Acacemic focus: Biogeochemistry, contaminant fate and transport
Lab website: gersonlab.weebly.com
Research summary: I am a watershed biogeochemist. I study how anthropogenic activities have altered the cycling of nutrients and contaminants through watersheds. I focus on the fate, transport and transformation of these elements and compounds within and between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. I am particularly interested in linked biogeochemical cycles within complex socioenvironmental systems. I also evaluate the implications of contaminants for the people and animals that live in these landscapes.
What do you like to do when you're not working?
I like to be outdoors – hiking, biking, paddling, camping, walking my dog or catching a sunset. I also play the harp and love to bake.
What are your current outreach/extension projects?
I co-founded and currently direct Girls on outdoor Adventure for Leadership and Science (GALS), a free summer science program for high school students to learn science hands-on while overnight camping and backpacking through the wilderness. It was created to increase opportunities for students who identify as female or gender nonconforming, students of color, students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and other groups underrepresented in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math).
What are three adjectives people might use to describe you?
Determined, hard-working, optimistic
What (specifically) brought you to Cornell CALS?
First, I am very excited by the research: intellectual climate, collaborative culture, legacy of biogeochemical research, and high density of researchers working in adjacent fields. Second, I am excited by the students: I am looking forward to involving not only graduate students but also CALS undergraduate students in my research projects. Finally, I am excited to return to central New York, where I completed my undergraduate and master’s degrees.
What do you think is important for people to understand about your field?
As a biogeochemist, I study how chemicals cycle through geologic and biological systems. Specifically, my research focuses on contaminants. I believe it is important to characterize how these elements and compounds are cycling, so that we can better manage and mitigate their harmful impacts. There is still hope for a healthier ecosystem.
Why did you feel inspired to pursue a career in this field?
I have always been passionate about chemistry, the environment and human health. As a biogeochemist, I can work at the intersection of these fields. Biogeochemistry also allows me to delve into interesting scientific questions and then apply the results to improving environmental and human health.
What's the most surprising/interesting thing you've discovered about Cornell and/or Ithaca so far?
Cornell was the first Ivy League school to admit women.
If you could relate your work to one of the four transdisciplinary moonshots, which one would you most closely align with and why? They are: Redesigning 21st Century Agri-Food Systems; Accelerating Holistic Climate Solutions; Leading in Synthetic Biology; and Pioneering Life Science Breakthroughs.
My work relates most to Accelerating Holistic Climate Solutions. As the climate changes, the way elements cycle through the environment is also impacted. Biogeochemistry must, therefore, take into account the realities of climate change and work to develop solutions that merge benefits for the climate with reducing contaminant risk.
