People

Dr. Jacqueline Gerson (she/her), Lead PI of the Watershed Biogeochemistry in the Anthropocene Lab
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
[email protected]
CV

Jacqueline is an aquatic biogeochemist. She is interested in understanding how human activity alters the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients and contaminants across the watershed. Her interdisciplinary approach recognizes humans as part of the ecosystem and investigates the impact of ecosystem perturbations on humans and wildlife. She has worked in vineyards in California, the Adirondack Mountains of New York, mountaintop coal mining areas of West Virginia, and gold mining areas of the Peruvian Amazon and Senegal. She is committed to increasing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM by embedding it within her teaching, mentoring, and research. Jacqueline earned her PhD in Ecology from Duke University, MS in Environmental Engineering Science from Syracuse University, and BA in Biochemistry from Colgate University.

Jenna Hynes, PhD student
Jenna Hynes is interested in the biogeochemical cycling of contaminants from anthropogenic sources and how those contaminants affect ecosystem functions and services in the surrounding watershed. She is also interested in working with communities to better understand the impact of these contaminants on people. She plans to begin her research by investigating the cycling and impact of heavy metals introduced from artisanal gold mines in rural communities in Africa. Previously, Jenna has worked as a technician on The National COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance Project in North Carolina measuring levels of COVID-19 in Wastewater Treatment Plants across the state and conducted an Honors thesis investigating potential sources of fecal contamination within a local estuary in the Southern Outer Banks, NC. Jenna earned her B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill). Following the completion of her B.S., Jenna worked as a technician at the Institute of Marine Science UNC-Chapel Hill.

Samantha Davies, PhD student
Samantha Davies is excited to explore the biogeochemical cycling of mercury in the Gerson Lab. She plans to analyze the relationship between methylmercury production and greenhouse gas emissions from rivers in the Midwestern and Northeastern United States. Previously, she used oyster shells to reconstruct Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary climate in the southern United States. This project included field work in Mississippi and Texas. Samantha also worked on a Lake Erie-based project to determine the role of hydrogen peroxide in the production of microcystin in harmful algal blooms. She has also served as the teaching assistant for a capstone environmental science field course. Samantha earned her B.S. in Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Michigan.

Casey Iwamoto, Postdoctoral scholar
Casey Iwamoto is a biogeochemist interested in the restoration of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems impacted by anthropogenic activity. Her current research examines how artisanal gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon changes the landscape and impacts the cycling of mercury. Her dissertation research evaluated the physiochemical role of biochar in post-mined soil restoration and reforestation, as well as key drivers of carbon cycling in Costa Rican tropical headwaters. Casey earned her PhD in Forest Resources at Mississippi State University and a B.S. in Environmental Science and Secondary Education from the University of Nevada, Reno.

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Gaia
Field Assistant