Graduate Research

Current Projects

Spatially Mapping Methane Cycle Processes in Northern Forests (June 2023 - Present)

  • Conducted 2 summers of field work in Howland Research Forest, a sub-boreal forest in central Maine. Collected soil cores for microbial and biogeochemical analyses

  • Analyzed gravimetric soil moisture, Total Carbon and Total Nitrogen, Microbial Biomass with Chloroform Fumigation Technique and Soil pH of 250 soil samples

  • Research Assistant Intern with Woodwell Climate Research Center (summer 2024) looking at gross rates of methane consumption and production using isotope pool dilution method

  • Created high-quality map series in ArcGIS Pro showing the context of the Howland Forest study site along with soil sampling locations

Georgia Coast Atlas (May 2024 - Present)

  • Geospatial assistant who manages ecological, cultural, & historical database (Core Data) for 2,000+ places in the Georgia Coast Atlas, an educational and research website

  • Prepared and georeferenced 22 archival, Department of Transportation (DOT) maps from 1930s - present for 3 Georgia counties in ArcGIS Pro and Adobe Photoshop

  • Conduct terrain analysis and process LIDAR data in ArcGIS Pro for the Georgia Coast Atlas project

  • Led Georgia Coast field trip to Wassaw and Tybee Islands and collected GPS data in the field with Garmin GPS unit

  • Mentor and train 2 undergraduate students in database management, historical research, and geospatial techniques

Just Energy Academy (May 2024 - Present)

  • Member of the sixth cohort of the Partnership for Southern Equity’s (PSE) Just Energy Academy, a seven month training program

  • Program focuses on Energy Equity, Community Engagement, Climate Change, and Racial Equity

  • Developing community action project that addresses the unique climate and economic challenges faced by Atlanta and the Southeast

  • Plan, direct, and coordinate Atlanta community and stakeholder engagement sessions on food security and energy equity

Past Projects

Curating collections at the Tellus Science Museum (May 2023 - August 2023)

  • Organized, cataloged, and photographed 1500+ specimens and identified Mazon Creek, IL fossil invertebrates

  • Collaborated with curator to identify 2000 new acquisitions and designated permanent and non-permanent fossils within Tellus’ growing natural history collection

Honors

  • 2025 Recipient of Darahyl Dennis Scholarship with the Georgia Brownfield Association (GBA)

  • 2024 Recipient of Georgia Association of Environmental Professionals (GAEP) Scholarship

  • UNFCCC COP29 Student Delegate and Observer in Baku, Azerbaijan in November 2024

  • Honorable Mention, National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

  • 2024 Recipient of the Foundation of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) Al Thumann Scholarship (recognized as one of the top three applicants)

  • Recipient of Youth Sustainable Development Conference scholarship and Case Study Delegate in Rabat, Morocco (July 3-4, 2024)

  • Lester Travel Grant ($1600), Emory University Department of Environmental Sciences

  • Lester Research Grant ($7000), Emory University Department of Environmental Sciences

  • C2C Fellows Sustainability Leader, Bard Center for Environmental Policy

  • Laney Graduate School Tuition Scholarship (2023-2025)

Outreach

Media

  • Poster Presentation at American Geophysical Union Conference, Washington, D.C. (December 2024)

  • Exhibit & Side-Event at United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan (November 2024)

Professional Associations

Esri’s Young Professional Network, American Geophysical Union (AGU), Graduate Women in Science (GWIS), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), Solid Waste Association of America (SWANA), Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC)

Volunteering

  • Environmental Education Grant Reviewer, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

  • Guest Services Volunteer, Ronald McDonald House (RMH) Charities of Atlanta

  • QuestCompanions Mentoring Program Director (2024 - Present)

  • QuestBridge Mentor for Emory students (2023-2024)

Undergraduate Research

Past Projects

Soil heterogeneity on overall greenhouse gas fluxes with oxygen optodes associated with the Emory Biogeochemistry Lab

  • Created oxygen optodes and assisted post-doc with biogeochemical research projects

The Field Guide to the Gardens at the Shedd Aquarium

  • Created the first field guide to the Shedd Aquarium gardens consisting of a 70-document that describes the Migratory Bird Garden and the garden’s history through interviews with staff members

Sample pages from field guide:

Sustainability Club Toolkit and Library

  • Designed a “How to make a sustainability club” guide with a digital library and curriculum resources tagged with Project Drawdown solutions and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Founder of Climate Reality Project: Emory University Chapter and Emory Climate Coalition

  • Trained climate leader from the Climate Reality Project’s Conference in Atlanta (May 2019)

  • Founded the Emory Climate Coalition, a group effort to join three environmental organizations on Emory’s campus

  • Hosted Emory Climate Strikes and performed original, environmental advocacy songs as the featured musician during these strikes

Characterizing the electromagnetic and hydraulic properties of soil

  • University of Southern California National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergrads (NSF REU) internship

  • Conducted environmental monitoring field work at the Institute of Ecosystem Studies and installed soil senor network to collect temperature, matric potential, and dielectric constant of organic soil

Honors

  • Enchanted Wings Scholarship, Alpha Nu Chapter of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority Inc.

  • Ceres Global Scholarship Winner

  • Da Vinci Talks Finalist with IDEAS (Interdisciplinary Exploration and Scholarship) Week

  • Department of Environmental Sciences Green Career Internship Fund Award ($5000)

  • QuestBridge Scholar

Publications

  1. D. Kahn, “Restoring Earth through Science and Songs,” 15-Aug -2023. Emory Climate Talks. https://climatetalks.emory.edu/index.php/blog/restoring-earth-through-science-and-songs.

  2. Akbar, R.; Silva, A.; Chen, R. H.; Golestani, N.; Bakian-Dogaheh, K.; Kannan, A.; Kahn, D.; Moghaddam, M.; Entekhabi,D., “Recent Progress and Development in Energy Efficient and Smart in situ Wireless Sensor Networks: SoilSCAPE,” vol. 2019, 2019. Abstract.

  3. D. Kahn, “Encouraging Women in Science Programs: An Intern’s Perspective,” 30-Mar -2019. OSF. https://osf.io/q8cnz.

  4. Mayer P.; Hodge K.; Kahn D.; Best M.; Dryer Y.; Pritza M.; Nelson J.; Wittry J. 2018 “Interns and Volunteers Crucial in Curating and Digitizing Fossil Invertebrates in the Field Museum’s Fast Growing Mazon Creek Collection,” Biodiversity Information Science and Standards 2: e25942. https://doi.org/10.3897/biss.2.25942.

Outreach

Volunteering

  • Food Justice & Sustainability Volunteer in Chattanooga, TN with Volunteer Emory

  • Select Organized Litter Obliterator, Forest Preserves of Cook County, IL

  • Math and Reading Tutor, Mind Bubble

© Dana Kahn, 2025. Created with RStudio and RMarkdown