Meet Emma Marvelli ’27 Marvelli enjoys building a community on campus as an RA and through her academic work.

By Jessica Luck
November 19, 2024

Emma Marvelli ’27
Hometown: Barrington, Rhode Island
Major: Earth and environmental geoscience

What has been your most impactful experience at W&L, either on or off-campus?
I have been fortunate enough to have the privilege of being a Resident Advisor (RA) for an amazing group of first-years in Graham-Lees Hall. People say that RAs play such an important role in helping first-years to acclimate to college, but we learn just as much from them as they do from us. When I get to finally come home from practice every day, seeing my residents happy to see me reminds me of why I became an RA: to build a campus community and make people feel welcome and happy.

Have you found a mentor on campus? Who is it, and how have they helped you develop as a student?
In the Earth and Environmental Geoscience Department, professors and students have built an incredibly close community. This largely has to do with the fact that we spend a lot of time in the field and oftentimes have to problem-solve together when something goes awry (as it always does in the field of geology). There are a few people in the department in particular whom I’ve grown to know especially well. Dr. Karena Gill, a visiting assistant professor during the 2023-2024 school year, and I started a research project (“A Comparative Geological Analysis of Meta-Basalt from Virginia and Pillow Basalt from Iceland: Implications for Carbon Capture and Storage”) together on a topic that neither of us had experience with previously. It was due to this fact that we had to grow as learners together. Additionally, Dr. Margaret Anne Hinkle, assistant professor of earth and environmental geoscience, joined our research team after Karena moved to Arizona State University. She has been an amazing addition to our research team, and our progress thus far would not have been possible without her. She leads with enthusiasm for geology and for educating students. Last, but certainly not least, is Emily Falls, the laboratory technician of the Earth and Environmental Geoscience Department who is arguably the brightest light in the department. Not only is she an incredibly valuable person to the department, but she is also one of the kindest individuals I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.

What was your favorite class and why?
My favorite class thus far, aside from my Spring Term Abroad to Iceland, was Environmental Field Methods. This is a course in the Earth and Environmental Geoscience Department with Dr. Hinkle. As a class of seven students, we traveled into the field every week together and learned about how to collect effective field data and use it to understand Earth’s and anthropogenic processes. Our final project was on the impact of mining on the water quality of Irish Creek, which is situated next to W&L’s “living lab,” a property managed by NDPonics, a group whose mission is to conserve native lands. It is my favorite class because there is a lot of room in the syllabus for exploring the interests of students such as water and air quality.

Have you studied abroad during your time at W&L? Where did you go, and how was your experience?
I took a Spring Term Abroad course with Dr. David Harbor, professor of earth and environmental geoscience, that covered the regional geology and sustainability of Iceland (EEG-373). As a group of 10 students and two educators, we traveled Iceland’s diverse landscape for three weeks. We saw newly solidified volcanic flows and hot springs, walked on a glacier, took a boat ride in a glacial lagoon, hiked up moraines, went to the beach, met the locals, explored major cities, visited geothermal power plants, spent the night in a national park, saw where the Mid-Atlantic ridge meets land and so much more. We were only a few weeks short of witnessing a volcanic eruption! It was the best three weeks of my time thus far at Washington and Lee University.

What do you like about being a DIII athlete?
I love being a DIII athlete with the women’s track and field team because it allows me to pursue the sport that I love without making sacrifices in other areas of my life. I am able to do research, go abroad over the spring term, be a Resident Advisor and so much more.

Fun fact:
I was a youth wrestler from ages 8-13 in a unisex division and was the Long Island, New York, champion for my weight class.