The research expedition had the supervision of two faculty members of the School of Geological Sciences and Engineering.

Patricia Rengel and Juan Changoluisa, students from the School of Geological Sciences and Engineering, did a research expedition to Yellowstone National Park. The expedition was planned and supervised by Alysia Cox, assistant professor and Brian St. Clair, lecturer, from the same school. The field trip was held from August 5 to 18, 2017, and had the collaboration of a research group: the Laboratory Exploring Geo-Biochemical Engineering and Natural Dynamics (LEGEND).

LEGEND does research on the geochemistry and microbiology of hot spring ecosystems with the permission of the National Park Service. Future applications of this research include linking changes in the deep hydrothermal system to measurable changes in surface chemistry and microbial activity, which could potentially help monitor the status of Yellowstone’s Supervolcano. Moreover, this research could be replicated in hot springs ecosystem in Ecuador in order to better understand the processes that take place in hydrothermal environments in our country. The students took part in the exploration of the transition to photosynthesis, field measurements of temperature, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, ferrous iron, silica, and sulfide measurements in hot spring locations.

For Juan Changoluisa the days spent in Yellowstone National Park were incredibly useful, the opportunity to be part of a research group as LEGEND contributed a lot to improve his research skills. On the other side, Patricia Rengel marked this experience as an opportunity to find new perspective of science and collaborative research, she met people with different interests and majors as Geochemistry, Chemistry, Biology and Geology, and this encourages her to establish a team with goals and passion to work in geochemistry in Ecuador.

Both students expressed their special gratitude to the university and the Rector, Chancellor, Geology Dean, and others who made the research expedition possible.

*This article was written with information and text provided by both students.