Florence T. Ling

Education

Pennsylvania State University

State College, PA
Aug. 2011 - Dec. 2016

Dartmouth College

Hanvover, NH
Sept. 2007 - June 2011

Ph.D. - Department of Geosciences, GPA 3.95/4.00

Focus on Environmental Geochemistry and Mineralogy working with Peter Heaney. Research on manganese and iron oxides, with extensive use of quantitative X-ray diffraction.

Dissertation: Mineralogical and Geochemical Analyses of Synthetic and Natural Birnessites.

Bachelor of Arts - Environmental Earth Science Major, GPA 3.66/4.00

Graduated with a degree Cum Laude and with Honors in Environmental Earth Science.
Languages: Fluent in Spanish and Conversational in Cantonese

Research Experience

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ
Aug. 2016 - present

Pennsylvania State University

State College, PA
Aug. 2011 - present

Dartmouth College

Hanvover, NH
Sept. 2010 - June 2011

EQT

Pittsburgh, PA
May 2013 - Aug. 2013

James O. Freedman Presidential Scholar

Hanover, NH
June 2009 - June 2010

Women In Science Project

Hanover, NH
Jan. 2008 - June 2008

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Conducting research with Catherine Peters on environmental geochemistry, modeling barite precipitation and uptake of As for understanding As remediation in fracking wastewater and mentoring Ph.D. student Heather Hunter for this project. Also modeling carbonate precipitation in porous media to engineer methods of sealing leaks in geologic carbon reservoirs.

Doctoral Student

Conducted research with Peter Heaney on environmental geochemistry, using time-resolved synchotron x-ray diffraction to study manganese oxides, their importance in heavy metal cycling, and potential applications in environmental remediation.

Senior Honors Thesis

Studied the toxicity of Ag-nanoparticles through bioaccumulation and trophic transfer in a basic aquatic food chain. Used dose response tests and ICP-MS.

Geologist Intern

Conducted research on the Marcellus and Geneseo shales, looking at spectral gamma ray data. Also conducted pyrolysis research on the Huron formation in Kentucky. Obtained experience geosteering, using Geographix, and a better understanding of the natural gas and oil industry.

Research Intern

Analyzed lake sediment core samples from near the Quelccaya ice cap in Peru to reconstruct paleoclimate history of tropical regions of the Earth. Evaluated data with visual stratigraphy, loss on ignition, grain size analysis, and isotope analysis.

Research Intern

Analyzed the correlation between Arsenic(V) and Arsenic(VI) with phosphate in iron sand columns to build an affordable filtration system to clean Arsenic-contaminated drinking water.

Teaching Experience

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ
Sept. 2017 - present

Sept. 2016 - present

May 2017 - present

Prison Teaching Initiative

Princeton, NJ
May 2017 - present

Upward Bound

State College, PA
June 2015 - July 2015

Project Northstar

Washington, D.C.
Oct. 2014 - May 2015

Pennsylvania State University

State College, PA
June 2014 - June 2016

Aug. 2011 - May 2012

The Roving Nature Center

Yardley, PA
June 2011 - Aug. 2011

The Franklin Institute

Philadelphia, PA
Dec. 2009 - March 2010

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Hanover, NH
Jan. 2009 - March 2009

Montshire Museum of Science

Norwich, VT
Sept. 2008 - Dec. 2008

Instructor

Teaching an undergraduate research seminar for senior theses students on conducting research, writing research proposals, presenting posters and oral presentations, and writing their senior theses.

Research Project Mentor

Mentoring Ph.D. student Heather A. Hunter, and undergraduate student Joyce Kimojino, developing laboratory skills, synchrotron experience, and instrument use, such as X-ray fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy, examining the co-precitation of barite with trace contaminants.

Guest Lecturer

Designed and conducted undergraduate lab module on advanced materials imaging and analysis, including X-ray computed tomography (xCT), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Co-Instructor

Teaching college-level math and science classes to inmates in state and federal prisons accredited through Mercer County Community College or Raritan Valley Community College. Involved in designing the curriculum for CHEM 101 Introduction to Chemistry.

Teacher

Planned and taught two 5-week introductory college Geology classes to high school students from underserved communities across Pennsylvania. Lectures, labs, and field trips covered topics such as rock and mineral identification, basic geologic mapping, natural disasters, climate change, and drinking water.

Tutor/Mentor

Tutored and mentored elementary to high school students who are from poor, underserved communities, are homeless, or are living in foster care in the District of Columbia.

Undergraduate Student Research Project Mentor

Developed undergraduate research projects for two Penn State undergraduate students, and mentored them in the laboratory throughout their projects.

Teacher Assistant

GEOSC 40P: The Sea Around Us. Prepared experiments and gave short lectures for three laboratory sections of undergraduate students every week on basic oceanography concepts. Also graded laboratory assignments, and produced and graded quizzes throughout the semester on lab material.

EARTH 100: The Environmental Earth. Attended lectures, led classroom discussions, graded quizzes, prepared test materials, and helped proctor examinations for undergraduate students.

Science Naturalist/Teacher Assistant

Aided teachers in outdoor environmental educational activities at Five Mile Woods with lessons on dinosaurs, environmental conservation, and safe environmental practices to children ages 4 to 10. Learned behavior management in outdoor settings for children and practiced hands-on science education techniques.

Communities of Learning for Urban Environments & Science (CLUES) Assistant and Partnership for Achieving Careers in Science & Technology (PACTS) Intern

As a CLUES Assistant, researched and planned family workshops on environmental science to be presented to minority communities in the Philadelphia area. As a PACTS Intern, planned activities on different science topics for a 6-week middle school science summer camp.

Science Mentor

Taught science to a class of fifth graders, with a focus on heat and energy, by designing experiments, leading discussions, and guiding students to construct their own understanding of scientific concepts. Attended weekly training sessions on science education to prepare for lessons.

Science Education Intern

Prepared materials for pre-school science classes, explained museum exhibits, helped arrange exhibits for display, and led interactive and entertaining workshops for young children to explore basic scientific concepts.

Service & Activities

Penn State Association for Women Geoscientists

University Park, PA
May 2013 - May 2014

Penn State Geosciences Department

University Park, PA
Sept. 2011 - May 2012

Ghana Volunteer Corps

Nkwanta, Ghana
July - Sept. 2010

Secretary

Recorded minutes and organized social, fundraising, outreach, and networking events for the Penn State chapter for AWG in support of women of all ages in geoscience.

Graduate Student Colloquium Chair, Welcoming Committee Member

As a graduate student colloquium chair, planned and participated in Penn State Geoscience's Graduate Student Colloquium. As a welcoming committee member, coordinated and hosted several weekends of prospective student visits to the Geosciences Department from prospective graduate students.

Orphanage Volunteer

Volunteered at God's Eye Orphanage, managing children's (ages 5 to 16) meals, hygiene, and basic medical needs. Also conducted informal teaching activities and crafts.

Accomplishments & Honors

American Chemical Society Geochemistry Division Student Travel Grant - Fall 2016
Committee on Institutional Cooperation/Smithsonian Graduate Research Fellowship - 2014 - 2015
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention - 2012, 2013
Hiroshi and Koya Ohmoto Scholarship - 2013
Kaminsky Family Fund Grant - 2010
James O. Freedman Presidential Scholar - 2009 - 2010

Publications

Ling, FT, Heaney, PJ, Post, JE, Gao, X. "Transformations from triclinic to hexagonal birnessite at circumneutral pH induced through pH control by common biological buffers". Chemical Geology. 416. Oct. 9, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2015.10.007.

Ilton, E., Post, JE, Heaney, PJ, Ling, FT, Kerisit, SN. "XPS Determination of Mn Oxidation States in Mn(Hydr)oxides". Applied Surface Science. 366. Jan. 11, 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2015.12.159.

Ling, FT, Post, JE, Heaney, PJ, Ilton, ES, Kubicki, JD, Santelli, CM. "Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of triclinic and hexagonal birnessites". Spectrochimica Acta Part A. 178. 32 - 46. Jan. 17, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.saa.2017.01.032.

Ling, FT, Post, JE, Heaney, PJ, Ilton, ES. "The relationship between Mn oxidation state and structure in triclinic and hexagonal birnessites". Accepted. Chemical Geology.

Ling, FT, Heaney, PJ, Post, JE. "Sorption of contaminant lead by triclinic and hexagonal birnessite". In prep.

Ling, FT, Post, JE, Heaney, PJ, Santelli, CM, Ilton, ES, Burgos, WD, Rose, AW. "A characterization of natural terrestrial birnessites". In prep.

Selected Presentations

Goldschmidt Conference, Oral Presentation - August 2017, Paris, France
NSLS-II/CFN Users' Meeting, Poster Presentation - May 2017, Shirley, NY
Princeton American Chemical Society Local Meeting, Invited Talk - April 2017, Princeton, NJ
American Chemical Society National Meeting, Oral Presentation - April 2017, San Francisco, CA
Princeton University, Dept of Geosciences, Invited Talk - March 2017, Princeton, NJ
Rice University, Dept of Environmental & Planetary Science, Invited Talk - Feb. 2017, Houston, TX
Juniata College, Dept of Geology, Invited Talk - Nov. 2016, Huntingdon, PA
University of Virginia, Dept of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Invited Talk - Oct. 2016, Charlottesvile, VA
American Chemical Society National Meeting, Best Student Talk, Geochemistry Division - Aug. 2016, Philadelphia, PA
Princeton University, Dept of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Invited Talk - Feb. 2016, Princeton, NJ
Geological Society of America Conference, Oral Presentation - Nov. 2015, Baltimore, MD
Goldschmidt Conference, Poster Presentation - August 2015, Prague, Czech Republic
Smithsonian Institution, Department of Mineral Sciences, Oral Presentation - May 2015, Washington, DC
American Chemical Society National Meeting, Oral Presentation - March 2015, Denver, CO
Environmental Chemistry and Microbiology Student Symposium, 2nd Place Oral Presentation - March 2014, University Park, PA
Penn State Geosciences Graduate Student Colloquium Oral Presentation - March 2014, University Park, PA
Clay Minerals Society Poster Presentation, 2nd Place Poster - October 2013, Urbana-Champaigne, IL
Penn State Geosciences Graduate Student Colloquium Poster Presentation - April 2013, University Park, PA
Dartmouth College Earth Sciences Department Senior Theses Night - June 2011, Hanover, NH
Karen E. Wetterhahn Science Symposium Poster Presentation - May 2011, Hanover, NH
Karen E. Wetterhahn Science Symposium Poster Presentation - May 2008, Hanover, NH

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