For many geoscientists, the allure of the outdoors often serves as the primary gateway into the field. However, for Danielle Zaleski, cities emerge as the epicenter of some of the most pressing questions in geoscience.
Zaleski’s groundbreaking research focuses on the accumulation of microplastics in the sediment of Lake Austin and Lady Bird Lake, two water bodies nestled just a couple of miles from The University of Texas at Austin campus.
Her interest in urban geoscience was piqued when she came across an advertisement about researching microplastics in Austin’s waterways.
“It had the urban aspect that I liked, along with the geology and the environmental work,” said Zaleski, who graduated in May with a Bachelor of Science in geology from the UT Jackson School of Geosciences.
Under the guidance of Cornel Olariu, a research associate professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, and Marcy Davis, an engineering scientist for the Institute for Geophysics, Zaleski has dedicated the past two-and-a-half years to analyzing the growth of microplastics as Austin continues to expand.
Microplastics are becoming increasingly prevalent in our environment, with scientists having found them in both the highest mountains and the deepest ocean trenches on Earth. Therefore, Zaleski was not surprised when she discovered these particles in the core samples she filtered from Lake Austin and Lady Bird Lake.
She observed microplastics present in every section of the core pulled from the lakes’ bottoms, with many of the particles identified as road wear particles, which consist of fine asphalt and synthetic materials shed from vehicle tires.
Her findings are integral to a City of Austin report that aims to outline the scale of microplastic pollution in local waterways and propose potential solutions.
In addition to her findings contributing to local research, Zaleski has developed into a skilled geoscientist, exemplifying her worth as a researcher in the lab.
“Give her a small idea, and then suddenly, the next day, it’s double,” Olariu noted. “It’s her style to improve and innovate.”
Indeed, Zaleski’s ingenuity is evident in the method she created for counting microplastic particles in sediment samples under a microscope, which can yield counts in the thousands.
Olariu mentioned, “I told her a few basic things about [the software we use to count the microplastics], but she discovered the method we use herself, and she gave us the way to do it.”
At the 2025 Jackson School student research symposium, Zaleski presented her analysis of microplastics filtered from a 2.84-meter-long core sample taken from Lady Bird Lake.
The core was sectioned into 20-centimeter intervals, resulting in a total of 15 samples examined.
The accumulation rates of microplastics in the core samples reflect the rapid growth of the city.
The oldest and deepest sections of the nearly 3-meter core exhibited the lowest quantities of road wear particles, at roughly 200 per 100 grams of sediment.
In stark contrast, the newer, uppermost layers contained around 4,600 particles per 100 grams of sediment.
Moving forward, Zaleski and her advisors plan to determine the ages of the core sediments to correlate spikes in microplastic concentrations with specific events like urban development or flooding in Austin.
Zaleski’s exceptional research capabilities have earned her two wins at the Jackson School’s student research symposium in the undergraduate category, with one being part of a collaborative poster presentation.
Most recently, she was honored with the President’s Student Employee of the Year Award, an accolade often associated with students in administrative roles.
Davis, who nominated Zaleski for the award, highlighted her impressive aptitude as a researcher, stating, “She’s a real self-starter in terms of her science, and she is really good at it.”
Zaleski’s passion for geosciences was ignited during her senior year of high school when she took an adaptation of the Jackson School’s introductory “Earth, Wind and Fire” course through UT’s OnRamps program.
“This is the only place I applied to,” she remarked, demonstrating her resolve and commitment to her chosen field.
As she transitions from her undergraduate studies to a master’s program this fall at the Jackson School, Zaleski’s research will shift its focus to the Texas coast.
She expresses gratitude for the diverse range of challenges that her undergraduate experience provided, stating, “I’ve grown a lot more than I ever would have expected.”
Zaleski credits the resources offered by the Jackson School as instrumental in shaping her academic journey.
“I am extremely appreciative of the resources provided by the school because I don’t think I ever would have sought out these kinds of experiences if they weren’t presented to me here.”
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