Ian Power

Assistant Professor, B.Sc. and Ph.D. (Western University), P.Geo. (ON)

Welcome to PowerGeolab!  I'm an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Environmental Geoscience as well as a Professional Geoscientist in Ontario (P.Geo.).  My interdisciplinary approach to science crosses conventional research boundaries to discover, understand, and harness processes that have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while training a new generation of scientists to tackle these pressing environmental issues. My team is researching a range of geochemical, mineralogical, and geobiological processes for carbon dioxide removal through CO2 mineralization and enhanced weathering. We carry out laboratory experiments, mineralogical and geochemical analyses, and fieldwork to understand the drivers and limitations of geologic processes that sequester CO2.

ianpower@trentu.ca; Twitter & Instagram: @ianmalcolmpower; ResearchGate, Google Scholar

Heather Klyn-Hesselink

Master’s student, B.Sc. (Western University)

I am an M.Sc. student in the Environmental and Life Sciences program at Trent University. My passion is climate change mitigation, and to that end, I am examining how enhanced rock weathering of silicates and carbonates has the potential to draw CO2 from the atmosphere and be stored in alternative forms. More specifically, I will be examining the overall path of carbon as it makes its way from the atmosphere and enhanced rock powders into the soils and microbiomes and the runoff produced from leaching. These studies will help to determine the net potential of enhanced rock weathering, be it positive or negative, and the impact of such techniques on soils and agricultural health.

heatherklynhesselink@trentu.ca; LinkedIn

Zivi Schaffer

Master’s student, B.Sc. (Trent)

I am an Environmental Geoscience undergraduate who joined the PowerGeolab in 2020 as a research assistant. In the summer of 2021, I began researching enhanced rock weathering of kimberlite mine residues amended to soils for determining their potential for CO2 sequestration. I am currently gathering data from field experiments at Trent University to calculate mineral dissolution rates to contribute to our lab's research in mitigating climate change. In addition, my work can be applied to the mining and agricultural sectors in which powdered rocks can act to remove CO2 from the atmosphere when spread over large areas.

zivischaffer@trentu.ca; Twitter: @zivschaf; LinkedIn

Ben Bates

Honours thesis student, Environmental Geoscience undergraduate student

I am an undergraduate student in the Honours Environmental Geoscience program at Trent University and joined the PowerGeolab in Fall of 2022 as a research assistant. I am now using the research skills I developed to pursue my honours thesis, which focuses on CO2 mineralization of mine wastes from non-mafic ore bodies. I have previous experience as a junior survey and exploration geologist, which has allowed me to gain critical industry knowledge. I am hoping to utilize my industry knowledge, combined with my research skills, to develop CO2 mineralization technology that will contribute towards offsetting CO2 emissions from the mining sector.

benbates@trentu.ca

Sam Gottschalk

Honours thesis student, Environmental Chemistry undergraduate student

Larissa Wallisch

Research Assistant, Environmental Geoscience undergraduate student

I am an undergraduate student in the Honours Environmental Geoscience program at Trent University.  My interests include studying geological processes and their relevance to addressing environmental challenges relating to CO2 sequestration.  I joined the PowerGeolab in Spring 2023 as a research assistant working on data collection and analyses of CO2 drawdown via enhanced rock weathering through field and lab experiments.  My goal is to contribute to developing long-term green technologies that mitigate climate change caused by utilizing natural resources and teaching others about geoscience.

larissawallisch@trentu.ca; Twitter: @larissawallisch; LinkedIn

Victoria Hatten

Research Assistant, Environmental Geoscience undergraduate student

I am an environmental geoscience undergraduate student at Trent University who began working as a research assistant in the PowerGeolab in the fall of 2023. I am assisting with gathering data from enhanced rock weathering field experiments on Trent's campus. My goals include contributing to finding more effective mine tailings management methods to reduce GHG emissions and using the generated mining waste to accelerate CO2 sequestration to mitigate climate change.

Jamie Burnett

Research Assistant, Environmental Geoscience undergraduate student

I am an undergraduate student enrolled in the Environmental Geoscience program at Trent University. In the fall of 2023, I joined the PowerGeolab as an eager research assistant. My work involves supporting graduate students in the laboratory, specifically in their studies regarding enhanced rock weathering for removing CO2 from the atmosphere. This research includes helping with sample collection and preparing samples for subsequent analysis. I am passionate about addressing the extensive challenge of climate change through a scientific lens, and I look forward to advancing carbon sequestration research. I am excited to contribute to this vital topic in climate science to achieve a sustainable future.