{"id":515,"date":"2019-10-17T10:19:44","date_gmt":"2019-10-17T14:19:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/environmental-management-phd\/?p=515"},"modified":"2025-04-23T16:54:04","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T20:54:04","slug":"coders-with-cores-going-to-conferences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/environmental-management-phd\/2019\/10\/17\/coders-with-cores-going-to-conferences\/","title":{"rendered":"Coders with Cores going to Conferences"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you familiar with the Netflix show, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee<\/a>\u00a0starring Jerry Seinfeld? The premise sees Jerry gathering a fellow comedian into a vintage automobile, hand-selected to match that guest\u2019s personality. The pair then swing by a local eatery where they schmooze and laugh over seemingly endless coffee. While scientists have yet to master the art of sidesplitting humor (though not for lack of trying), we share the same thirst for creative exploration and novelty. Unsurprisingly this is frequently quenched by copious amounts of coffee. After all, PhD students know a thing or two about the benefits of coffee, for those early morning conference sessions, long days in the field, or late nights in the computer lab. In all seriousness, it is precisely these most challenging experiences over the course of my PhD that not only shaped who I am as a critical thinker, but also impelled my growth as an individual.<\/p>\n

Financial support from this Program and my National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant, has led to career opportunities across the United States and beyond. These resources cover both conference costs and field campaigns, which serve as crucial catalysts for both my research progression and professional development.<\/p>\n

For my dissertation work, I explore feedbacks between natural shoreline dynamics and community-scale socioeconomics to understand how humans choose to manage erosion-prone beaches. Stationed at ÌÇÐÄvlog (MSU) and in close proximity to New York City and its sprawling suburbs, we can observe these human-natural interactions along the heavily developed New Jersey coastline firsthand. Toward this goal, I have constructed a numerical model that simplifies the multi-layered coastal system into its principal components. With an idealized framework, we can boil down complex connections into simple relationships, and attribute a system\u2019s outcomes to its main controls. Coastal dynamics are complicated and human behavior is no different. Linking the two is both challenging and exciting, much like a computer modeler doing fieldwork! Just don\u2019t forget your mosquito nets or you\u2019ll be itching to get back into the computer lab!<\/p>\n

\"Parramore
Draped in mosquito nets on Parramore Island, VA with former ENSM student and current Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow at the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS), Dr. Dan Ciarletta (left). June 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For one project I collaborated with researchers Drs. Chris Hein<\/a> and Justin Shawler<\/a>. I helped collect sediment samples from salt marshes, lagoons, and barrier islands along the Eastern Shore of Virginia. One of the project\u2019s goals was to reconstruct historical coastal environments, and understand how Holocene (~11,000 years ago to modern day) coastal barrier systems interact with their underlying Pleistocene (~2.5 million\u201411,000 years ago) topography. We used a Vibracoring rig in the marshes and backbarrier lagoons, mounting the coring tripod atop the 30\u2019-long Research Vessel (R\/V) Perigrination, fitted with a moon hole in the center through which we collected the subsurface sediment samples. Utilizing vibration of the core pipe, it sinks slowly through the soft lagoon\/marsh mud as far as 30 feet below the surface. This provides a glimpse into the system\u2019s past.<\/p>\n

\"collecting
From left: Edward Smith (VIMS Facilities staff), Arye Janoff (ÌÇÐÄvlog PhD student), Jennifer Connell (VIMS lab tech), Jess Raff (Vanderbilt University PhD student) and VIMS professor Chris Dr. Hein (atop tripod) collecting sediment cores in backbarrier lagoon along the Eastern Shore of Virginia. June 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We also used a direct-push drill rig (Geoprobe) to collect deeper sediments in the hopes of reaching the antecedent Pleistocene surface. The Geoprobe\u2019s name is Bruce (after our hometown hero, \u201cthe Boss\u201d), so naturally, rigs like him were born to drill. In fact, Bruce got us down to 80 feet, which indeed reached the older Pleistocene deposits (we could have gone deeper if we hadn\u2019t run out of core pipe)!<\/p>\n

\"three
From left: Dr. Dan Ciarletta (Mendenhall Fellow at USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center), Justin Shawler (VIMS PhD Student), and Arye Janoff (MSU PhD student) operating the direct-push drill rig (Geoprobe). June 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The distribution of grain sizes with depth tells us about the system\u2019s energy and the type of environment in which the sediment was deposited. These could include beaches, dune ridges, washover fans from a storm event, salt marshes, lagoons, etc. Combining multiple cores in cross-shore (perpendicular to the coast) allows us to infer the historical positions of the barrier and backbarrier marsh\/lagoon, and the resultant sea levels. Ideally, we can use various methods to constrain the timeframe corresponding to each sand or mud layer. One of which could include carbon dating of organic matter such as shell fragments. We can then conceptualize the system\u2019s evolution to describe how it might respond under future conditions (i.e. sea-level-rise rates, wave climates, etc.).<\/p>\n

\"sand
Left: rough age classification of beach sand from ~30 feet below the marsh surface. Right: fossilized crab claw and oyster shell used to estimate the age of the surrounding sedimentary deposit. June 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As coastal researchers, our hands aren\u2019t only dirtied by marsh mud and shell hash. We also use numerical models to simulate what we observe in the field. Quantitative and computational skills are important for any aspiring earth scientist, not only for research purposes but also for personal marketability. Various modeling and spatial analysis tools (Matlab, Python, R, ArcGIS\/QGIS, Google Earth Engine, etc.) allow us to explore earth systems with high efficiency from the comfort of our computer lab, and with expert doctoral faculty within arms\u2019 reach. Specifically, math-intensive discussions with my advisor, Dr. Jorge Lorenzo Trueba, have instilled a comprehensive approach to studying the dynamics of earth systems. These conversations have also taught me how to ask more compelling scientific questions.\u00a0This collaborative, integrated environment helps develop the skills necessary to transcend multiple scientific disciplines\u2014a hallmark challenge of contemporary research.<\/p>\n

While field and lab work are important for developing an expansive skillset, I often learn the most from conversations with fellow researchers at scientific conferences. Aside from the excitement of making new friends, the diversity of science questions and approaches kindles newfound curiosities for subject areas different from my own. Poster sessions are excellent venues for such conversations.<\/p>\n

\"AGU
Poster Hall at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting 2018 in Washington, DC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Not only do conferences serve to inspire, but also to test my progress and findings in front of some of the best researchers in my field. These experiences provide valuable feedback to hone my presentations in order to better articulate the key messages of my work. In addition, I often learn something new about my own earth system from these colleagues, both experienced and early career. With support from the ENSM PhD program and the NSF, I have attended various conferences across the country over the course of my degree.<\/p>\n

\"Arye
Conferences attended throughout my PhD. Clockwise from top left: MSU Student Research Symposium with MSU Professor Eric Forgoston, April 2017; AGU Fall Meeting 2017 in New Orleans, LA; AGU Fall Meeting 2018 in Washington D.C.; Sigma Xi CSAM Symposium, April 2019; Coastal Sediments in St. Petersburg, FL with Antonios Valsamidis of Swansea University, May 2019; Coastal Sediments in St. Petersburg, FL with unknown attendee, May 2019.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition, these conferences often host field trips to explore local research facilities and equipment. In St. Petersburg, FL for the Coastal Sediments 2019 meeting, colleagues and I had this opportunity. We toured the University of South Florida\u2019s College of Marine Science<\/a> and the USGS Coastal and Marine Science Center<\/a>. The experience not only exposed me to various field research methods and techniques, but also supplemented the traditional conference program with a more kinesthetic learning environment.<\/p>\n

\"vessel,
Clockwise from top left: Research Vessel (R\/V) Weatherbird II at the University of South Florida\u2019s College of Marine Science in St. Petersburg, FL, June 2019; coral core from the core lab at USGS Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, FL, June 2019; Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System (COMPS) buoys at the University of South Florida\u2019s College of Marine Science in St. Petersburg, FL, June 2019.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Taken together, these experiences from all walks of science have enriched my PhD journey, and prepared me for the next stop in my profession and life. While the future is uncertain, I rest assured that my thirst for exploration will point my career compass toward fulfillment and happiness.<\/p>\n

\"surfing
Immersed in Oceanside, CA with fellow surfer and ocean explorer, Kyle Avella, January 2017. Photo by Jesi Halprin.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Arye Janoff, ENSM PhD student, delves into his time in the program<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":531,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-students"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/environmental-management-phd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/environmental-management-phd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/environmental-management-phd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/environmental-management-phd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/environmental-management-phd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=515"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/environmental-management-phd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":903,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/environmental-management-phd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515\/revisions\/903"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/environmental-management-phd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/environmental-management-phd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/environmental-management-phd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/environmental-management-phd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}