Environmental Internship Program - 2023 Booklet

Aidan Matthews ’24
CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
CLIMATE AND
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
PROJECT TITLE
Water Use Strategy in
Plants
ORGANIZATION(S)
Porporato’s Research
Group, Department of
Civil and Environmental
Engineering, Princeton
University
LOCATION(S)
Princeton, New Jersey;
Durham, North Carolina;
Palermo, Italy
MENTOR(S)
Amilcare Porporato,
Thomas J. Wu ’94 Professor
of Civil and Environmental
Engineering, Professor of
Civil and Environmental
Engineering and the High
Meadows Environmental
Institute, Princeton
University; Sara Cerasoli,
Ph.D. candidate, Civil and
Environmental Engineering,
Princeton University;
Gabriel Katul, Paul M. Gross
Distinguished Professor,
Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering,
Duke University; Saverio
Perri, Visiting Research
Scholar, Department of
Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology, Princeton
University
My project examined the theory of optimization
in plants. With the support of advisers,
particularly Professor Amilcare Porporato, I
surveyed and identified gaps in the literature,
and attended an ecohydrology graduate school
in Italy, where I learned about different areas
of ecohydrology. Learning about the impact of
plants and water on society expanded my view
of the field and its applications. I enjoyed using
my knowledge to explore possible explanations
for the different strategic responses to water
stress and exploring the potential to predict
evaporative cooling via an optimization model.
This internship has helped cement my passion
for research and my decision to continue my
studies in a related field through a doctoral
degree.