Hannah Medina

I am a fourth year undergraduate student with a major in Chemistry, concentrating in Environmental Chemistry, and a minor in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. The focus of my research is how the ash from the 2017 Thomas Fire affects phytoplankton growth along the coasts of Southern California. Being from Ventura County myself, I’m interested in learning more about local phytoplankton as well as the natural disaster that impacted my hometown so greatly.

 

For my research, water samples were collected at various beaches along the Southern California coast, from Santa Barbara to Newport Beach, in order to see how far the effects of the fire were observed. In addition, ash samples were collected, analyzed, and added to water samples to measure dose responses. My research is funded by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP).