I participated in the Meteor Crater Field Camp and Research program under Dr. David Kring. We hiked around the rim, into the crater itself, and out onto the ejecta blanket. Here, we learned about the crater’s history and the initial skepticism regarding its impact origin, as it was originally thought to be a volcanic crater like others in the region. We also learned the difference between simple and complex craters.
For our research project, we analyzed five different breccia outcrops outside the crater to determine whether they were part of the original fallback breccia or later alluvial deposits. This work will be presented as a 56th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) Extended Abstract #1915.
In April 2024, I was the geologist for the crew 297 analog astronaut crew for the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah. There, I went out on eight EVAs for a total of 19 hours in a spacesuit weighing over 30 lbs, and I led most of the EVAs I participated in since everyone else was a trained engineer and I was a trained geologist.
My research project involved testing the practicality of using a portable Gamma-Ray Spectrometer in the field as an astronaut. On one of the EVAs, we even climbed up a knoll about 50 meters high, which I had to climb one handed as I had to bring the Gamma-Ray Spectrometer with me. Report here.
It was interesting to experience being cut off from the rest of the world psychologically. Since I'm usually busy with research and community service, I found the two weeks completely relaxing after telling everyone not to contact me. This trip was significantly less stressful than my normal life even when I feel and strained something in my back or when my spacesuit's fan malfunctioned.
I participated in a deep-sea hydrothermal expedition aboard the RV Kilo Moana, aimed at studying the underwater volcano Kama‘ehuakanaloa in Hawai'i, organized by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. My role included conducting a small research project on the rocks and sediments near the volcano, as well as serving as the assistant science communicator.
Unfortunately, the expedition was abruptly cut short due to issues with the boat's generators after just one day of sampling with the ROV Jason. Nevertheless, the brief time spent on the RV Kilo Moana provided valuable insights into the hard work, unpredictability, and, dare I say, luck involved in oceanography.
We are hoping to go back out on the water soon and finish what we started!
Blogs from the trip: here!
As a requirement for my B.S. in Geology, I was required to complete a field camp that lasted at least three weeks. Since my university didn’t offer a field camp at the time, I had to take one at another school. I came across a program at the South Dakota School of Mines offering a three-week camp in Ecuador (two weeks) and the Galápagos Islands (one week), focusing on volcanology.
Having grown up in Kansas and spent most of my education there, I became tired of studying and working with sedimentary rocks. My university didn’t offer volcanology, but I had always been fascinated by it, so I was determined to find a way to take this volcanology course.
On top of that, I had never been out of the country, and I’d dreamed of visiting the Galápagos Islands since second grade when I first learned there were penguins there. I was amazed that penguins made the journey from Antarctica to the islands. Then, in seventh grade, we learned about Darwin’s trip and how he came up with the theory of evolution, which made me even more determined to go. This opportunity seemed like the perfect chance to combine my love for volcanology with my dream of seeing the Galápagos.
The first week of camp we characterized igneous rocks and made detailed stratigraphic columns of the stratovolcano Tungurahua in Ecuador. The next week we spent at Cotopaxi National Park, mapping the lava fields and making stratigraphic columns. The last week of field camp we characterized cinder cones and mapped lava tunnels in the Galápagos Islands.