16 / 48
14
Inside Hokie Sports
A member of the Virginia Tech volleyball team,
Katie Krueger
will
graduate next May with a degree in geochemistry and minors in Spanish and
chemistry. She is doing unique research as it pertains to water-quality issues and
wants to pursue a future career helping localities resolve these issues.
Q: Why did you decide to pursue geochemistry at Tech?
KK:
“I grew up in Florida, and in Florida, a lot of my classes were environmental
science-based, so you learn a lot about environmental issues. We were on the coast.
You learned a lot about salt intrusion into aquifers and all kinds of different pollution
issues. I just fell in love with environmental science.
“I also had a rock collection as a kid and my mom suggested that I look into geology.
As I looked more into it, I loved it. I had originally decided that I wanted to leave
Florida for geology because I knew that all the geology in Florida was water-based, so
Virginia Tech, being in the mountains and being amazing geologically, was a dream
come true for me. As I went through the geology department, I realized that I did want
to work with water, so it all came full circle.”
Q: You’ve done a lot to prepare yourself for a career in this field.
Please tell about some of the things you’ve done.
KK:
“I did a volunteer internship with the U.S. Geological Survey the summer before
my freshman year and the summer between my freshman and sophomore years. Then
I did a faculty-student agreement [between her sophomore and junior years] where I
worked underneath one of my teachers who does a lot of work with surface water. Then
I’m also doing what’s called research experience for undergraduates this summer with
that same professor and studying metal contamination in surface water.
“Each experience has been different. Each has been so much fun and it’s been
interesting to learn about all of it. I love all of it. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Q: You’ve been involved with a project that’s looking into a reservoir
in nearby Roanoke, Virginia. What have you been doing with that?
KK:
“I’m working at Falling Creek Reservoir in Vinton. They put an oxygenation
system in there and they study how that is affecting the reservoir compared to a
reservoir that is not oxygenated. I do field work twice a week and I’m studying
specifically how iron and manganese in the sediment naturally will be reduced and
released into a soluble form in the water. Then you have iron and manganese in the
water and it turns the water brown, which is an issue. It can be expensive to treat.
They’re hoping the oxygenation system is eliminating the reduction of the iron and
manganese in the water. I study that and that’s been a continuation of my graduate
mentor’s work that he just finished for his Ph.D. thesis.”
Q: What do you hope to do in the future?
KK:
“I want to go on to graduate school. For geology, it’s a research-based master’s
program and so I would love to find someone to do research with on water quality
issues. I think that would be amazing. I’m in the process of looking at graduate schools
and it’s a daunting task, but it’s cool.
“There are all kinds of water quality issues around the world and some of it is
because of humans and some of it is because of nature. I think a dream of mine would
be to do research on water quality some day. Whether that leads me down the path of
getting a Ph.D. or working with someone to do research with on water quality, we’ll
see. I want to do research in a way that I’m helping to provide knowledge so that issues
can be fixed.”
2016
KATIE
KRUEGER
VOLLEYBALL
Tampa, Florida
by
Jimmy Robertson