I grew up in western New York, north of Niagara Falls. From all of the great things that presented themselves to me there I took physics and music.

I earned a B.S. in Physics from James Madison University, and played violin through college. I aborted an attempt at a PhD in Physics and taught high school math for a year while I figured out how to use a physics degree to study environmental sciences.

I earned an M.S. in Soil Physics from the University of Georgia. Then, because I could, I rode my bike across the country with my sister and our good friend Paul (now her husband.)

Everglades National Park hired me as a hydrologist in 2000 and it was one of the greatest opportunities I've ever had. I landed in a small research organization with great supervisors and opportunities that came as fast as I was ready for them. I loved working for the National Park Service but by 2006 I was ready to move on.

I taught high school physics at Clarke County High School in Virginia for the '06-'07 school year. First year teaching may as well be called hazing, and I'm in good company with people who decide it really doesn't look like a sustainable career option. But I'm a really hard worker, so that wasn't why I left. I felt that more should be expected of the kids in my school, and I think this is common in many high schools.

I'm now back in grad school working on a PhD in Geography at Penn State where I study climate change impacts on forests along the Appalachian Mountain range. I am fan of the Appalachian Trail's MEGA-Transect Program, and have served on the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's Stewardship Council.

I'm a wife and mom. I'm a gardener and devoted to the strong local foods movement in State College, PA. I practice yoga and fiddle as I can.