I am a geologist (she/her) who studies surface processes. I currently work as a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hydrologist at the Utah Water Science Center on hydrologic issues relating to water quality as well as human and environmental health. I primarily use ArcGIS and RStudio for geospatial and statistical analyses and collaborate with researchers at USGS centers across the United States.

My Ph.D. work at North Carolina State University focused on investigations of Earth and Mars’ surface morphology and interactions with tectonics. I studied large thrust faults that produce fault propagation folds on the Martian surface in an effort to understand crustal properties and timing of global planetary contraction. Additionally, I studied the effect of anthropogenic landscape modification (specifically, the production and introduction of legacy sediment) on stream channel initiation and the impacts that this has on downstream ecosystems and stream health.

My master’s research at NC State involved understanding how individuals learn in the geosciences, with applications to improve teaching strategies and convey geoscience information more effectively. My master’s thesis focused on understanding how experts and novices navigate climate change graphs differently. I use eye-tracking, which uses small amounts of infrared radiation to determine where an individual is looking, when, and for how long, to determine differences in visual patterns between the two populations. The data collected using this technique can be analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively.