Julia Charest

Julia Charest is a Master's student and graduate research assistant in Staver Lab. Julia graduated from Union College in 2022 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences. For her undergraduate senior thesis research project, she investigated the use of stable carbon isotopes in soluble sugars extracted from Sphagnum mosses to assess the periodicity of droughts. After she graduated, Julia moved to Massachusetts where she worked as a field assistant at Woodwell Climate Research Center. At Woodwell, she supported field research regarding biodiversity and carbon storage on the island of Martha's Vineyard. This experience, as well as regular family vacations to Cape Cod growing up, sparked her interest in tidal wetlands. With her advisor Lorie Staver, Julia is investigating the effects of a prescribed burn on coupled nitrification/denitrification reactions in a restored salt marsh on the Chespeake Bay.