Lab Members In Action:
Deon H. Knights
Assistant Professor
Deon Knights is a hydrologist who investigates water quality issues in coastal zones. Deon uses a combination of field experiments, laboratory analyses, and models to understand water transport and solute behavior in complicated coastal systems, including Arctic deltas, tidal freshwater rivers, and coastal aquifers. His research examines how hydrodynamics control the transport, storage, and cycling of inorganic nutrients and contaminants using reactive transport models. Deon teaches courses in the Department of Earth Science and Geography and the Environmental Studies Program that focus on the interface between hydrology, geology, climate change, sustainability, and lived human experiences of water resources. Deon received his BS from the University of Delaware (fighting Blue Hens) and his MS and PD from The Ohio State University (Go Bucks!). When not doing research he enjoys hanging out with his family especially his wife and kids. He plays tennis, cricket, soccer and snowboards. His favorite part of field work is trying different foods from different places
Jordan Alch
Research Assistant
Jordan is a current senior at Vassar from Orlando, Florida pursuing an undergraduate degree in both Earth Science and Anthropology. She is currently working on a project to learn how both manmade and beaver dams affect water quality and nutrient cycling. Jordan is also interested in geomorphology (specifically karst terrains), climate change, Earth history, and archaeology. When not working, she can be found crocheting, rereading and rewatching her favorite books and TV shows, or thinking about aquariums.
Aneesh Koppolu
Research Assistant
Aneesh is an undergraduate student who is analyzing the impact of varying spatial resolutions on nitrogen removal in river deltas. He is utilizing hydrology machine learning algorithms, computer vision theory, and visualization tools such as QGIS to quantify the results. Aneesh is pursuing a double major in statistics and computer science, and he is passionate about applying the conceptual and theoretical knowledge to real-life contexts. Outside of academics, Aneesh loves to play cricket, volleyball, and basketball. He also enjoys hanging out with friends and trying new types of food.
Jillian Hamann
Lab Assistant
Jillian (who's friends and lab-mates call her Jilly) studies biogeochemical exchange in the groundwater and surface water surrounding beaver induced wetlands. By using a combination of field and lab experiments, she hopes to establish a better understanding of the impact of beaver dams on biogeochemical processes, and how that relates to human influences on nutrient transport and concentrations. Originally from northern California, her experiences with wildfires and other natural disasters caused by climate change motivate her work to understand biogeochemical processes in the context of climate change. Jilly is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in chemistry with a minor in music performance. Outside of school and work she enjoys dancing, trying new restaurants with her friends, and reading books with her cat Tim.
Previous Members:
Kyra Hoffman '24
Research Assistant
Kyra Hoffman from Massachusetts and graduated from Vassar in May 2024 with a BA in Environmental Studies with concentrations in earth science and anthropology. She worked to examine how seasonality and nutrient load influenced nutrient uptake in beaver wetlands and streams. She is continuing work in environmental studies as the Jill Troy Werner Sustainability Fellow, promoting sustainability initiatives and student projects at Vassar.
Elinor Kops
Research Assistant
Elinor is from the gorges Ithaca, NY which absolutely kickstarted her love for the earth and the outdoors! In the earth science marine biogeochemistry lab, Elinor worked to process microfossils (foraminifera) in benthic sediment cores to reconstruct the paleoclimate via relevant isotope evaluations. Her thesis research delved into topics like biogeochemical cycling and nutrient spiraling specifically in beaver engineered wetlands.
Sebastian Montañez
Research Assistant
Sebastian studied chemical differentiation among heterogeneous hydrologic environments in Arctic Deltas. He quantified chemical variation among heterogeneous environments within the Mackenzie River Delta by looking at statistical differences in factors like nutrient processing rate and water nutrient concentrations.