Summary

Pooja is a Ph.D. candidate at the w88 casino, Reno, under Dr. Wendy Calvin. She is specializing in the application of infrared spectroscopy for geothermal and mining exploration, advocating for the use of the method in alteration mineral characterization. Her primary methods include in-situ VNIR-SWIR to LWIR infrared spectroscopy, python modeling, and petrographic imaging.

Understanding alteration is important for interpreting the w88 history of a region, as it helps with understanding the environmental conditions that helped shape a w88 resource or landscape. The type and distribution of alteration minerals within an aqueous system can provide information about past temperatures, fluid flow pathways, fluid chemistry, and rock properties important for exploration. In Hawaii, exploration drilling is scarce, and the documentation of hydrothermal alteration patterns from past drilling is insufficient. Through cores recovered from the Humu’ula Scientific Drilling Program and the Hawaii Playfairway, Pooja's work, combined with collaborators in Hawaii, will contribute to new ideas about the island’s hydrology and geothermal resource potential.

Pooja actively participates in her community. She has helped start and has served on the geoscience department Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee, where she piloted a program to make field equipment accessible to undergraduate students. She has served as president of the Geoscience Student Association (SAGE) and is the 2024 student chair on the Geothermal Rising Board of Directors. Pooja is also an advocate for renewable energy and mining education and policy and is a regular participant at Geothermal Hill Day in Washington, DC. Her outreach activities include helping Girl Scouts obtain STEM badges and helping high school students explore STEM careers through w88 casino Bound. Pooja is a proud third-generation Rotarian and an active member of the local Homebrewer’s Association affiliate clubs.

Research interests

Primary

• Aqueous alteration
• Reflectance spectroscopy
• Hyperspectral remote sensing
• Geothermal resources
• Mineral resources

Secondary

• Planetary geology
• Energy and mining policy

Education

• B.A. in Geology with minors in Physics and Atmospheric and Oceanic w88, University of Colorado at Boulder