About Me

Understanding how polar regions have responded to past climate change is one way we can gain insight into the present and future of these critical and sensitive regions in the face of ongoing climate change. I first became interested in the polar regions as an B.S. student in The Ohio State University's School of Earth Sciences. I joined the Arctic paleoceanography research group at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center and completed B.S. and M.S. theses under the supervision of Dr. Leonid Polyak. My M.S. research focused on reconstructing Arctic seawater circulation using neodymium isotopes. I've continued to study Arctic marine geochemistry  and paleoceanography for my Ph.D., working with Dr. Allyson Tessin at Kent State University.  

As a master's student, I joined a geophysical research cruise to the Chukchi Sea. I loved life at sea and, upon graduation,  joined the International Ocean Discovery Program as a lab technician on the research drillship JOIDES Resolution. I accumulated over 2.5 years at sea and sailed on eleven IODP expeditions, supporting the geochemistry and core description labs. I learned a wide variety of analytical techniques, as well as problem-solving and communication skills, while working  with scientists from around the world. As a Ph.D. student, I've gained additional seagoing experience, sailing as an inorganic geochemist on IODP Expedition 400 to Baffin Bay and participating in sediment sampling cruises to the Gulf of Alaska and Lake Erie. 

I completed the Master of Arts in Teaching program offered by the American Museum of Natural History in 2019. In this program, I taught Earth science and physics in high-needs schools in the Bronx and Brooklyn as a teaching resident, then became a full-time middle school science teacher in upstate New York. I gained experience teaching both online and in-person (sometimes simultaneously!) during remote learning in the COVID-19 pandemic. I remain strongly committed to improving science education in my role as a graduate teaching assistant. In particular, I'm interested in developing meaningful and engaging Earth science learning experiences for online introductory college-level courses.

Outside of my life as a researcher, I enjoy hiking, camping, and traveling. Science has taken me all around the world and I've loved exploring new places and cultures every step of the way. I also like playing stringed instruments (guitar, ukulele, and most recently mandolin), and participating in trivia contests of any kind.