Environmental
Environmental
Michael Klaser
Michael with co-workers (from the left: Alyssa Cawley, Justina Anise, and Ciara Johnson) when Peak sponsored and attended the NJ ANY Spring Party, May 2, 2024. ANY provides one-on-one mentorship to first generation college students to help them land internships and eventually full-time employment, and Peak was proud to support this wonderful cause.Michael Klaser graduated from Rutgers University in 2015 with a B.S. in Geology, and continued his studies to earn a M.S. in Geology in 2017. His master’s work investigates surface ice tectonics on Jupiter’s moon Europa, and can be accessed here. Dr. Juliana Gross was Michael’s advisor.
“She was great and very helpful. I’d also like to acknowledge Dr. Roy Schlische and Dr. Christopher Potter at RU, and Dr. Sarah Tindall at Kutztown for all their help on my committee.”
Michael currently works at Peak as a Project Manager, where he oversees all logistical, scientific, operational, reporting, and financial aspects of environmental investigation and remediation at a couple dozen contaminated sites in New Jersey. Klaser joined the company in the summer of 2017.
In 2018, Michael and his wife jumped on an opportunity to work in Nanjing, China. He spent two years working in a Chinese manufacturing company and teaching AP Physics at Nanjing Normal University Affiliated High School. Michael and his wife returned home in March of 2020.
Michael is currently a member of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME), an Associate Board Member of New Jersey’s America Needs You (ANY) chapter, and is active in the East Brunswick and Middlesex County chambers of commerce.
"My favorite RU memory by far was co-teaching the Geological Field Methods course with Dr. Jacob Setera. He and I were both graduate students at the time, teaching other first year grad students and seniors, camping in the Adirondacks. It was fantastic challenge, and Dr. Setera and I became lifelong friends after that trip."
Shannon Boyle
Shannon Boyle graduated from Rutgers University in October 2019 with a Master of Science degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences. Her research focused on petrology of lunar meteorites under the supervision of her advisor, Dr. Juliane Gross. Her thesis focused on identifying source areas for two meteorites to provide insight into the processes that formed the lunar highlands and maria.
In the summer of 2016, Shannon worked under Dr. Cyrena Goodrich at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) and Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. Her research focused on ureilites, a unique type of ultramafic meteorite, and the identification of a new ureilite parent body. She presented this research at the 2017 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
Shannon joined Roux Associates, Inc. (Roux) in October 2019, an environmental consulting firm. She began as a Staff Assistant Geologist and is currently a Project Geologist for the Roux Somerset Office. In this role, she provides training and oversight of field personnel, evaluates site-specific data, develops workplans for soil, groundwater, and soil vapor investigations and remediation, and interfaces with clients. She is responsible for managing projects in several sectors, including insurance, industrial, and real estate.
My favorite Rutgers memory was having the opportunity to work for NASA and meet experts in the planetary field, including astronauts!
Monica Norton Mouallem
Monica Norton Mouallem graduated from Rutgers University in May 2019 with a Masters in Science degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences. Her research focused on hydrogeology under the supervision of her advisor, Dr. Gail Ashley, and committee members, Dr. Ying Fan Reinfelder, and Dr. Christopher Lepre. Her thesis focused on better understanding modern and ancient hydrogeologic features, namely springs and wetlands. Her research involved two separate, but connected, parts: developing a hydrogeologic framework for a modern spring system located in the Ngorongoro Volcanic Highlands of Tanzania, Africa (small scale) and examining geologic records from around the world to develop a novel, global wetlands facies model (large scale). “Springs and wetlands are both visible at the surface and provide numerous benefits to society, yet I found they are poorly understood as the processes behind them are not visible and occur below the surface,” stated Monica when asked about her research. She was worked as a Fellow on the Rutgers Science Explorer Bus, where she worked with other STEM graduate students to teach science and mathematics topics to middle schoolers around New Jersey. Monica also completed the Coastal Climate Risk and Resilience (C2R2) Graduate Certificate program were she worked with Rutgers scientists and policy experts to learn how to build more sustainable coastlines. Both of these programs were wonderful learning experiences in Monica’s Rutgers career and she credits them for helping her develop as a well-rounded scientist.
After graduation, Monica entered the environmental consulting field and has over 5 years of experience in the industry. She recently joined the team at SESI Consulting Engineers in July 2021. In this role, she provides technical advice to their clients in the commercial, industrial, and real estate sectors to help them solve their most challenging environmental problems. Her experience has included conducting environmental assessments and investigations at sites in New Jersey and New York to evaluate and understand the nature and extent of soil, groundwater, and soil vapor contamination at the site-specific scale. Monica has helped to develop remediation strategies to mitigate contamination at sites in accordance with state and federal policies to ensure the protection of human health and the environment. She is excited to work for a company that provides “one-stop-shop” engineering services to meet their client needs.
Favorite Rutgers Memory
Monica’s favorite memory from her Rutgers experience occurred while traveling with Dr. Gail Ashley in Tanzania. They spent a lot of time around springs and wetlands in the area, and where they found water, they also found people and animals. As they were walking around a particular wetland one day, they began to notice that three Maasai folks were following behind them, giggling. After some time, she turned around and introduced herself, shook their hands, and told them she was studying the chemchem (springs). The three of them continued to giggle and the woman in the middle began to fidget with something around her neck. Finally, she freed one of the beaded necklaces from herself, clasped it around her neck, gave Monica a hug, and held her hand. This amazing gift and speechless gesture made a profound impression on her, and she will never forget it.
