Kylie Liggett - The Tufts Daily

Science

Earthrise, again: Exploring the Artemis II mission

By Kylie Liggett | April 9

Like millions of space enthusiasts, I tuned in on Wednesday, April 1, to watch the Artemis II astronauts return to the moon on the spacecraft Integrity. The mission series, Artemis, is aptly named after the Greek goddess of the moon. Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo, reflecting how the mission will continue to build on what has already been accomplished by the Apollo series.

Science

Rising to the occasion: Sea level research at Tufts

By Kylie Liggett | March 26

The Kemp Lab, located in the newly renovated Bacon Hall, focuses on coastal stratigraphy and the reconstruction of sea levels over the last 2,000 years. A core facet of the lab’s work is its interdisciplinary approach, which combines oceanography, seismology, statistics, geochemistry and climate science. The lab — led by Andrew Kemp, an associate professor of earth and climate sciences — is one of the leading university research labs studying sea level rise, with some of the most highly cited work in this field. Professor Kemp’s lab relies heavily on geological data to create these reconstructions. Specifically, sediment cores from coastal wetlands and salt marshes provide a significant portion of the data the lab uses. The lab also focuses on the Gulf Stream and on documenting the prehistory of large earthquakes, which can cause the land to shift vertically. Additionally, researchers study isostasy models, which describe the geological equilibrium between Earth’s crust and mantle.

Science

The science behind Olympic snow: Climate change and industrial snowmaking

By Kylie Liggett | February 12

The Winter Olympic Games, this year hosted in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, have increasingly had to rely on human-made snow due to climate change. Shrinking snowpacks, rising temperatures, fewer freezes and shorter snow seasons have led to an estimated 85% of competition surfaces in the 2026 Olympics requiring artificial snow. The two host cities this year have created massive artificial reservoirs to provide sources of water for snowmaking. Cortina d’Ampezzo itself has experienced a 3.6 degrees Celsius increase in average February temperature and 41 fewer freezing days annually since they first hosted the games in 1956.

Science

Book Review: 'Everything is Tuberculosis'

By Kylie Liggett | January 15

Tuberculosis is a disease that kills over 1 million people every year, so why is it that much of the Global North thinks of it as a disease of the past? Why is a curable disease still killing so many people? In his new book, “Everything is Tuberculosis,” John Green tackles the history and current reality of a disease that has, in many ways, shaped our world. “Everything is Tuberculosis” by John Green centers around answering the question of why access to the TB cure is limited in regions where the disease is most prevalent, challenging the plethora of assumptions that have been made about the disease throughout history.

Science

Dissertation Diaries: Bridget Moynihan

By Kylie Liggett | November 5

Welcome to the seventh installment of “Dissertation Diaries.” We will be highlighting Bridget Moynihan, a final-year Ph.D. candidate researching offshore wind energy engineering at Tufts University. Moynihan researches offshore wind turbines, using structural health monitoring instrumentation along with the subsequent data to analyze and predict the extent to which the turbines are degrading and need maintenance or upgrading.

Science

Climate change in our cities

By Kylie Liggett | October 9

As the effects of climate change become increasingly visible, cities face unique challenges but are also positioned to be leaders in sustainability and adaptation. Some of the most prominent effects of climate change in cities include rising sea levels and increased temperatures — as well as higher rates of heat waves — which is exacerbated by the urban heat island effect, where urban areas experience warmer weather than rural areas. Urban areas also experience greater food and water scarcity than their surrounding areas.

Science

NASA budget cuts could affect Tufts research

By Kylie Liggett | September 22

NASA has faced threats of losing a significant portion of its funding since the beginning of the Trump administration. A recent NASA economic impact report found that, in fiscal year 2023, the agency generated $75.6 billion in economic output despite the agency’s budget being roughly $25 billion that same year — an approximately threefold return on investment. Yet, the White House proposed setting the NASA budget for fiscal year 2026 at under $19 billion, representing an over 24% cut. Congress only has until Sept. 30 to finalize NASA’s funding — to decide whether to approve or reject the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts. As Congress has the final say over government spending, there is currently a bipartisan effort to veto the White House’s proposed budget cuts.