Photo of the beach in Port Aransas, Texas

MSI Public Lecture Series

Amy Townsend-Small

The University of Texas Marine Science Institute

Thursday, March 2nd, 2006 at 7:00 PM
The University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Visitor Center Auditorium

"Adventures in Biogeochemistry: Graduate Travels in the Name of Science"

Carbon and nitrogen are both essential chemical elements for all living things on this planet. Biogeochemistry is the study of how elements like carbon and nitrogen are distributed between living things (such as people, plants, bacteria, etc.) and non-living things (for example, rocks, air, and water). The amount of carbon and nitrogen that is in each of these “compartments” can affect the quality of the environment around us. One of the biggest examples of this is how burning fossil fuel may cause climate change. Scientists at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute use tiny molecular markers (isotopes) to study the processes that affect the distribution of carbon and nitrogen between the various compartments.

In five years at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, doctoral student Amy Townsend-Small has traveled the world trying to put together the puzzle of how chemicals are cycled on Earth. For her doctoral research, she is studying how the Andes Mountains affect the chemistry of the Amazon River in South America. She has also studied environmental chemistry in the South Pacific and China, as well as the United States. Come hear some of the stories and see pictures of her crazy adventures, and you might just learn something about environmental science too!

To learn more about Amy's research go to:

http://www.utmsi.utexas.edu/people/townsend-small.asp

Modified:: Thursday February 23, 2006