Everett Shock shares Todd's enthusiasm after a hard day of work when he finds out that he was won a free soda.

My research focuses on identifying organic compounds and the potential role they play in hydrothermal fluids from subsurface equilibrium to potential sources of energy for thermophiles. For the past four years, I collected a number of samples for Yellowstone hot springs ranging in temperature (40-93 ^oC) and pH (2-9). Samples are analyzed using a  number of different analytical techniques (Electrospray, Ion Chromatography, and Gas Chromatography to name a few) to identify and characterize these compounds. Identification of such compounds allows us to hypothesize about what a heterophic thermophiles might consume for energy. 

In addition to identifying organic compounds in hydrothermal systems, I am currently working on revising and expanding our thermodynamic database for the program SupCrt to include more organic compounds.