Doctoral student in civil and environmental engineering earns DOE research award
Published: May 24, 2024 12:00 PM
By Dustin Duncan
Nora Lopez Rivera, doctoral student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was honored with a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) award.
The award allows Lopez Rivera to work for a year in a national DOE laboratory further to expand her research and network with other scientists. Rivera said she will research at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington.
Her project titled “Microdiffraction Phase Mapping and In Situ Mineral Transformation Monitoring for Parametrizing Reactive Transport Models” focuses on developing a methodology with the micro XRD technique to acquire modeling data for basaltic rocks.
“I specifically research geochemical reactivities between injected CO2 (carbon dioxide) and underground geological formations,” Lopez Rivera said. “I do this by building reactive transport models using data from geological formations being considered for CO2 storage.”
She said many reactive transport models are used for sedimentary rock formation — the most common rocks used to store CO2 — but volcanic rocks, such as basalts, have recently shown they are also capable of CO2 storage. However, reactive transport modeling isn’t often used for igneous formations like basalts.
Lopez Rivera said she plans to take this opportunity to learn a new technique for acquiring modeling data and working with basaltic formations. She also looks forward to networking with many scientists who share her vision of helping her advance academically.
“As a female, the first graduate in my family and a Latina from Puerto Rico, I am incredibly proud to have received this award,” she said.
Lauren Beckingham, W. Allen and Martha Reed Associate Professor in civil and environmental engineering and Lopez Rivera’s advisor, said she is poised for a successful career.
“Nora is doing great work leveraging her expertise in geology to consider engineered subsurface systems suitable for geologic CO2 sequestration,” Beckingham said. “Her selection for this fellowship is a well-deserved recognition of her excellent work and promising future.”
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Nora Lopez Rivera, doctoral student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, poses for a photo on Auburn University's campus.
