative to improve student success in the geosciences, driven by a desire to broaden participation. One component of the program is undergraduate student internship that provide authentic, career-relevant experiences - across all employment sectors - to increase student engagement in the geoscience pipeline.
My GEOPATHS Internship with the Hydrogeology Laboratory at UCSC is focused on preparing and analyzing soil samples for the analysis of hydraulic and geochemical properties in order to investigate the potential for groundwater recharge and contaminant removal at a proposed Flood Managed Aquifer Recharge (Flood MAR) site. I am also helping with setup and analysis of soil columns being used for flow-through experiments. Soil samples were collected to a depth of ~14 m at three field locations on a working ranch, where a Flood MAR pilot project is planned. A particle size analyzer is used to determine the grain size distribution at each of the sampling locations to determine spatial variability and to map field conditions. Sediment columns are being constructed in a lab environment to study the effect that adding a carbon source to native soil has on removing contaminants, particularly nitrate, from infiltrating water. I'm also assisting with other laboratory and field studies, in collaboration with the UCSC Hydrogeology group. This internship is my first exposure to lab procedures and instrumentation and I will share my experiences in the program.- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2020
- Bibcode:
- 2020AGUFMED0370020F
- Keywords:
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- 0810 Post-secondary education;
- EDUCATION;
- 0855 Diversity;
- EDUCATION