Marine biogeochemistry students visit island as their 'lab' during spring break

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Sophia White, a second-year student majoring in geosciences, said she was drawn to Penn State because of her interest in the world around her, especially how the field of geosciences could better help scientists understand the interplay between land, water and life.

She recently spent her spring break on San Salvador Island in the Bahamas, diving deeper into that alongside two experts — Lee Kump, the John Leone Dean in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, and Miquela Ingalls, assistant professor and Wilson Faculty Fellow — who co-taught a marine biogeochemistry course that explores the ways life influences and is influenced by chemical, physical and geological processes in the ocean.

“Geosciences was something I really enjoyed in high school. I took Earth science and quickly discovered that I loved it,” White said. “That’s something my mom always stressed. She said, ‘that’s what you should do in life; you take what you’re good at and what you love to do, and you put it together to see what you can accomplish with it.’ ”

White is one of about a dozen undergraduate and graduate students taking the course that focuses on geochemistry field campaign principles such as pH, ocean circulation and coral reef health and hazards. Armed with a semester of classroom preparations, students traveled to the remote island, which is home to about 800 people. San Salvador is known for its subtropical climate, shallow-water coral reefs, and tourism. It’s also a hot spot for scientific research and marine science education.

Students split into smaller groups to tackle field exercises related to beach rock, inland ponds and stromatolites, the modern equivalents of sedimentary rock layers that date back 3.5 billion years and are the geochemical remnants of the oldest known form of life. They also spent time snorkeling among the fringing coral reefs, which have seen a steady decline in health as the ocean water warms.

“When I told people I was going to the Bahamas, they were imagining this tropical paradise,” White said. “But that wasn’t exactly [our] experience. We were staying at a research facility, and our time was mostly spent learning field techniques and gathering data.”

White joined other Penn State students who were in majors other than her own, making the experience unique, she said. Many of these students had a background in biology and marine life.

A typical day was spent hiking to the site, collecting data and taking samples and discussing the findings with faculty. But there was still plenty of time for exploring. Students hiked, snorkeled and swam through a cave. One day was spent working with local students to help restore damage caused by Hurricane Melissa.

“It was great to conduct research, but was also great to meet students and help out the community,” White said. “And the kids were great. They were so happy we were there, and they had a lot of questions.”

Christian Lundy, a doctoral student in geosciences, also took the course. As a member of the hydrogeology research group at Penn State, he said he is interested in protecting natural water resources and minimizing human impacts on hydrologic systems.

Lundy said students learned about the geological history of the Bahamas and how it was formed by ancient dunes and the coral reefs. The course offered lessons on the integrated relationship between the coral and the ocean and how together they lead to unique and interesting environments.

“It was an amazing experience to recognize the material we learned in class through real-life examples,” Lundy said. “Additionally, we were able to learn a lot of new field sampling and data collection techniques during our field trip research projects.”

Lundy said he appreciated learning alongside other students from a range of disciplines. The new ideas and observations, he said, elevated the experience. So did the remote and pristine environment.

“We conducted fieldwork in one of the most beautiful environments and traveled to a place where not many people get to go,” Lundy said. “The natural environment is like something out of a geology textbook. It was amazing to see beautiful beaches, crystal-blue waters, aeolian crossbedding outcrops and karstic caves all within a matter of days.”