Why FSU?

During my undergraduate studies in France, I coincidentally met an FSU teacher working at the Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science (EOAS), who at the time prompted me to contact laboratories whose field of study I was interested in, while I was looking for an internship in oceanography. I never thought about going abroad, but I got the opportunity to join the Spencer Biogeochemistry Laboratory in the EOAS department for three months, which brought a lot of professional and personal growth. I could picture myself continuing to work for this laboratory, whose research interests were in alignment with my future goals, and I therefore decided to apply for graduate school at FSU.

Motivation to pursue a graduate degree

Pursuing a graduate degree will allow me the opportunity to nurture my curiosity in my field of research by working on unanswered questions that need to be addressed on the impact of climate change. I am enthusiastic about this project because it allows me to use my creativity and come up with new ideas, which provides me a certain sense of liberty as I continue to explore the unanswered.

Importance and/or impact of research and work

My research will focus on the impact of climate change on Arctic ecosystems, and more specifically on the organic carbon cycling and storage in northern permafrost soils, which contains half of the total belowground organic carbon pool. Due to rapid warming in this region, permafrost organic carbon that has been frozen for millennia thaws into the contemporary carbon cycle and is exported into the rivers and oceans, where it is further photochemically and microbially degraded into carbon dioxide. Therefore, changes in river discharge and chemistry are powerful indicators of climate change impacts at the scale of whole watersheds. To assess how quickly this thaw is happening, I will study the age, composition, and amount of carbon exported from these regions to understand how climate change is impacting carbon flux in this system.

Career aspirations

I want to share my passion for learning and inspire progress within people, be it through teaching or working as a research scientist. Throughout my career, I would like to draw attention to the importance of environmental conservation and how anthropogenic activities affect the environment and ultimately our future.

Advice for anyone considering graduate school

Do not give up, and keep moving forward. You might not necessarily get the results that you would like, and things might not pan out the way you would like, but, by staying optimistic and persevering, you can ultimately find a way to move forward, even if in a different direction. The amount of work and time you have invested is never wasteful--it can always come in handy.