Who am I?
A paleolimnologist— paleo=old, limnology=the study of lakes. I collect sediment cores from the bottoms of lakes and study materials preserved in these geological archives to answer questions about environmental history.
An Arctic scientist— All of my research in recent years has focused on the Arctic, the world’s fastest-warming region. I am interested in how climate change impacts the environment of the Arctic, and how this in turn impacts the millions of people who live there.
A climate educator— I am very devoted to education about climate science in many ways. I have delivered community lectures in Chicago, been hired as a Substitute and Lecturer at the School of the Arts Institute (liberal arts college, Chicago, IL), presented my work at academic conferences, and worked with students at local high schools and middle schools on topics ranging all fields of science.
A holder of many identities— which makes me extremely passionate about access to education, equity in STEM, and Indigenous leadership in the global environmental movement. I believe that science is intrinsically connected to art and social movements, and my contribution has been through connecting artists, community leaders, and educators with institutional resources I have as a researcher at Northwestern. Furthermore, my research questions in Greenland are currently rooted in what I have learned from local partners and friends. I stretch between traditional science structures (e.g., grant funding, higher education requirements) and local & Indigenous ways of knowing that I am exposed to by carving out time in Greenland that is separate from my science work.
