As an Office of Undergraduate Research Fellow, Nina conducted research this summer titled, "Responses of bur oak leaf physiology and spectroscopy to elevated temperature, CO2 and precipitation variability". She presented this work at the Fall Undergraduate Research Festival. Her abstract was, "Climate change alters tree physiology in ways that can be detected through shifts in spectral reflectance. This study examines how Quercus macrocarpa (Bur oak) saplings respond to elevated temperature and carbon dioxide over a 10-week growth period. Saplings were grown in six controlled growth chambers, each representing distinct climate scenarios combining ambient or elevated temperature (+3 °C from ambient, +6 °C from ambient) and carbon dioxide (ambient 425 ppm or 800 ppm). Leaf-level spectral reflectance (350–2500 nm) was measured, and Weeks 2, 5, and 9 were analyzed to represent early-, mid-, and late-stage physiology, capturing both temporal and treatment-based responses."