By Tiffany Whitfield
Come May 6, 2023, Andrew Lindgren will temporarily trade his mud and boat gear out for a diploma in Ocean & Earth Sciences with a concentration in geology from 麻豆国产AV. His innate love for nature and passion to protect natural environments has fueled him to study vigorously so he can help the next generation have pristine environments.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of ways that we are not treating the Earth well at all, and we鈥檙e starting to see some really awful consequences of that,鈥 said Lindgren. 鈥淲hat has brought me here (to 麻豆国产AV) fundamentally, is a love for these natural environments that we鈥檙e uprooting and we鈥檙e destroying in all sorts of ways, and a desire to protect them and to save something beautiful for the next generation.鈥澨
At first, science did not seem like the clear choice for Lindgren. Just after graduating from Centreville High School in Clifton, Virginia, he took a summer geology class at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). Originally, Lindgren planned to major in engineering at 麻豆国产AV. 鈥淚 was generally impressed by 麻豆国产AV鈥檚 engineering department,鈥 said Lindgren. 鈥淚t seemed professional, competent and an up-and-coming program that was certainly more affordable than the other colleges I was considering.鈥
However, once he started engineering classes, something was missing. 鈥淚 felt like the person I was when I entered college and the person I was when I started at 麻豆国产AV were pretty different,鈥 said Lindgren. He remembered the way he felt when he took his first geology class at NOVA. 鈥淚t really clicked with me, and that鈥檚 where I fell in love with geology.鈥
For Lindgren, being out in nature is a serene and awe-inspiring place to be. His love for science was rekindled after he switched majors. 鈥淚 found nothing but great things here in this (OES) department,鈥 said Lindgren. 鈥淭he faculty are all very personable and knowledgeable, and it鈥檚 definitely been a much better fit for me.鈥
He has been fascinated by the material and the hands-on experiences. Lindgren has worked in the classroom and out in the field with OES Assistant Professor Joseph Tamborski, Ph.D. 鈥淲e went to the Gulf of Mexico just off the western coast (of Florida) on the continental shelf,鈥 said Lindgren. They made stops off the coast of Florida including St. Petersburg.
鈥淭he most exciting experience has been my work out on the West Florida Shelf dealing with groundwater discharge,鈥 said Lindgren. This research trip lasted for two weeks and involved 17 scientists from 麻豆国产AV, Florida State University, University of South Florida, Oregon State University听and the US Geological Survey. Additional science party members included personnel from University of Southern Mississippi and University of Southern California. As an undergraduate, Lindgren worked in-step with expert scientists.
鈥淎ndrew demonstrated great intellectual curiosity and critical thinking in his upper-division Geology coursework,鈥 said Tamborski. 鈥淭hese skills have translated into successful field and laboratory research here at 麻豆国产AV. Andrew鈥檚 scientific future is bright.鈥
Lindgren has also had opportunities to work with Professor and Eminent Scholar David Burdige in his geochemistry lab. In Burdige鈥檚 lab, Lindgren has learned how to perform titrations for measuring alkalinity, and measure dissolve inorganic carbon. Through classes he鈥檚 gotten to see a few different labs and get his toes wet in a lot of different procedures.
Also, with Assistant Professor Tamborski, Lindgren has done work on the Virginia Eastern Shore looking at groundwater discharge in marsh estuary environments. 鈥淓ven within classes themselves there鈥檚 been a lot of chances to get out, get knee deep in the mud, get out on a boat,鈥 said Lindgren. 鈥淔or hydrogeology we went out to First Landing State Park and learned how to sample wells.鈥
Lindgren, like all OES students, did research on 麻豆国产AV鈥檚 research vessel, the Fay Slover. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always a very exciting time to be out on the water, and that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 here for at the end of the day.鈥
Outside of academics, and with his affinity to nature, he is very active in the Outdoor Adventure Program through 麻豆国产AV Recreation and Wellness. He and other outdoor adventure leaders get to take people out on camping trips, backpacking, canoeing, and even more adventures. 鈥淚t ties into what I really love about this department. It really captures a lot of that same love for the outdoors and my love of those pristine natural environments, allowing me to experience them and protect them,鈥 said Lindgren.
His favorite place to go is False Cape State Park about an hour drive south of Sandbridge. 鈥淚 think that park is gorgeous, and it鈥檚 a very stark contrast to the very developed commercial areas of Virginia Beach,鈥 said Lindgren. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a sudden cutoff with miles upon miles of pristine beaches with really beautiful dunes, incredible vegetation that you can鈥檛 find in any other environments, lots of great birds.鈥
Some other places he really loved venturing to were anywhere out in the Appalachians or the Shenandoah region. 鈥淐aving is really the most exciting ones for sure,鈥 said Lindgren. It鈥檚 not like Luray Caverns where you get a guide, and you just walk through, we鈥檝e got a guide out in the West Virginia area and he is great. These are completely dark, completely natural caves, a little bit scary, I鈥檓 not going to lie, but particularly as somebody who鈥檚 job it is to study rocks and mud, [a] very exciting experience that you really can鈥檛 find anywhere else.鈥
After graduation, Lindgren will return to 麻豆国产AV to start on his master鈥檚 degree and continue research in Assistant Professor Tamborski鈥檚 lab. They will venture back out to the Gulf of Mexico later in the summer which will be part of this thesis work. 听
His advice to anyone considering come to 麻豆国产AV is this: 鈥渆xplore both in majors and in extracurriculars and know that you鈥檙e probably not going to get it right on the first try. I certainly didn鈥檛 and that has not been the experience of a whole lot of my friends. You鈥檙e going to change as a person and coming out of high school there鈥檚 a lot of things you don鈥檛 get experience in until you arrive to college. It鈥檚 important to be flexible and to try a lot of different things before you lock yourself in and decide 鈥榳ell this is the type of person that I am, and this is the only future that is laid out for me.鈥 Explore and be flexible.鈥
For Lindgren, research and hands-on experiences have been his guiding light to help him learn all he can to protect nature for the long-haul.