Biography and Research Topic: Maggie Kastroll is a first-year graduate student in the Department of Earth & Environmental Geosciences at Ohio University. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Science from Chatham University in 2024, where her capstone research examined the relationships between geology, infrastructure, urbanization, and landslide susceptibility.
Her master’s research focuses on Maxwelton Sink Cave, West Virginia. This work integrates field investigations and laboratory analyses, including the characterization of petroleum by-products and the use of paleoflood records to better understand contaminant persistence and transport over time. Through this research, she aims to improve understanding of contaminant behavior in complex karst systems and support more effective remediation and management strategies.
More broadly, Maggie is interested in Earth system processes, the impacts of human activity, and the resulting environmental consequences. She found her interest in the geoscience field with the support of many mentors, most notably Dr. Springer (advisor @ Ohio University) and Dr. Riddell (Chatham University). Her academic and professional experiences have provided a strong interdisciplinary foundation and have led to valuable opportunities, including an upcoming internship with GFT in their geotechnical, dams, and hydraulics department, where she hopes to further apply her skills to real-world environmental and engineering challenges.