Kelly Deister
Assistant Professor
Office: TECH 674C
Education and Training:
- 2000 Fairleigh Dickinson University, B.S. in Chemistry and Marine Biology
- 2006 University of South Florida, Ph.D. in Chemical Oceanography with Dr. Robert Byrne
Research Interests:
Estuaries are bodies of water where fresh water from the rivers mixes with saltwater from the ocean. The estuarine water can also be influenced by submarine groundwater via springs that discharge directly into the estuarine system. These transition zones between the land and the sea create dynamic regions that are economically and scientifically important. Predominantly known for their biological diversity, estuaries also display considerable chemical fluctuations. Tampa Bay, the largest estuary in Florida, is designated as an estuary of national significance. The University of Tampa is located directly on the Hillsborough River, which is one of the primary rivers feeding into Tampa Bay. This makes UT an ideal location to study estuarine chemistry.
The research focus of my lab is on the marine chemistry of Tampa Bay and the associated rivers and springs. My primary interest is in chemical contaminant distributions and the processes that affect them, which has led to predominantly field-based studies. Research projects have studied inorganic elements such as trace metals and specifically uranium, and organic molecules such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products.
Please see Assistant Professor Deister for information on specific research projects.
Students that work in my lab will be involved with the entire research project, which typically consists of collecting samples in the field, using instrumentation in the lab to analyze the samples, and finally presenting the results to a larger audience. In addition to collecting samples directly from the river bank, students may have the opportunity to go out on one of the research vessels from the UT Marine Science Field Station.
Figure 1: UT undergraduate student, Payton Mead '22, collecting a water sample on the Alafia River.
Figure 2: UT undergraduate students, Allie Patys '23 and Kate Redman '24, collecting a water sample on the Hillsborough River.
While collecting and preparing the samples for analysis, students will develop trace-metal-clean techniques. Students will also gain hands-on experience with at least one, if not multiple, instruments. Projects studying inorganic elements will utilize the inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer, while projects studying organic molecules will utilize the Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometer.
Figure 3: The inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer located at the University of Tampa.
The final goal of any research project is to be able to share your results with the scientific community. It is expected that students will attend at least one conference to give either a poster or oral presentation.
Figure 4: UT undergraduate student, Rebekah Vernarsky '21, with Deister at a chemistry conference where she presented her poster.
Figure 5: UT undergraduate student, Payton Mead '22, with Deister at a chemistry conference where she presented her poster.
Figure 6: UT undergraduate student, Allie Patys '23, at a chemistry conference where she presented her poster.
(Undergraduate authors in bold type. *Corresponding author.)
Olsen, L., Quinn, K.A., Siebecker, M.G., Luther, G.W., Hastings, D.W., and Morford, J.L.* "Trace metal diagenesis in sulfidic sediments: Insights from Chesapeake Bay." Chemical Geology, 2017, 452, 47-59.
Hastings, D.W.*, Schwing, P.T., Brooks, G.R., Larson, R.A., Morford, J.L., Roeder, T., Quinn, K.A., Bartlett, T., Romero, I.C. and Hollander, D.J. "Changes in sediment redox conditions following the BP DWH Blowout event." Deep Sea Research, 2016, 129, 167-178.
Williams, C.*, Flower, B.P., Hastings, D.W., Guilderson, T.P., Quinn, K.A. and Goddard, E.A. (2010). "Deglacial abrupt climate change in the Atlantic warm pool: A Gulf of Mexico perspective." Paleoceanography, 2010, 25, PA4221. doi:10.1029/2010PA001928
Quinn, K.A., Byrne, R.H.* and Schijf, J. "Sorption of yttrium and rare earth elements by amorphous ferric hydroxide: Influence of temperature." Environmental Science & Technology, 2007, 41, 541-546.
Quinn, K.A., Byrne, R.H.* and Schijf, J. "Sorption of yttrium and rare earth elements by amorphous ferric hydroxide: Influence of solution complexation with carbonate." Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2006, 70, 4151-4165.
Quinn, K.A., Byrne, R.H.* and Schijf, J. "Sorption of yttrium and rare earth elements by amorphous ferric hydroxide: Influence of pH and ionic strength." Marine Chemistry, 2006, 99, 128-150.
Quinn, K.A., Byrne, R.H.* and Schijf, J. "Comparative scavenging of yttrium and the rare earth elements in seawater: Competitive influences of solution and surface chemistry." Aquatic Geochemistry, 2004, 10, 59-80.
(Undergraduate authors in bold type. Presenting author underlined.)
Patys, A. and Deister, K.A. (2022) Uranium Distributions along Two Rivers in Tampa Bay, Florida. Poster presented at the Fall 2022 Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Chicago, IL, August 21-25, 2022.
Vernarsky, R. and Deister, K.A. (2021) A temporal and spatial analysis of trace metals in the Alafia and Hillsborough Rivers. Poster presented at the 2021 Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Birmingham, AL, November 10-13, 2021.
Mead, P. and Deister, K.A. (2021) The influence of spring water on two rivers in Tampa Bay, Florida. Poster presented at the 2021 Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Birmingham, AL, November 10-13, 2021.
