Internship Insights: A Personal Account from HMEI
**Princeton Intern's Research Uncovers Insights into Ancient Mass Extinction**
In the heart of the Ivy League, a rising college sophomore at Princeton University has made a significant stride in understanding the planet's response to environmental catastrophes. The intern, who spent half of their high school years during the coronavirus pandemic, embarked on a fascinating journey this summer, delving into the complexities of geochemistry and marine environmental changes.
The intern was fortunate to be a research intern in the Princeton Department of Geosciences through the High Meadows Environmental Institute (HMEI) Internship Program. This prestigious programme, which focuses on the scientific, technical, policy, and human dimensions of environmental issues, provided the perfect platform for the intern's exploration.
The intern's research focus was on "Reconstructing the marine environmental changes across the Cretaceous/Paleogene Mass Extinction with Nitrogen Isotopes in Planktonic Foraminifera." The intern's work involved the use of foraminifera shells, tiny marine organisms, to gain insight into the ocean response during a mass extinction approximately 66 million years ago, a geologic time period that marked the extinction of dinosaurs.
The intern joined the Sigman laboratory for the summer of 2023, where they were part of a collaborative and healthy lab environment. Here, they were encouraged to ask questions, learn, and seek to develop relationships with mentors experienced in the field of geochemistry. The intern's graduate student supervisor shared advice from their undergraduate and graduate experience and encouraged a proactive and inquisitive attitude.
The intern's research served as a connection between their coursework and the real-world, affirming their interest in studying Geosciences as their concentration at Princeton. The findings of the intern's research may be applicable to understanding the planet's response to anthropogenic climate change, inspiring the intern to continue seeking a deeper understanding of how the physical and living world responds to significant environmental changes.
The HMEI Internship Program, which offers opportunities during the summer of 2024, not only provides financial support but also fosters a comprehensive perspective on environmental issues, combining rigorous science with policy awareness and practical conservation strategies. The programme's legacy strengths include global climate system studies, biogeochemistry of oceans and atmosphere, biocomplexity and ecohydrology, and long-term interdisciplinary projects addressing climate and energy, biodiversity, water and the environment, urban sustainability, and climate-related disease dynamics.
As the intern reflects on their summer research experience, they look forward to the future, eager to contribute to the ongoing discourse on climate change and the planet's resilience in the face of adversity.
The sophomore embarked on an independent work journey in the realm of undergraduate research, focusing on marine environmental changes during the Cretaceous/Paleogene Mass Extinction, which was a period of education-and-self-development involving geochemistry and the analysis of foraminifera shells in the Sigman laboratory. In the pursuit of global climate system studies and understanding the planet's response to environmental catastrophes, they engaged in online-education to continue their learning and contribution to the ongoing discourse on climate change.
