Undergrad's research featured in inaugural journal

2011-09-26

Purdue Chemistry student Ji-Hye Seo is featured in the university's inauguralJournal of Purdue Undergraduate Researchand her research won the Vice-Provost award for best article in the journal.

Seo, a senior in evironmental chemistry, studied the unique occurrence of massive nitrate deposits in the Atacama Desert, Chile to find their origin - a mystery since their discovery in the 1800s.

TheJournal of Purdue Undergraduate Researchwas established to publish outstanding research papers written by Purdue undergraduates from all disciplines who have completed faculty-mentored research projects.

Seo worked with Dr. Greg Michalski, associate professor in the Departments of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS) and Chemistry, and his Ph.D. student, Fan Wang to study these deposits using geochemical and isotopic analysis.

Michalski is chair of the new undergraduate Environmental Geosciences major in EAS, a multidisciplinary major emphasizing undergraduate research and communication as a means of preparing Purdue undergraduates to engage in some of the grand challenges facing society such as climate change and water scarcity.

Link to research and findings:
Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research(PDF)

Source: Purdue Chemistry Communications