Paleoceanography & Sedimentary Geochemistry
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Lab members

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Kimberly Lau, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
kvlau [at] psu.edu

Postdoc, University of California, Riverside
Ph.D., Stanford University
B.S., Yale University

Read more about Kim here.

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Watsawan (Fai) Chanchai

/she-her-hers/
 
Graduate student
wzc5325 [at] psu.edu
B.A. with distinction in Geology from Colorado College, 2020
 
I was born and raised in Phatthalung, Thailand where food and weather are incomparably HOT. After college, I found out that rocks are COOL (-est), and thus I commit to becoming a life-long geology explorer. I am interested in redox proxies, fossils, and biogeochemical cycles to understand life evolution and chemical perturbations of oceans throughout Earth history. My ongoing research focuses on geochemical analyses to interpret paleoenvironmental conditions during the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition (~580–530 Ma). I am enthusiastic about science education and social justice leading me to advocate DEI for underrepresented groups, especially women in STEM.

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Kaitlin Taylor

Graduate student
kft5240 [at] psu.edu
B.S., Central Connecticut State University​

From a young age I was fascinated with the natural world and exploring the connections between the climate, plants, and landscape. While living in the Colorado mountains, I gained an even greater appreciation for geology and the stories the rocks could provide. My undergraduate research focused on the geochemistry of a lamprophyre dike intruding into CAMP basalts in the Connecticut valley as well as soil chemistry, lacustrine sediments, and the geomorphology surrounding a Gilbert-type delta at the southern end of glacial Lake Hitchcock. I am interested in using geochemistry to uncover information about our climate in both the present and the past and I am excited to begin studying Li isotopes in brachiopod shells across the Permian-Triassic boundary to better understand the 10 million year delay in the recovery from the mass extinction.

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Brianna McMaster Smith

Undergraduate researcher
bmcmast1@uwyo.edu
​B.S. candidate, University of Wyoming

Wyoming’s unique landscapes, from the Teton Mtns. and Yellowstone National Park, to the Hartville Uplift where my family owns a historical Geologist’s cabin, serve as the inspiration that led me to study the field of Geology at the University of Wyoming. My undergraduate research investigates trace metals and paleo-biogeochemistry of the Permian Phosphoria Fm which partially lies in Western Wyoming. Following completion of my B.S., I will pursue graduate school (2021). I am also interested in botany, ecology, and data science; I enjoy photography, American Sign Language, and camping. ​
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