My name is Ariana [she/her/hers] and I am a current 2nd year master's student in the Landscape Evolution Group in the Deparment of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia. My study of focus is planetary geology, mainly looking at the geomorphology on Mars to gather some insight on the paleoclimate of the planet and see if it could have potentially been habitable given past conditions. I previously was a Lab Instructor for the Fundamentals of Geology course for 2 semesters offered within the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia. Currently, I am a lecture TA for the Fundamentals of Geology course aiding the residing instructor in course preparation, proctoring exams, grading assignments and exams, as well as offering a guest lecture on the topic of Planetary Geomorphology.
I have a background in leadership, customer service, and dance. I am hoping to help diversify the geology community in the future by using what I learned as the Vice President of the Black Student Union at Western Washington University as a way to create outreach programs to show young scientists in high school and undergraduate students of different backgrounds what it's like to be in the field of geology. Outside of reading research papers, instructing a lab, and taking courses, I love to weight lift, listen to true crime podcasts, go for runs, hike, and be with my family and friends.
Want to collaborate? Contact me!