I'm a third year Master's student in the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs (SMEA) at the University of Washington, Seattle and recently completed my Program on Climate Change graduate certificate in Climate Science. My current research is on ocean acidification (OA) in the Salish Sea, and I'm working to create a sensitivity index of zooplankton to OA and test whether field observations support findings from the literature.
My journey began in Little Rock, Arkansas, where I was raised on the banks of the Arkansas River and encouraged to explore, appreciate, and engage with nature. I attended Oklahoma State University for my undergraduate degree in environmental science, and pursued various research projects in biochemistry, ecology, and zoology. I also led a citizen science water quality monitoring project called Blue Thumb and found my love for outreach.
I've had such a meandering career trajectory that I like to joke that I'm probably the example listed under “interdisciplinary” in the dictionary. I've worked on two large-scale silvicultural studies with the USFS in Alaska, a peregrine falcon monitoring project with the NPS in Shenandoah National Park, a research project on amphipod associations with gelatinous zooplankton with the Smithsonian Institution in DC ... and so much in between.
With an interdisciplinary background in environmental sciences, I am passionate about bridging the gap between scientists and policy-makers, effectively communicating climate science, and utilizing applied science to solve complex environmental and societal problems.
When I'm not pulling my hair out over my thesis or attending some scicom workshop, you'll find me snowshoeing in the Cascades, beachcombing in Seattle, or playing cards at a Ballard brewery.
