Sophie Donner

Environmental Studies & Sustainability Sciences // Class of 2025

The chemical fingerprint of water: Isotope hydrology for sustainable resource management

Environment / /

Every drop of water on Earth holds a unique story, carrying a chemical fingerprint of its journey through oceans, rivers, and the atmosphere across the hydrologic cycle. Just as humans are all tied to their own distinct backgrounds and identities shaped by their origins and experiences, scientists can track down the origins and travels of […]

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Cloudy with a chance of climate change: How ocean acidification alters the atmosphere

Biology, Chemistry, Environment / /

While clouds rolling in on a sunny summer day may be a disappointing sight for many, clouds play a critical role in regulating Earth’s climate. A key gas produced by marine microalgae, known as dimethyl sulfide (DMS), is largely responsible for cloud formation. DMS is not widely known, but its characteristic “smell of the ocean”

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​Macrophytes: The next best solution to the fertilizer shortage?

Environment / /

Often dismissed as slimy plants lurking beneath lakes and rivers, macrophytes may actually hold the key to the looming agricultural fertilizer crisis. Excess nutrients in water bodies, known as eutrophication, allow macrophytes to thrive. When aquatic plants die and eventually decompose, oxygen is consumed, creating anoxic conditions that can kill fish and other organisms. Eutrophication

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Seaweed and cow burps: A potential solution to climate change?

Biology, Environment / /

The slimy and smelly seaweed known to repulse many swimmers and beachgoers may serve as a key mitigation strategy for climate change in the near future. A species of red macroalgae known as Asparagopsis taxiformis has been shown to reduce methane emissions in livestock. Methane is 28 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than

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Not so forever chemicals: A new treatment for PFAS removal

Biology, Chemistry, Environment / /

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, have persisted in the environment for decades, earning the name “forever chemicals.” These man-made chemicals, found in nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, and grease-resistant packaging, have been manufactured since the 1940s, and have since impaired waters globally. PFAS contain carbon and fluorine bonds, one of the strongest bonds in

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Catch basin for microplastics: The sedimentary storage of plastics in Narragansett Bay

Environment / /

Within just the top two inches of sediment covering the shorelines and seafloor of Narragansett Bay, over 1,000 tons of microplastics reside. As a relatively new factor in the sedimentary system, plastics have reached the majority of ecosystems on the planet, from the highest mountain peaks to the deepest parts of the oceans. Microplastics vary

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Harmful or helpful?: Using toxic algae blooms for cystic fibrosis treatment

Biology, Health / /

For such a tiny microscopic organism, the algae behind the Gulf of Mexico’s toxic red tides inflicts a mighty force. Characterized by discolored water, dying marine life, and the release of respiratory irritants, red tides have plagued the Gulf since the 1800s and have since increased in intensity and frequency. Karenia brevis, the dominant algae

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A fluorescent cry for help: How corals use “sunscreen” to stay cool

Chemistry, Environment / /

Glow sticks are part of a happy childhood memory for many. Beneath your fingertips, you snap the plastic stick in half, revealing a beautiful vibrant color show in the dark. While glowing colors may remind us of nostalgic times, fluorescing corals are a sign of a last-ditch effort to survive bleaching in the battle against

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