This summer we’re introducing interns from URISE, RESESS, Student Career, and Geo-Launchpad programs to highlight their research projects and how EarthScope programs further their career goals.

Rori Kgoadi is a RESESS intern spending the summer in Boulder, Colorado. Rori is originally from Baton Rouge, but he’s since moved to Lafayette in central Louisiana. At the end of the summer, Rori will begin his third year majoring in geology at Louisiana State University.

This summer, Rori will be working on a project that explores the transport of metals into Colorado streams via stream and groundwater dynamics. Rori’s project specifically deals with a thin layer called the hyporheic zone (the skin of the stream) where most groundwater-surface water interaction occurs; as a result, metal from mines can enter the water at this interface, polluting the stream. Rori’s project aims to ultimately analyze these dynamics and improve the quality of local water sources. 

Q&A

• How did you hear about EarthScope, and what piqued your interest in the RESESS program?

I heard about the RESESS program through my mentor. She told me I should definitely apply because it’s perfect for me and for mostly underrepresented backgrounds. I thought it would be interesting and nice to get some internship experience this summer so that’s why I applied to the program.

• What has your internship experience been like so far, and what have you gained from it?

I have learned a lot so far from my time being in Colorado. With all of the field trips we have taken in Boulder and around the Front Range in the mountains, I have learned so much about the geology and how the place came to be. I have also learned about the people here, specifically in my internship [cohort], and it has been so nice listening to them talk about their projects, where they are from, and all of their stories. 

• How does this internship fit with your career goals?

 I want to be a researcher, so of course this is great for giving me a lot of research experience. I also feel like so far the internship has introduced me to a lot more of the softer skills that they don’t talk about in school. I have learned about how to write a paper, how to apply for grad school, how to talk to this person in this way, and things of that sort. That’s going to really help me and put me a little bit ahead whenever I actually start to want to work on my career.

Apart from his interests in geology, Rori enjoys playing video games, being outdoors, reading, cooking, and baking. He enjoys baking cookies, cakes, and pastries in particular, and one day he hopes to open his own bakery shop. When he completes his undergraduate degree, Rori hopes to pursue a graduate degree and later a career in academia, conducting his own research projects by creating a research cohort at a university.