Andrew Quicksall

Andrew Quicksall and his wife were at the University of Texas–Arlington when he started searching for a doctoral program in earth sciences. Dartmouth’s program caught his eye, and a few emails later, he found himself applying.

 “I was impressed by the type and quality of research being conducted at Dartmouth,” says Quicksall, “and because we were expecting our first son, I was looking for a place that offered an excellent quality of life for our family.”

They settled quickly into the graduate student life at Dartmouth. Quicksall’s group in Earth Sciences focused on blending mineralogy with chemistry, but the atmosphere was anything but formal.

“The graduate and undergraduate students in our lab interacted with one another regularly,” says Quicksall. “And we loved to talk about research. Almost every day, we would talk research in our offices, in the lab, and over coffee in the lounge.

“The culture of the department really fostered an ongoing discussion of science. 

And Quicksall’s family easily meshed into the Upper Valley.

“Outside of the program I spent most of my time with my wife and kids,” says Quicksall. “We went hiking and exploring on local trails near home and some farther away. We went to local farmer's markets, pick-your-own farms, and town organized family activities. We also went sledding and snowshoeing out our back door and had Dartmouth-run ski lessons for my kids."

This combination of academics and family life is what Quicksall says sealed the deal when he was looking at graduate programs. Now, just a few months after finishing his doctorate, Quicksall is putting that training to good use as a visiting assistant professor at the University of Notre Dame.