Meet Amanda Theall, Senior Major in Environmental Geology

Tell us something about where you grew up.

I grew up in Portland, Maine for the majority of my life. Maine was a very spectacular place to grow up, as I was on the coast but also 1 hour from the White Mountains. So I had the best of both worlds, both swimming and hiking within a day trip. My favorite part was being able to smell the ocean and hear the ferry boats from my front door. It is partly why I developed my love for the environment and decided to pursue my environmental geology and environmental studies major.

What do you like about the EEPS Dept?

I really like how intimate the department is. There are 5 other students in my department’s graduating class and I am lucky to have been able to get to know them all very well. Particularly due to our junior field experience with Prof. Beverly Saylor where we spent our spring break in the Death Valley region. I am so grateful for all the professors and students that have made these past four year’s special.

What’s something you don’t know about or how to do, but would like to learn?

I honestly would love to learn to dance. I have always loved music as I played violin for years and was a part of a choir group for most of my childhood. I have never had the courage to pick up dance as well as my other hobbies as it scares me in a way, but I would love to take a dance class in my future.

Tell us about your senior research thesis.

I am currently doing biogeochemistry research with Prof. Mark Green. We are using the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) to use sensor and lab data of carbon and nitrogen levels in streams across the eastern United States to determine watershed ecosystem dynamics.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I really enjoy reading and running. So right now I am training for my second half marathon, which takes up a lot of my time. On April 30th I am running the race with a bunch of my college friends which I am excited about. I also am currently reading the outlander series with my roommate.

What are you enthused about for your future?

I will be graduating from CWRU in May and then I will be headed off to UNH to get my masters degree. So I am really excited about furthering my research into specifically the aquatic field as well as meeting new people in grad school.