Growing Up
I grew up in Newton, MA as the middle
child with two brothers. I attended Mason-Rice Elementary
School, Brown Junior High School, and Newton South High
School
.
Middlebury College, Middlebury VT 
I attended Middlebury
College from September 1995 to May 1999, and graduated
with a BA in Geology. I worked quite a bit with Patricia
and Tom Manley in the Geology
department
doing marine geology and
physical oceanography research on Lake Champlain. My senior
thesis was with Tom looking at the hydrodynamics of
the lake using acoustic Dopplar current profiler and
temperature data from a series of mooring strings in the South
Main Lake. I was a member of the varsity
swim team
for my entire tenure at Midd, and also
enjoyed hiking and skiing in Vermont. I spent my junior
year (1997-1998) studying abroad at the University of Otago
in Dunedin, New Zealand (6 months), and James Cook
University in Townsville,
Australia (6 months).
I enjoyed my time
in Dunedin so much that I returned for two more years to
complete a Master's Degree.
University of Otago, Dunedin, New
Zealand
 I was fortunate enough to receive a J.
William Fulbright graduate research fellowship to study
for my Master's Degree at the University of Otago
in New Zealand from January, 2000 to October, 2001. I worked
with Peter
Koons and Chuck Landis in
the Geology
Department
researching the evolution of the Otago continental
shelf and submarine canyons offshore Dunedin. This allowed me
to use the marine geology skills I had learned from
Middlebury and take my research to the next level. Most of
the research was based on marine geophysics (sub-bottom seismic reflection, and
side-scan sonar) using the University's research vessel
"Munida", and I focused on the interplay between sea level,
climate change, and sedimentation during the late Quaternary.
I enjoyed working on the climate aspect so much that I decided
to pursue a PhD focused on paleoclimateology at the University
of Maine.
University of Maine, Orono ME
In 2003 I began studying for a
PhD in the Earth
Sciences Department and Climate Change
Institute at the
University of Maine
. I began by working with the ice
core paleoclimate group led by Paul
Mayewski and soon began my
dissertation research on the Mt. Logan ice core project with
Paul,
Karl
Kreutz (UMaine) and David
Fisher (GSC). During my time at
UMaine, I had the fortune of participating in four
polar/alpine science expeditions, and
worked with Mike Handley and Sharon Sneed to develop a continuous
ice core melting system capable of collecting samples
for ultra-low trace metal analyses. Our system was based
on an ice melter system originally developed by Paul and his
colleagues during the GISP2 ice core project in Greenland.
My research focused on using these ultra-low glaciochemical
data to understand the late Holocene history of climate
change and pollution in the North Pacific. You can read
more about my current research here
.
Dartmouth College, Hanover NH
 I am currently a
postdoctoral fellow in Dartmouth College's Earth Science
Department
continuing the
paleoclimate and pollution research that I began during my
dissertation. I have been primarily working in Mukul
Sharma's TIMS
lab and Brian
Jackson's Trace
Element analysis core facility, in addition to teaching
courses on marine
geology and climate change, and mentoring students.
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