Professor Hinman's work focuses mainly on biotic and abiotic chemical processes in natural systems that affect solution and mineral composition. She has conducted field work in thermal springs of Yellowstone National Park and the Valley of Geysers, Kamchatka, Russia, as well as cold springs in western Montana. Current projects include photochemical processes; mineral composition, deposition, and diagenesis; and microbial interactions. On these projects, she collaborates with researchers at NASA- Ames Research Center, NASA-Johnson Research Center, and universities from around the U.S. and the world. Such contacts present opportunities for students to visit and use instruments at these facilities. Research in her laboratory has focused on microbial reduction of iron, deposition and dissolution of iron oxides, and photochemistry. Results are modeled with geochemical codes to provide insight into chemical speciation. The following list of publications shows the variety of projects on which Professor Hinman has worked over the last several years.
Publications 1996 to 2000
Wilson, C.L., Hinman, N.W. and Sheridan, R.L. 2000. Hydrogen peroxide formation and decay in iron-rich geothermal waters: the relative of abiotic and biotic mechanisms. Photochem. Photobiol. V. 71, 691-699.
Wilson, C.L., Hinman, N.W., Cooper, W. and Brown, C.F. 2000 Photochemical formation of hydrogen peroxide in geothermal waters of Yellowstone National park. Environ. Sci. Technol. V. 34, 2655-2662.
Morris, R. V., Golden, D. C., Bell, J. F., III, Shelfer, T. D., Scheinost, A. C., Hinman, N. W., Furniss, G., Mertzman, S. A., Bishop, J. L., Ming, D. W., Allen, C. C., and Britt, D. T. 2000. Mineralogy, composition, and alteration of Mars Pathfinder rocks and soils: Evidence from. J. Geophys. Res., v. 105, p. 1757-1818.
Fredrickson, J.K., J.M Zachara, D.W. Kennedy, H. Dong, T.C. Onstott, N.W. Hinman, and S. Li. 1999. Biogenic iron mineralization accompanying the dissimilatory reduction of hydrous ferric oxide by a groundwater bacterium. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta. in press.
Furniss, G. Hinman, N.W, Doyle, G.A. and Runnells, D.D.  1999. Radiocarbon-dated ferricrete provides record of natural acid rock drainage and paleoclimatic changes, New World Mining District, Montana, U.S.A. Enviro. Geology. in press.
Hinman, N.W. 1998. Chemical factors influencing the rates and sequences of silica phase transitions: effects of inorganic constituents. Marine Geology, 147, 13-24.
Furniss, G. and Hinman, N.W.  1998. Ferricrete provides record of natural acid drainage, New World District, Montana. Proc. 9th Intl. Symp. Water-Rock Interaction, Balkema, Moscow, p. 973-976.
Hinman, N.W. 1998 Sequences of silica phase transitions: effects of Na, Mg, K, Al and Fe ions. Marine Geology., v. 147, 13-24.
Hinman, N.W. 1997. Hydrological processes in microbial preservations. Instruments, Methods, and Missions for the Investigation of Extraterrestrial Microorganisms, Proceedings of SPIE, V. 3111, p. 335-341.
Walter, M.R., D. DesMarais, J.D. Farmer, and N.W. Hinman, 1996. Paleobiology of mid-Proterozoic thermal springs deposits in the Drummond Basin, Queensland, Australia.  Palaeos, Vol. 11, 497-518.
Hinman, N.W. and Lindstrom, R.F. 1996.  Seasonal changes in silica deposition in hot spring systems.  In (Stillings, L., ed.) Chemical and biological controls on Mineral Growth and Dissolution Kinetics. Chem. Geol., Vol. 132, 237-246.
Current Grant Support
Biocomplexity - Incubation Activity, National Science Foundation, Co-Investigator with others at University of Wyoming. Project to develop an interdisciplinary proposal addressing chemical, physical, and biological interactions in thermal drainages of Yellowstone National Park. Supports 1 graduate student.
Hydrogeology and hydrochemistry of active hot springs systems: An analog for fossil Martian systems. NASA-EPSCoR, Co-Investigator with 1 other. Project to investigate the processes by which microbial markers are incorporated into the geological record in mineralizing systems. Supports 1 graduate student and 1 undergraduate student.
Institute for the Study of Biomarkers in Astromaterials, NASA, Co-Investigator with NASA-JSC team. Project to investigate microbial signatures in mineral deposits. Supports 1 undergraduate student.