Undergraduate Students

Caroline assists the NASA Astrobiology Institute funded Coast Range Ophiolite Microbial Observatory (CROMO) project. Caroline's work has included analyzing natural and experimentally altered serpentinite samples with FTIR and XRD to determine their mineral composition and prepares serpentinite thin sections for microbe-mineral mapping with microFTIR. She is currently working toward a second bachelor's degree in Geology and Geological Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island and expects to graduate in May 2017.

Nabil cultures methanogens in alkaline conditions from the Semail Ophiolite in the deep subsurface fluids of Oman. He performs gas chromatography to analyze hydrogen consumption, and methane and carbon dioxide production through time. Nabil also performs fluorescence microscopy to determine cell concentrations over an alkaline pH range.

Noah investigates the link between in situ mantle peridotite serpentinization processes and related magnetite and hydrogen production. The goal of his research is to characterize and quantify superparamagnetic-size magnetite observed in continental ophiolite complexes in order to better estimate bulk deep-biomass.