Knight to Know: Jacqueline Hanson ’23

By Clarissa Morgan | May 3, 2023
Headshot of Jacqueline Hanson '23

Hometown: Fair Haven, N.J.

Major: Biology

Minor: Italian

Extracurriculars: Ultimate Frisbee Club, STAMP

Favorite Arcadia Memory: During the sunny days in the spring semester, my friends and I would play soccer, wiffle ball, or cards on the green.

Post-Grad Plans: It’s still up in the air, but so far I am planning to take courses to hopefully apply to Physical Therapy programs during the year unless other job opportunities arise.

Editor’s note: Jacqueline received the Bette Landman Award and the Biology Department Excellence in Research Award at this year’s Honors Convocation. For the past three years, she has been studying dendrochronology, the science of tree-ring dating, in Dr. Howard’s research lab. She learned how to measure annual rings and identify fire scars on cross sections of old pine trees during the pandemic, using high-resolution scans and specialized software. Remotely and in person, Jackie has been an invaluable collaborator with Dr. Howard and the Maryland Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, investigating the fire history of Sideling Hill, Western Maryland. Her work directly contributed to an oral presentation given at the 8th International Fire Ecology and Management Congress in 2021, on which she was a co-author.