Dawn Y. Sumner
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1995)
Professor; 2003-2004 Chancellor's Fellow

Carbonate stratigraphy, petrography, and low temperature geochemistry applied to the biological and abiotic controls on carbonate precipitation with the intent to understand ancient ocean chemistry and the interactions between microbial communities and their environment. Projects include characterization of Archean carbonates and younger microbial carbonates to constrain the processes and environmental controls on the early evolution of life, development of neutron computed tomography for imaging the distribution of hydrogen in rocks for Astrobiology applications, and characterizing microbial community responses to their environment. Approaches for the search for life on Mars is a growing scientific hobby.

http://www.geology.ucdavis.edu/~sumner
sumner@geology.ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-5353

UC Davis W.M. Keck Center for Active Visualization in the Earth Sciences