Meet our summer intern and blogger, Lauren Hoyerman, who will be a senior this fall at Falmouth Academy. Lauren shares with us a passion for Woods Hole, a love that is rooted in her appreciation of the physical beauty of the area, her interest in photography and the knowledge she has gained living in one of the most cutting-edge science communities in the US.
“It’s impossible to grow up near Woods Hole and not become interested in science,” said Hoyerman who has worked as an intern at almost all of Woods Hole’s science centers including the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI), the Marine Biological Laboratories (MBL), and the Woods Hole Research Center.
Our blogger Lauren Hoyerman and her teacher Jo Muller taking a core out from the Quissett Peat Marsh.
Our blogger and her classmate as they count desert algae cells.
Hoyerman shared more about her favorite Woods Hole science project: “Last year, my junior year at FA, I worked at the Woods Hole Research Center alongside amazing mentors, Josef Kellndorfer, Wayne Walker, and Greg Fiske. I have always been interested in environmental science and knew I wanted to work with a hands on project. After a few brainstorm sessions I found myself in the midst of a massive carbon assessment forestry project. “
“For the entire fall and early winter I ventured into forests all over Falmouth and measured the widths and heights of 1,500 trees. Using that information I was able to calculate the carbon storage availability of Falmouth forests and gain a better understanding of how much carbon storage Cape Cod has lost throughout the years.”
Hoyerman measuring a tree’s height with a laser back in East Falmouth.
“I was able to make a rough estimate that the loss of carbon storage availability from 1830 to 2003 was around 7, 320, and 000 tons of carbon. The substantial loss was not entirely surprising because of course after the industrial revolution Cape Cod’s landscape drastically changed, “ said the young scientist.
“Although I calculated a few other changes, my project primarily focused on the validation of a previously existing work national biomass carbon data set map. After months of field and calculations I was finally able to extract map values from the WHRC’s map and compare them to my own measurements. The correlation between my data and the national set was extraordinary. What a joy to work on such a project with amazing mentors like the scientists you find here in Woods Hole, “ concluded Hoyerman.
The Woods Hole Business Association is honored to be working with this independent and industrious young woman. You will see her around the village, camera in hand, and enjoy her lovely pictures and blog-posts, right here on WoodsHole.com.
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