I am

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 diverse environments 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, including the fundamentals of our Earth system and combatting mis/disinformation campaigns of powerful fossil fuel or extractive resource companies. I have delivered community and university lectures to students and community members in Chicago and at Ilisimatusarfik (University of Greenland).

A holder of many identities—

which makes me extremely passionate about access to education, equity in STEM, and Indigenous stewardship & leadership in the global environmental movement.

AN ARTIST—

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. Aside from public and scholarly writing (an important artistic practice!), I am also involved in collaborations with galleries and artists in Chicago and NYC.