EVENTS
Conferences, Classes, Collaborative Meetings, and Everything Else!
Lecturer for 2019 Hydro Field Camp
May/June 2019
Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, USA
I'm thrilled to be the co-instructor for this year's Field Methods in Hydrology course. I'll be leading 18 students and 4 TA's to the Jemez Mountains, where we will put the classroom knowledge they've acquired over four years to work. Students measure a variety of physical and chemical hydrogeological attributes and create reports on the findings, in some of the most beautiful country on Earth,
Collaborative Meeting at Oak Ridge National Lab
November 3-7, 2017
Oak Ridge, TN
I work with scientists in ORNL's Climate Change Science Institute to simulate the future warming of tundra. We met for a week this November to discuss future projects and simulations.
TexasDesal 2017
September 21 - 22, 2017
Hyatt Regency, Austin, TX
Volunteer organizer for a two-day event that brought together water planners, water developers/financiers, policymakers, regulators, water utilities, engineers, consultants and researchers on the leading edge of Texas's (and the world's) water supply.
Field Campaign
August 10 - 20, 2017
Toolik Field Station, North Slope, AK
We darted around the helicopter in the tundra to observe soil properties, groundwater flow pathways, and permafrost depths.
Selected as a Horton Grant Recipient!
June 19, 2017
Austin, TX
I am humbled to be selected as one of AGU's Horton Research Grant Recipients for 2017! My grant, entitled "Is there trouble in the tundra? Towards predicting the plumbing of an aquifer made of carbon", will allow me to greatly expand the field data from which I base my simulations on. Many thanks go to my advisor, Bayani Cardenas, as well as Beth Neilson and George Kling, whose guidance was imperative to the success of this grant.
Hydro Field Camp
May 2017
Jemez Mountains, New Mexico
We embarked on a quest to understand the hydrology of the Valles Caldera within the Jemez Mountains. The students were excellent and presented the results at GSA!
Collaborative Meeting at Oak Ridge National Lab
May 8-12, 2017
Oak Ridge, TN
I work with scientists in ORNL's Climate Change Science Institute to simulate the future warming of tundra. We met for a week this November to discuss future projects and simulations.
March for Science!
April 21, 2017
I led the Jackson School effort in the Austin March for Science. We attracted over 100 JSG students, and the march overall attracted over 10,000 people in Austin. It was an amazing day for science advocacy.
Implementing Science-Based Policy in Texas
April 5, 2017
I helped organize a round-table in which we brought the Deputy Director of the Texas Water Development Board, Robert Mace, the former Texas Railroad Commissioner John Tintera, and Texas Environmental Sciences Institute Director Jay Banner together to discuss the prospect of implementing science-based policy in Texas. Moderated by Kimberly McCormack. Watch the whole session below!
CUASHI Pathfinder Fellowship Funded!
January 2017
Oak Ridge, TN
I'm thrilled to be the recipient of a CUASHI Pathfinder Fellowship, which will fund a years worth of collaborative meetings with the NGEE-Arctic team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory! Many thanks to Ethan Coon, Scott Painter, and Ahmad Jan for assistance on the Fellowship application.
Annual Meeting for the Arctic Long-Term Ecological Research Team
February 22 - 24, 2017
Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA
A great time catching up with all of the wonderful scientists who have spent so much of their energy trying to understand how the hydrology, biology, and chemistry of the tundra have changed since the site was set up in 1975. We also celebrated the career of PI Gaius Shaver, who retired at the end of the year.
Volunteer at Austin Thinkery21 Event!
October 27, 2016
I had so much fun volunteering at the Austin Thinkery, the new city Children's museum, during a 21+ fundraiser night! We helped so many murder mystery sleuths figure out exactly which type of sand was on the shoe of that dang blasted murderer! Great job all, and thanks, Thinkery, for having me!
Edwards Aquifer Field Trip with THE Dr. Jack Sharp
September 11, 2016
Jack is the absolute greatest in the field, and there's nothing like watching him dart around the outcrops he knows best. The Edwards Aquifer trip is a rite of passage for all students in the Groundwater class, and he didn't disappoint. We stopped at five sites in the Austin area where distinct recharge and discharge features were easy to spot and important to quantify. And, of course, barbecue at the end.
Field Campaign
August 1Â - 13, 2016
Toolik Field Station, North Slope, AK
We darted around the helicopter in the tundra to observe soil properties, groundwater flow pathways, and permafrost depths.
International Conference on Permafrost 2016
June 19 - 24, 2017
Potsdam, Bradenberg, Germany
An absolutely enlightening experience with me and 900 of my closest permafrost friends. I presented field research from the prior year's campaigns, and learned an amazing amount from 18 highly-specialized and well-curated sessions.
Field Campaign
June 6 - 17, 2016
Toolik Field Station, North Slope, AK
We darted around the helicopter in the tundra to observe soil properties, groundwater flow pathways, and permafrost depths.
Organized Austin's First Science Policy Forum
January 24, 2018
Spiderhouse Ballroom, Austin, TX
As the Vice President of the Central Texas chapter of 314 Action, I was a primary organizer of the City's first-ever candidate forum focusing explicitly on science policy. We invited a candidate for local (Mayoral candidate Laura Morrison), state (State Representative Donna Howard, D-Austin), and federal (Congressional candidate Joseph Kopser) levels to discuss what "science policy" meant at each level. Renowned energy expert Dr. Michael Webber moderated.
Produced and moderated "An Evening on Texas Water", sponsored by CUAHSI
April 27, 2018
Scottish Rite Ballroom, Austin, TX
I joined classmate and good friend Caroline Hackett as a producer, and then moderator, of "An Evening on Texas Water". We combined the original documentary Yakona, a visual journey through the San Marcos River, with an exceptional panel of experts where we talked about the future of water in the fastest growing state in the Union. And there was free beer!
Moderated a panel with climate legend Dr. Michael Mann
February 13, 2018
AAAS Annual Meeting, Austin, TX
I was so incredibly honored to be asked to moderate a panel on the importance of science in policy, featuring Congressional Candidate Joseph Kopser and Dr. Michael Mann, one of the world's leading climate experts. I wore my fanciest science shirt for the occasion.
Lead TA for 2018 Hydro Field Camp: The Vallesing
May 2018
Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico
Third time's the charm, I suppose. I was given the reigns for this iteration of Field Camp, and we had a ton of fun answering some interesting hydrologic questions. We also met some good friends in Los Alamos, where I gave a talk. See the results at AGU this year!
Field Campaign in Alaska: NASA INSAR Groundtruthing
August 2018
Toolik Lake Research Station, North Slope, AK
On my fourth trip North, we collected soil samples and stratigraphy measurements to help make sense of INSAR imagery produced by satellites. We introduced Sophy Wu to Alaska, and she promptly whooped us in Monopoly, Risk, and Train Game. Lesson learned: if you're a doctoral candidate in aerospace,, you're probably pretty smart.
Fall as a Fellow at Oak Ridge National Labs
Fall 2018
Oak Ridge, TN
I was awarded a Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Student Fellowship to continue developing permafrost hydrology models with the beasts from the East, Scott Painter, Ethan Coon, and Ahmad Jan of the Oak Ridge Climate Change Science Institute. I'm living in Knoxville til January, taking in as many of the Great Smoky Mountains and Blue Plate Specials I can!
Presentation at GSA Fall Meeting, Indianapolis
November 3, 2018
Indianapolis, IN
I discussed my most recent fieldwork and modeling findings, which show the thickness organic mat overlying permafrost to be an absolutely critical element of permafrost thaw and groundwater flow.
Defended my Dissertation
April 24, 2019
Austin, TX, USA
Well, call me Doctor now, I guess? I successfully defended my dissertation, but most importantly, my mom bought some killer snacks from Costco. It was a fantastic culmination to the 5 years of hard work.
Presentation at AGU Fall Meeting, Washington, DC
December 13, 2018
Washington, DC
Miss my GSA presentation? Dying to hear the cutting-edge permafrost hydrology I'm doing? YOU'RE IN LUCK! I present on Thursday.
See you there!
Awarded Remote Sensing Postdoc
April 2019
Austin, TX, USA
They say the reward for research worth doing is to do more research, and that's what I'll get to do next year! I'll be sponsored by the Center for Space Research out of the Cockrell School of Engineering at UT Austin to connect remote sensing observations of arctic hydrology to the ground-truthed field data and modeling results I've developed during my PhD. Here's to more Texas!