The Swidden Plot, Wesleyan University E&ES (2024-2026)

As of Fall 2024, I have been continuing my work in Guyana, Regions 1, 5 and 9, with Dr. Anthony Cummings through the MA program here at Wes. Since, I’ve been quite excited to lead a project in metazoa and plant biodiversity monitoring through eDNA genetic metabarcoding in the village of Kamwatta. I couldn’t be more excited about the collaborations this project has brought, and can’t wait to have some data and publications to share soon. More to come!

Map courtesy of Dr. Anthony Cummings.

Mangrove Blue Carbon, Wesleyan University E&ES

In addition to my primary work in eDNA monitoring, I’ve also been afforded the chance to work with Dr. Cummings in his collaborations with the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) in Guyana to pilot a blue carbon survey of the Region 1 Mangrove ecosystem, and with the Guyana Marine Conservation Society (GMCS) in their drone-mapping campaign of the Barima Mora Passage (BMP).

Figure by Prof. Kim Chan of NAREI

MINTS-AI

As an undergraduate, I worked under Dr. David Lary in the Multi-Scale Integrated Intelligent Interactive Sensing lab at UT-Dallas. My primary role was working with the lab’s Portable Mass Spectrometer, and assisting in work on sensing systems in the city of Plano.

Honor’s Thesis: Characterizing the Impacts of Environmental Chemicals on Human Health

Guyana 2022 Summer Field Institute (SFI)

The Summer Field Insitute was developed as part of an NSF Career Grant for my professor, Dr. Anthony Cummings. A team from UT Dallas, the University of Guyana, and the Bina Hill Institute conducted field research in the Rupununi, surveying local farmers on their experiences regarding climate adaptation and traditional practices under Dr. Anthony Cummings (2021 NSF Career Grant).

  • Research papers in development.

Publications I’ve been involved in:

  • Talebi, S.; Lary, D.J.; Wijeratne, L.O.H.; Fernando, B.; Lary, T.; Lary, M.; Sadler, J.; Sridhar, A.; Waczak, J.; Aker, A.; Zhang, Y. Decoding Physical and Cognitive Impacts of Particulate Matter Concentrations at Ultra-Fine Scales. Sensors 2022, 22, 4240. https://doi.org/10.3390/s22114240

  • Lary, D.J.; Schaefer, D.; Waczak, J.; Aker, A.; Barbosa, A.; Wijeratne, L.O.H.; Talebi, S.; Fernando, B.; Sadler, J.; Lary, T.; Lary, M.D. Autonomous Learning of New Environments with a Robotic Team Employing Hyper-Spectral Remote Sensing, Comprehensive In-Situ Sensing and Machine Learning. Sensors 2021, 21, 2240. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21062240

Publications in Progress:

  • [Lead Author] Methods of Climate Change Adaptation Among the Makushi Tribe of Guyana, with Dr. Anthony Cummings and Dr. Adam Matthews

Posters:

  • Portable Chemical Sensing in Environmental Field Research: A Review (2021)

Thesis:

  • Characterizing the Impact of Environmental Chemicals on Human Health (2022)

The Air Quality Lab, Chemical Instrumentation Specialist

My first job out of undergrad was at the HEART Air Quality Lab, where several other students from the MINTS lab and I worked to connect top-tier atmospheric sensing instrumentation with modeling of air quality and chemical kinetics.

In my time there, I had the opportunity to manage, operate, and standardize a series of trace gas analyzers, mass spectrometers, and bioaerosol sensors in the monitoring of chemical kinetics. Much of our work was expanding on the Master Chemical Mechanism for atmospheric chemistry from the University of Leeds and NASA’s JPL, and applying them to indoor air quality metrics.

Exciting research tools I love. Note that I am not an expert on all of them, and am still learning about most of them. So I wouldn’t recommend emailing me with specific questions! Although you’re welcome to.

  • Semantic Scholar (favorite literature search engine)

  • Quarto

  • PanDoc

  • D3 (one day I will master plots)

  • Obsidian (note-taking/second brain)

  • Julia Programming Language

  • Connected Papers (INSTANT LITERATURE REVIEWS!)

  • NodeRed