Emily is from Massachusetts and is currently an undergrad at Washington University in St. Louis. Here are her responses to some questions:
What have you studied in science or are currently studying?
Last summer I was an intern for IRIS (Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology) where I worked on an active source seismology experiment. I did a vibroseis survey, where a large truck vibrates at a specific frequency, which is picked up by a line of seismometers. The purpose of this was to map out what was under the ground so that they would have the site characterization for the future phase of their experiment.
This year I also traveled to New Zealand where I did some research on volcanoes. I traveled around both islands looking at active volcanoes as well as ancient volcanoes and did a research project on determining the depositional nature of different types of volcanic flows.
Do you have any ideas on what a middle school student could do in Science right now?
I would say the best way to get started is to get involved in science classes and extracurricular activities. I participated in the Women of Science team at my high school, which introduced me to new areas of science and allowed me to meet other people from my school and surrounding schools that were interested in science also.
Science summer programs are also a great way to get involved. I participated the Alaska Summer Research Academy, which was a 2 week program with a variety of different subjects to study. The one that I did was called Earthquakes in Denali where we set up seismometers and recorded earthquakes around Denali National Park. Even at a younger age it inspires students to get involved in different types of science and I would highly recommend it!
What or who inspired you to get into Science in the first place? What do you like about Science?
My grandfather was a geophysicist so he got me interested in earth science from a young age. What I like about science is that there is always new things happening and new ways to expand your knowledge. Groundbreaking research is happening right now and its exciting to know how it will affect people and to think that you could be apart of it.
What advice do you have for a middle school student who is interested in becoming a scientist?
Get involved in your classes and school groups and try out different areas of science to see what you're most interested in!