Current laboratory members
Marion Divers, Ph.D. Candidate
Marion joined the Elliott Lab in Fall 2007 after completing her B.S. and BPhil in Environmental Geology, Department of Geology & Planetary Science, University of Pittsburgh. Marion's thesis research is based on hydrological, geochemical, and nitrate isotope dynamics in Nine Mile Run, the longest restored stream in the U.S., located in Pittsburgh. Marion recently received an Outstanding Student Paper Award from the Hydrology Section of the American Geophysical Union for her presentation at the 2008 Fall Meeting.
Lucy Rose, Ph.D. Candidate
Lucy joined us in Fall 2009 with a M.S. degree from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her M.S. research focused on forest litterfall biogeochemistry and she later worked with the U.S. Forest Service and the Nature Conservancy on several projects pertaining to fire ecology. Lucy's research at Pitt is focused on efforts to quantify stages of forest nitrogen saturation using mass-independent nitrate isotopes in stream and soil waters. She was recently chosen as a fellow to attend the "INitial TRAining network in Mass Independent Fractionation" (INTRAMIF) workshop sponsored by the Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN) in East Anglia, UK.
Elliott lab alumni:
J. David Felix, Ph.D., December 2012
Dave joined us in Fall 2008 after completing his M.S. at UNC-Wilmington developing analytical methods for isotopic analyses of nitrite and nitrate in fresh and brackish waters and methanol measurements in precipitation. His dissertation research is focused on characterizing the isotopic signatures of reactive nitrogen emissions and particulate matter, and using isotopic analyses to trace the transport and fate of nitrogenous emissions in the environment.
Katherine Redling, M.S. , December 2010
Katie's thesis research used stable isotopes in vegetation, CO2 and dry nitrogen deposition to assess the affect of fossil fuel-derived NOx and CO2 on vegetation along the Baltimore LTER urban to rural gradient. She also established a urban to rural gradient in the Pittsburgh region- and examined the role of vehicle emissions on near-road deposition rates at the Carnegie Powdermill Nature Reserve. Katie was awarded Outstanding Mention for her research proposal to the Geological Society of America in 2008.
Kathleen Tuite, B.S., December 2011
Kathleen double majored in Chemistry and Environmental Studies. She conducted a multi-year research project investigating urban rates of ammonia and nitrate deposition in Pittsburgh. Kathleen completed method development work on using mixed anion resins to capture bulk deposition and used these collectors to assess spatial heterogenity in atmospheric N deposition within the Nine Mile Run watershed. Kathleen received multiple Undergraduate Research Fellowship awards. She graduated in December 2011 and began work in January 2012 as an Environmental Consultant with GAI.