My journey into the Geosciences
I wasn’t always a Geoscientist. Prior to graduate school, I worked as an Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Engineer for several years. My job was to ensure that the unintended electromagnetic ‘noise’ generated in telecommunication, biomedical, and satellite communication equipment systems did not interfere with instrument functionality.
(Figure) Preparing a satellite communication system for EMC testing in a semi-anechoic chamber.
As interesting as EMC Engineering was, a love of technology, fascination with the natural environment, and a mid-winter trip to Yellowstone National Park forever changed my career path. I began researching geophysical careers and entered graduate school soon after, charting a new path into glaciology and remote sensing.
(Figure) Appreciating the beauty of a geothermal feature during a day of skiing in Yellowstone Park.
As a graduate student, my research focused on tidewater glaciers in Greenland and Alaska. In particular, I use a terrestrial radar interferometer (TRI) to characterize and understand how short term perturbations at the ice-ocean boundary affected ice dynamics along the terminus.
(Figure) Conducting TRI scans with Dr. Martin Truffer along Kangiata Nunaata Sermia, Greenland
Today, as a Research Scientist in the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science’s (CIRES) Earth Science Observation Center (ESOC), I still study the cryosphere but have also expanded my research interests to include natural hazards such as landslides and debris flows.
(Figure) Performing terrestrial radar interferometric scans of the Slumgullion Landslide in Southwest Colorado.
Awards
CIRES Outstanding Performance Award (OPA) - 2020
University of New Hampshire Graduate Student Research Award - 2017
American Geophysical Union’s Outstanding Student Paper Award (OSPA) - 2015