High school science research student Madison Esposito is spending her summer at Brookhaven National Laboratory, conducting experiments at the National Synchrotron Light Source II, one of the world’s most advanced synchrotron light sources supporting basic and applied research in energy security, advanced materials synthesis and manufacturing, environment and human health.

Last year, Esposito developed a method to collect and identify micrometeorites collected in buckets on the high school roof. She then teamed up with students from other local high schools to write a proposal for conducting their investigation at the NSLS-II, which successfully competed against proposals from researchers from around the world who seek to use the resources of the NSLS-II to conduct experiments.

Esposito is currently investigating the mineral components of the collected micrometeorites at the X-Ray Powder Diffraction beamline. She is also using Tender Energy X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy to determine the speciation of elements such as sulfur and phosphorus in the micrometeorites. After analyzing the data she has collected, she and her partner will prepare a paper to submit for publication.