Student cutting samples from a section of peat in a lab.

Dismantling a Mesocosm

Some students aren't afraid to get their hands dirty.

Some students aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.

Harttung is willing is dive elbow-deep into sopping wet peat and slice off chunks using a bread knife. She did just that over the summer while helping US Forest Service researchers and ecology faculty, including her advisor Evan Kane.

They dismantled a peat mesocosm experiment that spanned four years as part of ongoing ecology research to better understand global carbon cycles. A mesocosm, Harttung says, is the balance between micro and macro—the perfect size for a big- to-do kind of experiment.

"Climate change is very real and no one person can stop it. However, I'm doing the best I can to further humanity's understanding of this global process through research."Sarah Hartung
