Meet our August STEMSEAS transit participants:
Instructors
Dr. Jon Lewis is a structural geologist who works primarily in the realm of active tectonics. Currently his undergraduate-only lab at Indiana University of Pennsylvania focuses on the rapid (80+ mm/yr!) tectonic collisions taking place in Taiwan and Costa Rica. He and his students use earthquakes understand regional strain patterns in the crust, geomorphology to characterize active fault zones, and both brittle and plastic bedrock structures to unravel deformation histories. His offshore geology research started in 2007 on the Japanese drilling vessel Chikyu.
Dr. Kris Ludwig is a staff scientist in the US Geological Survey’s Natural Hazards Mission Area and an affiliate assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington. Her work focuses on science policy underpinning emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. She is part of the Department of the Interior Strategic Sciences Group, which acts like a “pop up think tank” to support decision making during major disasters by rapidly convening multidisciplinary teams of experts to assess environmental, social, and economic consequences and identify actionable interventions. Her research background is in deep sea hydrothermal vent systems and she became interested in hazards during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Dr. Karen B. Thomson is an educator and consultant to nonprofit organizations focused on programs that reach students outside the classroom to encourage, engage, and equip them to excel, particularly students from backgrounds underrepresented in science. She participated in a School of Rock workshop aboard the JOIDES Resolution with fellow non-formal science educators in 2012 and co-coordinated Ship-to-Shore Science initiatives the following year with Girl Scout councils, museums and libraries in urban, rural and suburban communities. Her experience also includes work with the national office of the Children’s Defense Fund’s Black Student Leadership Network and Freedom Schools; teaching in New York City public schools; planning or coordinating NSF-funded gender equity projects at Hofstra University and the Wildlife Conservation Society; and outreach, evaluation, and advocacy with local and international organizations. Her degrees are from three universities, and she’s lived in four cities and two towns, worked in three countries, and filled more than one passport with business trips, but keeps finding her way back to Brooklyn.
Raquel Bryant is so excited to be going on a second STEMSEAS cruise! She is currently a graduate student in the Geoscience department at the UMass Amherst studying micropaleontology and paleoceanography.
Students
Elizabeth Newman studies Environmental Science & Resource Management and marine biology at the University of Washington in Seattle. In her free time she enjoys hiking, judo, and reading. She is a member of the Xi Sigma Pi Forestry Honors Society and in the future she hopes to study bird and marine mammal migratory patterns as they change in the face of climate change.
Eva Lopez is a rising senior studying geophysics and Italian studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She has participated in independent research on microzoning and mapping the stratigraphy of a zone near Merano, Italy. Volcanoes, the ocean, and earthquakes fascinate her.
Hi guys! My name is Grecia Almaguer and I am a student at Cal State Bakersfield! I am currently a senior majoring in Biology with a concentration in Biotechnology. I am not quite sure what I want to do in life but I know that it will involve helping others. I can’t wait for this voyage! Alaska here we come! 🙂
Megan Byers is a recent graduate from Mount Holyoke College tackling the intersectionality of environmental stewardship. She loves exploring the outdoors, getting creative, and sharing her enthusiasm for science!
Miguel Moravec is a student of Earth Science and Communication of Science and Technology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Regardless of his residence in the land-locked state, he was raised a sailor in Annapolis, MD and has a few “blue water” experiences under his belt. He is especially grateful, however, to put to sea aboard a vessel of science for the first time.
Sherese Morgan is an Earth and Environmental Science major at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Sherese’s childhood explorations of the Hudson River have spurred her interest in studying how humans influence and disturb freshwater ecosystems.
Hi my name is Diane Hilderbrand. I am 19 years old from a small town in Washington state. I’m going into my second year at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). I am currently undeclared, but I’m thinking of pursuing a major in psychobiology.
My name is Abby Edwards and I grew up in San Francisco. I have been attending City College of San Francisco and this fall I will be transferring to UCLA to complete a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Growing up I was always fascinated by science and curious about understanding how our world works. I am always looking for adventure and I love to play outdoors. I have never been out at sea for more than a day and I am looking forward to this learning and growing experience with all of you.
My name is Greg Austin and I will be a Super Senior at the University of Delaware. I am currently studying English in addition to Spanish and will graduate in December. However, I have other academic and personal interests in the environment sustainability, basic economics, and cultural studies. In a way I’ll be following in my father’s footsteps as he is a veteran of two military services (Coast Guard & Army) and he was stationed in both Seattle and Alaska. I can’t wait to grow in my STEM experience.
My name is Jose Garcia, and I was born in Moreno Valley, CA and raised in Las Vegas, NV. I’m currently a student at the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) in Las Vegas majoring in General Science with an emphasis in Geology. Once I graduate at CSN I plan to go to the University of Reno, Nevada to acquire my bachelor’s in Geology. My hobbies are training and competing in boxing, hiking, and collecting shoes.
