For more than five years, Kathryn Graham ’21, MS ’24 has called Binghamton home.
Graham, a native of Union Springs, New York, describes his upbringing as rural. She spent most of her youth outdoors. She chose to attend Binghamton University because of its proximity, but more importantly, the First-Year Research Immersion (FRI) program caught her eye. The FRI program provides first-year students with three semesters of authentic research experience, building strong connections and serving as a springboard to a successful career.
Graham’s thought process in choosing environmental science as a major was simple.
“If there’s a difference I can make in terms of helping the environment, that’s what I want to do,” she said.
After graduating in 2021, Graham took a year off from studies and went to work. She returned to Binghamton the following year to earn a master’s degree in geology.
This summer, she began work on her PhD in geology and plans to complete her PhD in 2027.
“There’s a lot of overlap between geology and environmental science. Geology is still very important in terms of helping the environment,” Graham explained.
She spent her summers in the lab with fellow graduate student Ying Dan Lin, growing rock salt crystals that mimic natural fluid inclusion bands. Through a process called nucleation-assisted microthermometry, a laser passes through the liquid inclusions to create vapor bubbles that allow researchers to determine the temperature from the time of day and environment in which the sample was taken.
Graham is excited to have access to ancient samples, especially those from around 250 million years ago at the Permian-Triassic boundary. The goal is to take these ancient samples, analyze temperature changes over different time periods and regions, and apply it to the Earth today to predict what will happen in the future.
“Understanding past temperatures gives us a better understanding of what our future will look like,” she said.
Graham said his experience as a Binghamton student, earning three different degrees in the scheduled eight years, was great, and praised the small and personal nature of the Earth Sciences Department.
“Each department allows you to find your community, your place, your place,” she said.
The latest addition to Graham’s life is his puppy, Luna.
“Before classes started, my boyfriend and I took her to campus and camped out in the graduate student lounge in the library,” she said. “I mean, she’s been on campus and smelled everything on campus!”
Ms. Graham won the summer photo contest sponsored by the Binghamton Graduate Admissions Association. Photos of lab work and lovely photos of Luna were submitted to this contest. These can be found on the Office of Recruitment and Graduate Admissions’ Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. With the prize money, Graham received a T-shirt, a $50 gift card to the Binghamton University Bookstore, and was selected to be featured in this feature article.
