PhD Student
Department of Environmental Science
Research interests: microplastic, sediment cores, GIS, sediment dating, paleoclimate
Biography
Madio completed her undergraduate degree at Vassar College, earning a BA in Environmental Studies with a focus on Earth Science. Alongside her studies, she played all four years on the Vassar Women’s Soccer Team. After Vassar, Madio worked as a lab technician in Monica Arienzo’s microplastic lab at UNR, where she supported a paleoclimate project that used sediment core-derived macro charcoal as a proxy for paleo wildfires. Following that, she joined Clean Up The Lake 503c, a nonprofit organization focused on aquatic litter removal using SCUBA methods in lakes throughout the Sierra Nevada. This role enabled Madio to contribute to the protection and remediation of her home, Lake Tahoe.
Research
Madio intends to use her experience to pursue micoplactic focused investigations in lake sediments. Madio is interested in refining sediment dating techniques to make them more applicable to micro plastic work. Madio is also interested in utilizing FTIR in her research as well as GIS mapping software to better understand microplastic compositions and concentrations and how these environmental pollutants are distributed across the landscape.