Juan Pablo Alvarado ’23
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Clay-Aginate Mixture as a Proxy for Mineral-Oganic Interactions in Soils
Certificate(s): Materials Science and Engineering
The goal of my internship was to explore the impact of the coupling of biofilms and clay on the sedimentary and rheological properties of an aqueous solution. Clay amounts to a large percentage of sediment throughout the world and there is a need to understand the fundamental properties of clay that dictate its flow. It is thought that natural organic matter impacts the properties of clay that dictate flow. The goal of my research was to provide insight and preliminary findings to better understand this phenomenon. To achieve this goal, I read relevant literature on the research surrounding the topic, created a protocol for my experimental work, and used the Anton Paar MCR 501 rheometer to perform measurements. Doing this work, however, has made me realize that I would like to transition into environmental justice and focus on a direct connection between society and the environment. Although I have been passionate about my work, I have recently been inspired to pursue an interdisciplinary approach to climate change in my future endeavors.
2022
Water and the Environment
Interfacial Water Group, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University - Princeton, New Jersey
Ian C. Bourg, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the High Meadows Environmental Institute; Avery Agles, Ph.D. candidate, Chemical and Biological Engineering