Laura Leonard
Published:
This is the first of many introductions, written by the graduate students, techs, postdocs, and PIs of the GEM Lab- PhD student Laura Leonard was kind enough to jump off first so without further adieu…
A blurb about me
I am a PhD student who has a B.S. and M.S. in Environmental Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. I work in Josh Sharp’s group studying the impacts of mountain pine beetle infestation in Crested Butte, CO. Specifically, I am studying the biogeochemical alterations associated with pine beetle induced tree mortality. By characterizing the soil gas flux, porewater, and microbial community shifts associated with pine needle decay, we hope to determine the implications for forest recovery and nutrient export that could aid in the prediction for shifts in ecosystem function in montane watersheds.
