Formal Education

During my final two years of high school, I was also a full-time college student at my local community college. This was possible because I chose advanced coursework over electives, as few electives were available at my rural school. The same weekend as my high school graduation, I earned an Associate of Science in Engineering and an Associate of Arts in Political Science from Colby Community College. 

Since I had already earned associate degrees, my general education requirements were fulfilled when I began pursuing my bachelor’s degrees. I strategically chose to spend four years completing my bachelor’s degrees so I could build a wide-ranging skill set to prepare for graduate school in planetary science. Being a full-time undergraduate for six consecutive years, two years at CCC and four years at Kansas State University, gave me the unique opportunity to triple major. After four years at Kansas State University, I graduated with a B.S. in Chemistry, a B.S. in Geology, and a B.S. in Geography. Each major was chosen for its ability to support my research on planets and moons.

During my undergraduate studies at Kansas State University, I conducted research in Dr. Kirk's geomicrobiology lab and interned for three summers at Los Alamos National Laboratory as part of the ChemCam team on NASA's Curiosity rover mission.

For more details, please refer to my CV or the research section. 

More specific information of each degree program is found below. 

After completing my bachelor's degrees, I entered a Planetary Science Ph.D. program. However, I realized that the program was not the right fit for me, and I made the decision to leave after 1.5 years. During that time, I made the most of the experience and had the honor of being a 2019 GSA Science Communication Intern, as well as being selected as one of the 2019 Mars Generation 24 Under 24 Leaders and Innovators in STEAM and Space.

I immediately enrolled in a master’s program in Geology at Kansas State University in January 2020, just a few months before the global pandemic began. Due to the circumstances of starting in the spring semester with little notice, I did not have a research assistantship or a geology teaching assistantship. Nevertheless, I found an opportunity to teach for the chemistry department for one year. In addition, I worked virtually at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the Origins and Habitability Lab from March to August 2021, where I worked on machine learning projects involving iron mineral spectra.

Despite the unique challenges during my master’s program, I completed my degree in two years and graduated in December 2021.

My master's work was published in the Journal of Raman Spectroscopy.

I began my Ph.D. in August 2021 with the goal of becoming a spectroscopy expert for planetary exploration. Two of my dissertation chapters focus on developing calibrations for opal, specifically its maturity and crystallinity. Additionally, I completed another internship at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, followed by two internships at the Lunar and Planetary Institute after my NASA mentor moved institutions. This research will contribute to my dissertation chapters and is currently in preparation.

I also served as a teaching assistant for both Mineralogy Lab and Fundamentals of Geology Lab. As Head TA for KU’s GEOL 103, Fundamentals of Geology Lab, I transitioned the course to Canvas during the 2022 winter break. I analyzed statistics from the previous semester’s labs, examining difficulty levels and student submissions. Based on these data, I improved the course by rewriting unclear labs and increasing auto-grading to ease the GTA workload. These changes enhanced the experience for both students and GTAs.

Grant writing is a skill that does not become easier after completing a Ph.D., so while I have the time and mentorship, I have applied for my own grants. So far, I have successfully secured funding from the Kansas Geological Foundation, the Geological Society of America, and internal KU grants. Some of these grants have been used to support a new annual outreach event I started in my hometown called Rocks and Rockets. For more information, please visit the website.