NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) for FY 2013 in Australia

Lavallee Jocelyn, Fort Collins CO

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds Jocelyn M. Lavallee of Colorado State University to conduct a research project in Biological Sciences during the summer of 2013 at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia. The project title is "Measuring the Turnover of Black Carbon in Soil Using Hydrogen Pyrolysis." The host scientist is Dr. Michael I. Bird. Black carbon, also known as charcoal or pyrogenic carbon, is broadly defined as the carbon-rich residue left after incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. It is commonly found in soils, and there is evidence that it turns over very slowly (over hundreds of years to millennia). Incorporation of carbon into charcoal may be an important mechanism of carbon stabilization in soils, but little is known about what factors control its turnover. This project uses a promising new technique called hydrogen pyrolysis to study charcoal carbon in soils. Hydrogen pyrolysis is combined with elemental analysis and mass spectrometry to measure the carbon abundance and isotopic signature of charcoal, which is used to calculate turnover times. The aim is to relate the turnover time of charcoal carbon to environmental variables such as climate, dominant vegetation, and management. Broader impacts of an EAPSI fellowship include providing the Fellow a first-hand research experience outside the U.S.; an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and an orientation to the society, culture and language. These activities meet the NSF goal to educate for international collaborations early in the career of its scientists, engineers, and educators, thus ensuring a globally aware U.S. scientific workforce. Furthermore, this investigation will encourage teaching and integration of diversity through mentoring an undergraduate student from James Cook University. The investigators will recruit a student from an under-represented group who is interested in pursuing a degree and/or career in science through the Student Mentor Program, designed to encourage under-represented students from specific equity groups. At the culmination of the project, this student will be encouraged to join a laboratory group at James Cook University and to pursue his or her own research project. This Fellow will also gain experience in working with scientists of different nationalities, and in forming lasting collaborations.