REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) students Bianca Bello (Boston College) and Bekah Burket (Stetson University) used the stable isotope facility this past summer to study the current drought conditions in the Midwest and the past hydroclimate of NE Iowa. The students were part of the NSF sponsored REU program in BioGeosciences at Iowa State University. Bianca used the isotopic composition of water in Squaw Creek and wells at Stuart Smith Park in Ames to study the impacts of the drought on groundwater and surface water. Bekah cored and sampled a tufa deposit in NE Iowa to determine the viability of reconstructing past hydroclimate in the Midwest from these interesting carbonate deposits.