Rose Carlson
Please provide a brief summary of your research.
One modern impact of rising carbon dioxide concentrations is ocean acidification. In order to better understand the potential future implications of ocean acidification, I looked at rock samples corresponding to a time period 94 million years ago, where it’s theorized that high levels of volcanic activity injected an extremely large amount of carbon dioxide into earth’s atmosphere and resulted in ocean acidification.
What made you initially interested in researching your project in particular?
In my first earth science class at Northwestern, I learned that rocks can tell a story. Every part of a rock, from its grain size to its chemistry to its shape (and beyond), can be analyzed to understand something about earth’s history and the processes that have been at play for billions of years. For this project, I was interested in researching past ocean acidification because of its broad applications to the impact of current, human-driven carbon dioxide emissions. I was also really excited to build off of the work of both my research advisers and other lab alumni, who have published integral papers on ocean acidification during this same time interval.
What made you interested in pursuing (interdisciplinary) research more broadly?
I love learning and discovering new things! When I decided I wanted to pursue earth science, I knew I wanted to do some sort of research, and I love the idea of building off of the work of others and contributing to the greater field of scientific knowledge.
Describe your experiences with research thus far. Was it tricky? What skills do you think you’ve gained?
I’ve grown a lot as a researcher and a scientist over the course of this past year!! I started at Northwestern as a journalism major, and this academic year was really my first deep dive into STEM at the college level. As I’ve been taking the required introductory chemistry and math courses (reading textbooks, taking notes on lecture slides, etc.) it’s been incredibly powerful to be able to also learn firsthand (through my own research!) about what being an earth scientist looks like and how the things I’m learning in the classroom can be used as tools to explore…well, everything. This research process has also pushed me to set my ego aside and learn to be okay with asking questions, even if they seem “dumb” or if everyone else in the room already completely understands a concept. I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to work as part of the Jacobson lab group and learn from PhD students, postdocs and professors in such a supportive environment as part of this process. Weekly meetings with my advisor as part of my EARTH 399 course, lab trainings with PhD students, and meetings with the Jacobson lab group have all taught me so much about the collaborative nature of good science, and allowed me to envision a thriving future in earth science research.
Any tips or advice you have for students similar to you that are interested in pursuing undergraduate research?
I would definitely recommend talking with graduate students/TAs in your field of interest about their work! I started on the path to doing this research because I asked my Earth Science TA about his work. Connecting with grad students before starting research was a great, low-stakes way to get a feel for the different opportunities that were available to me and the potential people I could work with, beyond just professors.
Have you presented at the Undergraduate Research Expo here at NU? If so, what project did you present?
This year, I presented the project, “The Past is the Key to the Present: Using 94-million-year-old rocks to understand modern ocean Acidification.” It was such an enriching experience to share my research with others and explain its relevance!
Do you have a podcast/documentary/piece of shareable media related to your research?
Here’s a link to a little cartoon I made for my poster presentation! It explains how increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can cause ocean acidification, and the impact that this has on biogenic calcium carbonate precipitation rates.
What is something that you could give a 10 min presentation on right off the cuff?
I could talk FOREVER about why people should take Earth 214, an intro to physical geology class that runs every Spring. The weekend-long field trip to Baraboo, Wisconsin is incredible, and it’s just a great introduction to geology (for any major!!).