Michelle Lermon
Michelle Lermon
Boston University Research Assistant Michelle Lermon.
Michelle graduated recently, 2002, with a BS in environmental science and a minor in geology. She started her career with service-oriented positions, working for a year as an environmental volunteer work with AmeriCorps on Cape Cod, Maine, followed by two years of environmental health work with the Barnstable County Health and Environment Department.
After three years on the Cape, Michelle headed for graduate school to get a Master’s in Geology at Boston College where she is currently working hard as a research assistant finishing up her thesis. Her research focuses on sediment transport and coastal processes, with a thesis title of Characterization of the Interaction Between Bottom Sediments and the Water Column Along the Chenier Plain Coast of Louisiana.
Studying geology and environmental science at Norwich really provided me with a solid background both in and out of the classroom.
~ Michelle Lermon
Michelle’s work is part of a larger project funded by the Office of Naval Research investigating wave-energy dissipation along muddy coastlines, but the objectives of her thesis include characterizing the bottom sediments and water-column structure in regards to salinity, temperature, density, and suspended sediment concentrations. It also includes looking at meterological data to understand how the bottom sediments and water-column structure changes with wind, waves, and Atchafalaya River discharge, and at the frequency and magnitude of re-suspension of bottom sediments using an optical sensor mounted a tripod near the sea floor.
Michelle presents her data at the Eustarine Research Federation Conference in November 2007, and after completing her Master’s she plans to get a job doing coastal geology or oceanographic research at an oceanographic institute.
