91�Թ���

Geology alumna ­­awarded fellowship for climate research

Sarah McGrath ’17, a geology major at 91�Թ���, was awarded a��Schlanger��Ocean Drilling Fellowship which provides merit-based grants for graduate students enrolled in a doctoral program who plan to conduct research related to the International Ocean Discovery Program. Chosen for the 2020-21 academic year, McGrath was able to use the $30,000 to fund a chapter of her dissertation. Currently a doctoral candidate at Brown University, McGrath studies paleoclimatology, the study of past climates, and��earned her master’s at the same institution in 2019. “My paleoclimate research focuses on understanding Indian summer monsoon variability��over the last million years,” McGrath said. “By improving our understanding of monsoonal��rainfall and��circulation, we can better predict how the Indian summer monsoon will change due to��anthropogenic, or human-caused,��climate change.”��

After receiving her master’s, McGrath spent the summer sailing off the coast of Chile conducting research on sediment in the southern Pacific Ocean. “I was a member of the science team, working as a��sedimentologist, describing sediment cores��taken��from up to 100 meters below the seafloor,” she said. McGrath��felt prepared for this��hands-on research experience��after��taking part��in��several��similar��opportunities as a Wooster student.��“I was able to do geology research as part of the sophomore research program and as a Claire Booth Luce Research Scholar, in addition to Independent Study,”��she��said.��This included field��and lab��work with��earth sciences professors, Shelley Judge and Gregory Wiles, as well as summer internships at Columbia University and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.��“These research projects furthered my lab and analytical skills while allowing me to fine tune my��research interests in paleoclimate,”��McGrath said.��

Planning to graduate in 2022, McGrath published��her����about the monsoon research��in the journal,��Geophysical Research Letters,��and has the goal of becoming a professor.��For Wooster students interested in pursuing related topics at Wooster or post-graduation, McGrath advised, “Take advantage of research opportunities and summer��internships��at Wooster��and��try out different research areas��to determine what is��most interesting to you!”

Above: Sarah McGrath ’17 conducting research off the coast of Chile in summer 2019

Posted in Alumni on April 19, 2021.