M.S. Geology

Why did you choose graduate school at IUPUI?

I chose graduate school at IUPUI because I completed my undergraduate degree here and enjoyed my experience with faculty, staff, and other students in the Earth Sciences. I also was already aware of some of the research that occurs in the Department of Earth Sciences and felt confident I could find a lab that would fit my interests.

What has been your favorite academic accomplishment since you’ve been here?

My favorite academic accomplishment since starting my graduate degree is attending field work outings to collect samples for research within my lab group. On my first field work outing, we collected samples for my personal thesis project, but I have since attended several other field work trips. What I enjoy most about field work is spending time outdoors, gaining hands-on experience, and problem solving with my peers.

What do you enjoy most about life in Indianapolis?

What I enjoy most about Indianapolis is my social life! I’ve easily made great friends in Indianapolis by being surrounded by like-minded people, and the affordability of the city allows me to have an active social life while living on a graduate student stipend. I love finding new restaurants and finding free events to attend around the city.

Please provide some details about your work/research as a graduate student and/or any activities you are involved in.

For my thesis research project, I work with Dr. Broxton Bird to address questions regarding the influence of climate variability on flooding patterns of the White River from a paleo-perspective. More specifically, I am using lake sediment archives from an oxbow lake on the White River and a multi-proxy approach to investigate the way that atmospheric circulation patterns, watershed-scale, and anthropogenic changes to the landscape impact flood dynamics. Reconstructing the flooding history of the White River provides insight to how flooding responds to hydroclimate variability and provides a new perspective to fluvial dynamics and modern climate change.

I am also a teaching assistant for my department. I have enjoyed this experience because it has given me the opportunity to work with undergraduate students and revisit subjects within geology that may not always apply to my field of research