Robert Castillo

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Meet Robert Castillo! Robert is a third-year Mechanical Engineering and Education Studies double major looking to get a PhD in Nuclear Engineering to become a professor. He was previously involved in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program, hosted by the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the Summer Programs for Undergraduate Research, hosted by the Undergraduate Research Centers. Currently, Robert is a member of UC LEADS and is conducting research on the Solar Methane Pyrolysis Project, specifically designed to manufacture the next generation of graphitic carbon-carbon composites, as part of the Nano Transport Research Group under the direction of Dr. Timothy S. Fisher.

Amit Rand

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Meet Amit Rand! Amit is a fourth-year Mathematics of Computation major currently conducting research in the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Lab (CVIRL). In addition, Amit was recently accepted into the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP), a three-quarter scholarship program that supports students who are conducting a life science, physical science, or engineering research project with a UCLA faculty. After completing his PhD, Amit hopes to work at a foundational research lab (industry or academia) focused on cutting-edge mechanistic machine learning, and eventually pursue entrepreneurship. Learn more about Amit and his UCLA research experience below.

Henley Roy

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Meet Henley Roy! Henley is a fourth-year Biochemistry and Business Economics major and has been involved in the URC – Sciences Summer Program and the Undergraduate Research Fellows Program (URFP). She is currently conducting research in the Petrovic Lab and works on examining nuclear import mechanisms of Yes-associated protein. In the future, Henley hopes to attend graduate school and obtain a research position in industry or academia.

Cara Susilo

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Meet Cara Susilo! Cara is a fourth-year Bioengineering major, currently conducting research at the Kamariza Lab focusing on protein engineering with Cas enzymes, and culturing and extracting genomic DNA from non-tuberculous myobacteria. Cara has attended several national conferences, including the Biomedical Engineering Society Conference and the American Society for Microbiology Conference, and was recently published as a second author on her lab’s first publication. Read Cara’s full interview below.

These student highlights were published by the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA). Find the original article by clicking on the researcher’s name in the article.

Debates about generative AI in higher education have been informed by studies of completed student papers, or self-reported survey data. Research shows that artificial intelligence tools can support learning, but also has raised concerns, including students’ overreliance, cheating, and the potential degradation of critical thinking and engagement.

While these types of studies provide interesting snapshots of reported practices, their methodologies may hide something important: how writing actually unfolds while students are composing with the assistance of AI.

A pilot study I led of undergraduate writers at Kennesaw State University takes a different approach. Using think-aloud protocols – a method where participants verbalize their thoughts while performing – our research captures how students interact with generative AI tools during the writing process itself. This method helps us understand decision-making processes as they occur.

Our preliminary findings suggest a more complex reality than the common narrative that students are simply having AI write their assignments. Instead, many students appear to be negotiating when and how AI belongs in their writing.

Looking inside the writing process

In our study, 20 undergraduate students completed a 20-minute writing session responding to the following prompt:

People spend a lot of time trying to achieve perfection in their personal or professional lives. People often demand perfection from others, creating expectations that may be challenging to live up to. In contrast, some people think perfection is not attainable or desirable.

The assignment was to draft a thesis and evidence-based paragraphs that argue their position on the value of striving for perfection. Students were told they were not expected to complete them but to work through their writing process toward finishing. Students were told there were no right or wrong ways to use AI and were asked to use generative AI exactly as they normally would while writing.

Instead of direct observation, the study relied on post-session screen recordings and analysis of students describing their process. Collecting this data – their actions on the computer and transcripts of the voice recordings – allowed researchers to analyze the writing process without interrupting it. To reduce the possibility that students might alter their behavior if they felt observed, researchers set a timer and left the room during the writing session. The goal was to minimize the Hawthorne Effect, a phenomenon in which people change their behavior because they know they are being watched.

What we found

Across the transcripts, a few qualitative patterns consistently emerged in how students collaborated with AI while writing.

First, many participants turned to AI at the beginning of the writing process to help generate ideas or draft a thesis.

What we see in this practice is the student using AI-generated output to spark and shape their own ideas. One student explained the strategy this way: “After [generating a few ideas,] I usually just use that [output] as a prompt.”

In these moments, AI functioned less as a final answer and more as a brainstorming tool that helped students move past the blank page.

However, students frequently continued drafting independently after generating initial ideas. Many transcripts include statements such as “I think my thesis should be …” or “Let me write this part,” suggesting that some students retained control over their argument.

Editing the bot

Another strong pattern across transcripts is that students rarely accept AI text without editing it. Instead, they actively revise the generated language. As one student described the process, the AI “rewrites” their initial prompts and then the student rewrites the AI’s output. This allows the student to claim “authorship and ownership” of the final draft.

Another participant redirected the AI response when it did not align with the assignment: “AI is not following the prompt … try again.”

These moments show students evaluating AI output critically and treating it almost as a sparring partner, rather than simply copying it.

We also found that some students rejected AI’s suggestions altogether.

In several writing sessions, participants explicitly decided not to use the AI responses. One student reflected on this decision while composing: “I don’t really use AI for my research.”

Other transcripts show students switching back to their own writing when AI responses felt too generic or disconnected from their argument. These moments indicate that students are not only collaborating with AI, but they are also drawing boundaries around where it belongs in their writing process.

Finally, several transcripts showed students turning to AI during moments of uncertainty or when they felt stuck.

As one participant explained, “I used a lot of AI because I was struggling.”

Even in those cases, students often used AI as support as they drafted their essays, rather than directly copying and pasting its responses.

What this says about AI and writing

Our analysis suggests that generative AI is entering student writing not as a wholesale replacement for human authorship, but as part of a negotiated collaboration. The results suggest that AI most often enters the composing process during idea generation, revision and moments of writer’s block, while students maintain control over argument choice, voice and final phrasing.

Understanding how decisions to use AI unfold during the writing process, and not just what appears in the final essay, may help educators design assignments and policies that keep the human writer firmly at the helm.

Because our current findings come from a pilot cohort of 20 undergraduate writers, the results should be interpreted cautiously. To test whether these patterns hold at a larger scale, the research team is expanding the study to 100 undergraduate participants. The expanded study will also examine how neurodivergent writers interact with generative AI during composing, an area that remains largely unexplored in current research.

Undergraduate student researchers at Kennesaw State contributed to the preliminary analysis described in this article: Kylee Johnson, Vara Nath, Ruth Sikhamani and Kaylee Ward.

Written by Jeanne Beatrix Law for the Kennesaw State University; used with permission. Find the original article here.

Employers expect business school graduates to excel at interpreting financial statements and identifying market trends. But they’re often surprised — and delighted — to discover that Bentley students are equally adept at exploring AI applications in the health industry, evaluating the environmental impacts of electric vehicle use and investigating what young professionals value most in modern workplace culture.

Each year, hundreds of Bentley students enhance their academic experience by engaging in one (or more) of the research-related opportunities available to undergraduates. These include:  

• Bentley Honors Program — Students complete one of six different Pathway Experiences: Research, Creative, Corporate Immersion, DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), Economics and Service-Learning.
• FirstGen Presidential Fellows Program — Students complete a Signature Work Project that draws on academic research, applied learning experiences and faculty mentorship to address how business leaders can support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  
• Valente Center for Arts and Sciences — Students can support faculty-led projects through the center’s Student Research Assistantship program or pursue their own studies through the Undergraduate Researcher program.  

Working individually or in groups and guided by faculty mentors, students in these programs “explore complex, challenging problems by bringing together the relevance and rigor they’ve learned in the classroom,” says Paul Tesluk, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. He notes that engaging in research challenges undergraduates to think deeply, ask hard questions and embrace complexity — skills that will serve them well professionally, regardless of the field they choose.  

Studies also show that research experience gives graduates a competitive edge in an increasingly crowded job market. According to the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), 85% of employers reported they were “somewhat” or “much more” likely to hire workers with experience in academic, community-based or service-learning projects. And a National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) study found that the top five qualities employers look for among candidates — problem-solving skills, ability to work in a team, communication skills, initiative and strong work ethic — are all enhanced through scholarly and creative inquiry.  

These qualities were on full display during Bentley’s 22nd Annual Undergraduate Research Day, when more than 140 Bentley students shared insights from their projects. In his welcome remarks, Tesluk painted a bigger picture of the benefits of undergraduate research. “In our broader environment right now, the very essence of scholarship is in many ways at stake,” he said. “What we’re doing here today demonstrates Bentley’s commitment to knowledge production and academic inquiry — and how vital this is for advancing society.”  

Here, we highlight a few of the research and creative projects our Falcons completed this year: 

Ally Casciano ’25

Majors: Finance, Liberal Studies Major: Global Sustainability

Minor: Law  

Faculty Advisor: Ryan Bouldin, associate professor, Natural and Applied Sciences   

Project: “Passive House Design”  

“A passive house is a building engineered to produce zero carbon emissions and run entirely on renewable resources,” Casciano explains. “I chose it as my LSM research topic because of my personal interest in architecture and interior design and because it reflects all of the disciplines — finance, sustainability, law — I’ve studied during my time at Bentley.”  

Casciano used SketchUp, a 3D modeling software, to design a single-family home that incorporates energy-efficient strategies like passive solar design (a non-mechanical method of collecting, storing and distributing solar energy) and green roof systems (rooftop “gardens” that absorb rainwater and improve air quality). To determine the home’s long-term financial viability, she compared estimated construction costs with energy savings over time — and found her eco-friendly design yielded an impressive ROI of $80,000 over 25 years.  

“As a creative person in a business school, I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to pursue this passion project,” Casciano says. “I’ve learned a lot about myself and the career I want to follow.” Now that she’s graduated, she’s working full-time as a project engineer for a Boston-based construction and development firm. “I hope to obtain green building certifications in this role and one day build my passive house design in real life.”  

Valeria Escamilla ’25

Major: Health Industries

Minor: Marketing

Faculty Advisor: Danielle Blanch Hartigan, Chester B. Slade Professor of Psychology and executive director, Center for Health and Business

Project: “AI in Optometry”

“The optical industry has been part of my life for as long as I can remember,” says Escamilla, whose parents founded a chain of full-service eye clinics in Bogota, Colombia, and Miami. “Growing up, I saw firsthand how the field can change lives. Helping people through optometry became my lifelong dream.”  

As Escamilla sees it, AI tools can help patients achieve optimal eye health. The industry is already using AI to analyze retinal scans for early stages of eye disease, provide more precise measurements for cataracts surgery and create progressive lenses (i.e., bifocals) custom-tailored to an individual’s visual habits. Yet, few patients know about these options — an “awareness gap” she sought to explore through her research.

In a survey Escamilla conducted, she found that:  

• 76% of respondents were unaware of current AI uses, but were open to AI improving their vision care
• 57% would use AI to help choose lenses
• 69% would use AI to predict future eye problems

But respondents also expressed concern about the lack of transparency in AI’s underlying algorithms, underscoring the importance of trust between patients and clinicians. “People are cautious when it comes to data privacy and diagnostic accuracy,” Escamilla says. “Providers must be able to clearly communicate how AI works to their patients.”

Escamilla, who begins optometry school this fall, is grateful for the opportunity “to explore technological trends in the industry I love.” She is committed to continuing her research efforts in the future. “I want to open eye care practices that are both clinics and research hubs, where I can collaborate with fellow optometrists and field experts,” she shares. “Together, we can design solutions to address growing challenges — including innovation, awareness and accessibility — in the optical industry.”   

Cameron Krinsky ’25, MSF ’25

Major: Finance (Advanced Standing in Finance program)

Faculty Advisor: Laura Jackson Young, associate professor, Economics

Project: “Electric Vehicles: The Future of Transportation or a Forgotten Failure?”

A self-professed auto enthusiast, Krinsky volunteered as a docent for two Rhode Island car museums prior to enrolling at Bentley. In his view, automobiles aren’t merely machines, but “works of art that convey unique and compelling stories.” Arriving on campus, he immediately joined the Bentley Car Club, a student-run organization where he could share his passion with like-minded peers.  

When it was time to choose a topic for his Honors Research Pathway, Krinsky’s love for all things automotive steered him toward electric vehicles (EVs). Since they run on electric batteries instead of gasoline- or diesel-powered combustion engines, EVs are widely considered a key method for mitigating climate change. Federal, state and local regulations have been enacted in recent years to encourage Americans to switch to EVs.

Intrigued by the environmental, economic and social impacts of widespread EV use, Krinsky set out to compile comprehensive data for each area. “Prior to conducting this research, I was skeptical about the efficacy of mass EV adoption,” he says. “But what I learned made me aware of issues I’d never previously considered.”  

One example: How an increased demand for lithium — an essential component in EV batteries — poses significant risks to environmental and human health. Extracting the metal requires enormous amounts of fresh water, Krinsky discovered, which diverts the vital resource away from local communities. The mining process also releases toxic chemicals that contaminate soil and groundwater and compromise air quality.

Krinsky, who accepted a full-time position as a credit risk analyst in Santander’s corporate and investment banking division after interning with the company last summer, is grateful to Bentley for facilitating his research. “As someone who believes transportation is critical to the well-being and advancement of society, this project was truly eye-opening.”

Jacob Palhares ’25

Major: Corporate Finance and Accounting

Faculty Advisor: Brian Wilson, lecturer, English and Media Studies

Project: “Business as Usual, Play as Exception”  

For his Honors Creative Pathway — a photo essay exploring the increasingly elusive pursuit of work-life balance — Palhares drew inspiration from his personal life. “Anyone who knows me will tell you I stress way too much about things, whether it’s preparing for an upcoming exam or meeting a project deadline for my job,” he shares. “After talking about this with friends and family, I realized I wasn’t alone.” Advances in technology have blurred the line between our personal and professional lives, he says, giving rise to “an ever-growing expectation in the corporate world that employees can (and even should) work from anywhere, at any time.”  

His photo essay features portraits of young professionals wearing business attire while engaged in leisurely pursuits, such as snowboarding, tennis and playing poker. “I wanted to use humor and irony to invite conversations about a topic that others might find hard to address,” Palhares explains. “These images visualize the tension between professional obligations and personal fulfillment but do so in a way that brings joy and laughter to the audience.”  

Palhares, who plans to become a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and work in the field of wealth management, is thankful the Honors Program gives students the option to engage in creative pursuits. As he notes, “This project really forced me to practice what I was preaching — to step away from work and school and spend more time doing something I really enjoy.” 

Sam Potter ’25

Major: Corporate Finance and Accounting

Faculty Advisor: Johannes Eijmberts, senior lecturer, Global Studies, and director, Valente Center for Arts and Sciences

Project: “Modern Workplace Culture and the Motivational Drivers of Young Professionals”

While interning with a global supply chain finance team last summer, “I became interested in how cultural differences affect negotiation tactics and business collaboration,” Potter shares. When he later joined the Valente Center’s Undergraduate Researcher program, he decided to make cultural diversity in the workplace the focus of his independent study.

Potter was particularly interested in exploring generational differences. “With the rise of remote work and changing workforce dynamics,” he explains, “there’s been a corresponding shift in employee motivation, especially among young professionals.” To better understand what younger employees value most in the workplace, Potter developed a survey that he sent to all Bentley undergraduate and graduate students.  

“The data indicates a strong correlation between motivation and factors such as salary, autonomy and structured responsibilities,” he says of his findings. The survey also revealed that young professionals, regardless of their cultural backgrounds, seek authentic personal connections — “not from their organization as a whole, but from smaller workplace groups or select coworkers,” he explains. “This suggests that managers need to adapt their leadership strategies to foster inclusive team environments and strong mentorship networks.”  

Potter, who hopes to find a full-time finance- or research-related role, characterizes his work with the Valente Center as a “highly rewarding experience” — and one he encourages fellow Falcons to consider: “We’re fortunate at Bentley to have the opportunity to explore topics we’re passionate about but aren’t necessarily exposed to in our normal business classes.” 

Nereyda Betances ’25, Erica Estrella ’25 and Zoe Ragland-Haines ’25

Majors: Marketing (Nereyda and Zoe), Mathematical Sciences (Erica)

Minors: Management (Nereyda and Erica); Computer Information Systems (Zoe)

Faculty Advisors: Isa Beltre, senior lecturer, Marketing, and associate director, FirstGen Presidential Fellows Program, and Jane De León Griffin, professor, Modern Languages, and Associate Provost for Student Success

Project: “Shaping Tomorrow, One Community at a Time”

For their Signature Work Project, the trio of FirstGen Presidential Fellows explained how their academic and extracurricular activities at Bentley enhanced their understanding of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — 17 interconnected objectives that guide global development efforts.

For Betances, participating in Bentley’s MOSAIC Experience, a pre-orientation program for first year and transfer students of color and allies, emphasized the importance of SDG #10: Reduced Inequalities. “I was super nervous coming into Bentley,” she shares. “As a student of color at a PWI [Predominantly White Institution], I thought I’d be homesick and wouldn’t make any friends. But MOSAIC creates a space where students like me can forge friendships and receive specialized guidance and support to succeed in our first year of college.” As such, the MOSAIC Experience helps support SDG #10 by helping to foster a more equitable and inclusive campus environment.  

Both Estrella and Ragland-Haines highlighted their involvement with Bentley’s Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center (BSCLE). As program manager for the Waltham Family School, “I taught English to Spanish-speaking mothers, helping them build the language skills they need to navigate daily life, support their education and gain greater independence,” Estrella shares. “As the daughter of immigrants, this was particularly meaningful, since my parents enrolled in a similar program when they arrived in the U.S.” In addition to SDG #4: Quality Education, the BSLCE program supports SDG #8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, she notes, by “helping moms develop the tools and confidence they need to pursue future job opportunities.”  

Ragland-Haines also served as a BSCLE program manager, serving youth in a lower-income Waltham housing community through the Prospect Hill Afterschool Program. She and fellow Falcons provided healthy snacks (supporting SDG #2: Zero Hunger) and helped with homework (SDG #4) — an experience she characterizes as “my absolute favorite thing that I did during my time at Bentley.”

Through the BSCLE’s partnership with the Yawkey Foundation, Ragland-Hines also interned in the Malden, Massachusetts, office of U.S. Congresswoman Katherine Clark. The experience provided “a deep understanding of how our government works and why it’s important for local and federal governments to work together,” she shares. Her work with Rep. Clark’s office led directly to a second internship, facilitated by The Fund for American Studies. Working with the National Association for Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW), Ragland-Haines saw firsthand how domestic trade, in particular interstate commerce, plays a vital role in the U.S. economy. These internships, she says, helped illustrate the importance of SDG #9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, SDG #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities and SDG #16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.  

All three FirstGen Presidential Fellows appreciate the hands-on opportunities Bentley provided “to demonstrate our understanding of pressing global challenges and our ability, both individually and collectively, to address them.” And each is committed to advancing the U.N. SDGs in their personal and professional lives. Now that they’ve graduated, Betances is pursuing a full-time marketing position, Estrella is spending six weeks in Spain as a nonprofit consultant and Ragland-Haines is moving to Houston, Texas, to pursue a career in digital marketing.

Written by Molly Mastantuono for the Bentley University; used with permission. Find the original article here.

Key’Rra Moore didn’t just come to UMKC for a degree — she grew into herself here. From taking on-campus leadership roles to pursuing meaningful research, Moore’s story is one of growth, belonging and purpose.

A Welcoming Campus That Felt Like Home

Choosing UMKC was intentional for Moore, shaped by family influence and a deep desire to stay in her hometown of Kansas City. Her mother, a UMKC alumna who returned to college as a non-traditional student, often spoke highly of the support she received from her alma mater. That history, combined with the university’s welcoming community, made Moore feel immediately at ease.

“I didn’t expect to feel this included, not just welcomed but truly seen,” she said.

Moore’s campus involvement reflects that sense of belonging. She leads as president of the Student Justice Alliance, serves as secretary of Sisters Circle and holds leadership roles in Psychology Club, Psi Chi, Emerging Research Scholars and is involved with Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship. Her footprint on campus is deep and so is her impact.

Turning Personal Motivation Into Academic Purpose

Moore’s academic path is grounded in personal experiences with mental health challenges in her family.

“I saw how those challenges affected people I love,” Moore said. “I wanted to understand why and how we can do better.”

That drive led her to psychology, not just as a major but as a calling. She is passionate about mental health advocacy, especially in communities where it is still stigmatized and underserved.

Her coursework, leadership and interactions with like-minded peers helped her see psychology as a mission instead of subject. That mission now propels her toward graduate school, where she plans to continue her journey toward becoming a therapist or psychologist.

“I would love to continue my education at UMKC,” she said. “It’s such a supportive community and the education is great and affordable. The university does such a good job to propel us, and they really put their students on the right track with all the resources they have.”

Finding Research and Confidence Through Initiative

Moore’s research journey did not begin with an automatic invitation. It started with initiative.

After completing an independent project, she wanted more research experience. She reached out directly to faculty in the psychology department seeking opportunities. When she emailed Jacob Marszalek, Ph.D., expressing her interest and willingness to learn, he kept her in mind and eventually connected her to a meaningful research project.

“That experience taught me that sometimes you don’t wait for the door to open, you find the door and knock,” Moore said. “By doing so, I got to find a project I’m aligned with and interested in.”

Before this, Moore joined Emerging Research Scholars, a program directed by Kimberly Johnson, Ed.D., that prepares students for research through cohort discussions and reflection activities. She also serves as a research ambassador with the Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship Office, advocating for research access, tabling at events and building confidence in presenting her work.

This exposure strengthened her professional readiness and her belief in what she can contribute to the research community.

“The Undergraduate Research Office is fantastic,” Moore said. “They advocate for undergraduate students to have more resources and opportunities for research. They also help students with their research presentations and find ways to let them go to conferences to present their research. It’s really special because there are not many opportunities for undergraduate students in research but there are at UMKC.”

Research With Real-World Impact

Moore’s current research goes beyond theory. She collaborates with Synergy Services, a community partner supporting families affected by domestic violence.

Under the mentorship of Sara Brammer (M.A. ‘99, Ph.D. ‘06) and with statistical support from Marszalek, Moore’s role centers on conducting literature reviews to help build a foundation for a program aimed at reducing repeat domestic violence offenses among male perpetrators.

While she is not leading the project, she plays an essential role in shaping its direction.

“What motivates me most is knowing that this work can help real people,” she said. “Not just in academic journals but in the lives of families and local communities.”

Mentorship That Transformed Her Experience

For Moore, mentorship has been transformative in her academic journey. She points to Toya Like, Ph.D., as a pivotal figure. When Moore reached out asking for guidance, Like responded quickly with genuine encouragement.

“She is so impressive and has done so much,” Moore said. “Seeing a Black woman researcher who is also an author really made me feel close to her. At the time, I just emailed her to see if she was willing to mentor me, and she was so enthusiastic and encouraging. She really wants all her students to do well and reminded me that I belong in this space.”

She also reflects on the influence of Brammer and Marszalek, and how their impact is going to help her in graduate school.

“I had a little bit of imposter syndrome when I first started doing my research,” she said. “But they’ve been so great with offering support while giving me opportunities and guiding me through everything. It’s really going to help me in my academic career.”

Preparation for Life Beyond College

Looking ahead, Moore is applying to UMKC graduate programs in counseling and social work, a natural continuation of her academic and professional journey.

She credits her readiness to UMKC’s support systems, including mentorship, cohort experiences, scholarships such as Professional Career Escalators that teach career skills like negotiation and workplace navigation, and a community that meets students where they are.

“UMKC prepared me not just academically but personally for life beyond college,” she said. “I learned to advocate for myself, work with a variety of teams and show up confidently in places where I once felt uncertain.”

Her journey is more than spotlight of individual achievement. It is a testament to the impact a supportive university with meaningful mentorships and opportunities can have on a student’s life and future.

“I came here looking for a place to belong and grew into someone I’m proud to be,” Moore said. “I’m now someone with a voice, a purpose and the confidence to keep growing in every aspect of my life.”

Written by Zoe Miglore for the University of Missouri – Kansas City; used with permission. Find the original article here.

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.