FIELD & LAND · 02

Environmental problems happen on specific pieces of land.

Sampling, interviews, and maps let me connect elements to real soil, water, crops, and farming decisions.

01 · PINGGUO, GUANGXI

317 sampling points, eight metals

Across 317 sites, I evaluated Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn — collecting samples with local farmers and lab teachers, then mapping how concentrations vary across the county's fields and riversides.

Research poster on heavy-metal contamination and source analysis in Pingguo soils — The research poster summarizes sampling points, media, results for eight metals, and pollution-source analysis.

Daniel observing a cornfield in Guangxi — Before sampling, read the field: crop condition, terrain, and water paths all leave clues.

Daniel collecting soil samples with local farmers — Bagging, labeling, and recording samples together with farmers and lab teachers.

Daniel logging sampling coordinates in the rain — Geotagging in a thunderstorm: every point must be findable again.

Daniel collecting rice samples with local staff — Bundling fresh plant samples in a Tiandong paddy field, 2025.

02 · LANLING, SHANDONG

Understanding farm inputs from behind the supply-store counter

I interviewed five pesticide retailers and one major fertilizer retailer, then used their reported dosage and application frequency to estimate county-wide patterns for grain crops and greenhouse vegetables. The study found meaningful pesticide-reduction potential in grain production and much more severe overapplication in greenhouses, while fertilizer excess was concentrated in greenhouse potassium use.

Read the 8-page survey →

Daniel interviewing an agri-supply store owner in Lanling — Interviewing agricultural-input retailers to document what farmers buy, how often they apply it, and how dosage decisions are made.

Daniel taking notes beside a cornfield — Connecting reported sales and application routines to crops and actual field conditions.

Crop experiment pots lined up by a window

03 · SMART AGRICULTURE

Comparing yield, cost, and resource use at once

At Coresense, I tested tomato nutrient-solution formulas, comparing mineral ratios, cost, growth, and yield — and put soil impact, wastewater, and energy use into the same frame of judgment.

Daniel doing geological and ecological observation in the mountains

04 · BROWN UNIVERSITY SUMMER

At Brown, reading rocks as Earth history

In Brown's summer course I studied rocks, minerals, and Earth history systematically, carrying the classroom's geological frame back into the field. In geology, ecology, and birding sessions at Carleton, I kept bringing the photos, explanations, and new questions from each outing back into my research.