Caleb Gum, 2018, Computer Science

Caleb Gum ’18

This research project focused on trying to measure the amount of methane released from abandoned oil and natural gas wells in West Virginia. Methane is a much more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, and previous research in Pennsylvania has suggested that methane leakages from abandoned oil and natural gas wells could be large contributors to atmospheric methane. Our team went into the field in West Virginia for several weeks to measure these emissions with two different models. My part in this project, along with measurement and analysis, was to create a handheld sensor for detecting the presence of methane leaks, analyze the potential effects of the subsurface and fracking on emissions, and to begin to develop analysis tools to be used for future research. This project has given me great insight into the process of environmental research and publication, and I would like to pursue independent work in a similar field during my time at Princeton.