Maria Fernanda Araoz Pozo, a 2025 Northeastern Section GSA Undergraduate Research Grant recipient, is using high-elevation peatlands in central Pennsylvania to explore how fire and environmental change shaped the landscape over thousands of years.
Her GSA grant supports five accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dates for peat cores collected at Bear Meadows. These dates provide the timeline for her honors thesis, allowing her to place charcoal, macrofossil, and geochemical records into a precise temporal framework. With this information, Maria can investigate questions about Holocene fire activity, peatland development, and landscape dynamics.
From the field to the lab, Maria has been involved in every stage of the research. She collected 120-cm peat cores with Dr. Adam Benfield, subsampled them at high resolution, processed sediments for charcoal analysis, and spent hours at the microscope identifying charcoal fragments and botanical macrofossils. She also conducted loss-on-ignition analyses to quantify organic matter accumulation. The radiocarbon dates funded by the grant allow her project to move beyond observation into a full paleoenvironmental reconstruction.
Maria will present her preliminary findings at the Northeastern Section GSA meeting. Beyond the data itself, the experience has given her confidence in designing a research project, planning and executing field and lab work, and connecting observations to broader environmental questions. “The grant allowed me to turn an idea into real research,” she says. “Every step, from fieldwork to lab work, has taught me how to think critically, plan carefully, and see how small pieces fit into a bigger environmental story.”
Her mentors also highlight her contributions. Dr. Benfield says, “Maria approaches complex paleoenvironmental questions with creativity and rigor. She’s gaining skills and experience that will serve her well in graduate research.”
Maria’s interest in science began early, but it was undergraduate research that solidified her career path. “Science is not just data collection—it’s about understanding processes, asking questions, and contributing to knowledge,” she says. “The GSA grant made it possible for me to experience that firsthand.”
Through this project, Maria exemplifies the impact of undergraduate research grants: providing opportunities to engage deeply in original science, develop professional skills, and gain confidence as an emerging scientist.
This original piece was provided by Macie Schiller with the Geological Society of America; used with permission.
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CUR focuses on giving a voice to undergraduate research with learning through doing. It provides connections to a multitude of campuses and government agencies, all while promoting networking and professional growth to its community.
