Olivia Panno sits at the entrance on the main floor of the James A. Cannavino library and rummages through a stack of papers researching geoengineering, which concerns different methods of ameliorating climate change.

A senior, she takes a keen interest in sustainability and the environment, “The nitrogen cycle is so out of balance because of human activity that it is second to carbon in needing to be,” she pauses for a second before pensively articulating, “put back into balance.”

Just then a light goes off in Panno’s head; she exclaims in a whisper that artificial nitrogen can be made in laboratories and used as fertilizer.  She quickly shifts back to her laptop, which is decorated in stickers advocating for environmental friendliness, and includes in her paper the flash of insight she had moments ago.

Olivia Panno’s laptop expresses her passion for environmental sustainability.

Geoengineering is primarily meant to revolve around the removal of carbon dioxide from the Earth’s atmosphere, yet because of the rising concerns of a nitrogen imbalance the field has recently expanded to improve the amount of nitrogen in the air.