Sylvia Leppik

I’m an undergraduate student at Drexel University, studying Environmental Science with a focus on ecology and evolution, expecting to graduate in 2027. My first co-op internship was with Dr. Marina Potapova at the diatom herbarium at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, where I learned about diatoms, their biology, and their unique ecology through research and building a voucher flora of Alaskan diatoms. In the future, I hope to use my knowledge of diatoms as bioindicators and crucial parts of the ecosystem to inform work with freshwater systems.