Institute at Brown for Environment and Society

Conor Sullivan '14 is a Geology-Biology concentrator interested in how geologic processes influence the functioning of ecosystems. Conor is working with fellow undergraduate Rebekah Stein and Professor Stephen Porder (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) to explore how geologic factors influence landscape-scale variation in nutrient limitation in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico. Using the results of a nutrient limitation experiment conducted in Fall 2012 by the Porder Lab, Conor will investigate how the availability of key nutrients limits plant growth, and whether this limitation varies on a landscape scale with topography and soil parent material. Conor is from San Jose, California, and is a Brown Outdoor Leadership Training (BOLT) mentor. He enjoys rock climbing and backpacking.