Two Dual BA Students Selected as Fall 2025 Bancroft Research Scholars
Sarah Browne ‘26GS and Megan Marostica ‘26GS are participating in exciting research alongside esteemed Columbia faculty this fall.
Columbia GS recently announced the Fall 2025 Bancroft Research Scholars and among the six-person cohort are Dual BA students Sarah Browne ‘26GS and Megan Marostica ‘26GS. The Bancroft Research Scholars Program provides GS students with opportunities and funding to engage in research alongside esteemed Columbia faculty during the academic year.Hear from Marostica and Browne about their cutting-edge research and how the Bancroft Research Scholars Program creates essential opportunities!
Megan Marostica ‘26GS
Major: Earth Science
What research project are you working on?
I am conducting research on the eruption triggering mechanisms at Poás Volcano, an extremely active volcano in Costa Rica that is only 40 km from San Jose, the capital and largest population center in the country. It is one of Costa Rica's top tourist destinations and its eruptions are sudden and difficult to forecast, making it a high threat volcano. On April 22, 2017, Poás experienced its largest eruption since the 1950s, and while there is extensive gas and seismic data from the eruption, there have been no published studies on the volatile content or pre-eruptive conditions of Poás magma. I am measuring the volatile (H2O, CO2, and S) content of crystal-hosted melt inclusions (magmatic melt trapped during crystal formation that provide a snapshot of the magmatic conditions at time of entrapment) and diffusion profiles of zoned pyroxene crystals to provide the first insights into Poás' pre-eruptive conditions. My preliminary diffusion results show that there was an intrusion of new magma into the chamber shortly before the April 2017 eruption which is corroborated by gas data. This could be the cause of the eruption and I am currently working on creating a more precise timescale of crystal formation, magma mixing, and new magma injection. Broadly, I am working to provide insights into Poás’ subsurface processes and how they affect above-ground activity and hazards.
Why did you apply to be a Bancroft Research Scholar?
I applied to be a Bancroft Research Scholar because I will be presenting my findings at the American Geophysical Union's (AGU) annual meeting in New Orleans in December. AGU is the world's largest meeting of geologists and is an excellent opportunity to learn from leading researchers and connect with the greatest minds in geoscience. With the support of the Bancroft funding, I am able to devote more time to answering the volcano community's questions about Poás and present my results to the broader scientific community.
Sarah Browne ‘26GS
Major: English
What research project are you working on?
My research traces a century of Irish contributions to The New Yorker, a project that has evolved into a meditation on what makes Irish writing distinct. Beyond geography or nationality, Irish literature, both within the island and across the diaspora, is shaped by persistent concerns with occupation, partition, and exile. These preoccupations influence not only narrative and thematic focus but also the formal qualities of the work: its syntactic innovation, inventive grammar, and the cadence and musicality of its language, which together produce a distinctive literary character. My research considers how these elements create continuity within Irish letters while resonating with other literatures emerging from nations marked by division or displacement, revealing patterns of resilience, reinvention, and imaginative memory that are both local and global.
Why did you apply to be a Bancroft Research Scholar?
Having begun this project independently, I quickly realized it was more extensive and had broader applicability than I had initially anticipated. The Bancroft Research Scholars Program provided the opportunity to receive support to dedicate protected time to the work, establish a mentorship with a faculty member, and access the archival resources necessary to advance the transnational research I was already pursuing. With the funding, and in collaboration with the Society of Fellows and the Heyman Center for the Humanities, I have been able to focus sustained attention on the project, deepen its scope, and develop it into an inter-institutional initiative with wider reach. As a Bancroft Research Scholar, I hope to continue developing a career centered on using public humanities to address contemporary political and social questions through international scholarship.
About the Bancroft Research Scholars Program
The Bancroft Research Scholars Program aims to provide GS students with the opportunity and funding to participate in undergraduate research during the regular school year. The Program selects a limited number of GS students who collaborate with a Columbia faculty member on a research project during the academic year. Each scholar receives $2,200 in funding for one academic term to support their research efforts. This support helps cover essential research-related expenses, including supplies, materials, and travel costs, ensuring that scholars can fully immerse themselves in their projects without financial barriers.
Stay tuned for applications for the Spring application and updates on their research projects throughout the year!