Starting Out

Limnology

While I did a lot of field research and volunteer development work during my undergrad years at Queen's University in Canada, my deep dive into field science began at the University of Toronto. I started out as a limnologist (yes, the inspiration for Limology), studying the history and evolution of freshwater systems in the Canadian High Arctic while at U of T. I worked on a number of intensely beautiful islands throughout the Arctic Archipelago under the guidance of my mentors Marianne Douglas, John Smol and John Glew.

An Intro to Planetary and Exploration Analogs

During my Ph.D program at the University of Toronto, I extended the limnological research I was conducting in the Canadian High Arctic to include a planetary science focus that included examining paleolacustrine sediments from the Haughton Impact Structure (HIS) on Devon Island, Nunavut as an analog to Mars depositional environments. In support of these research activities, I spent a great deal of field time in and around the HIS and working in association with the NASA Haughton Mars Project (HMP) that was founded and led by Dr. Pascal Lee. I was also able to be part of the Mars Society's inaugural and 2001 Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station crew, and through both HMP and Mars Society activities became fascinated with human and robotic operations research. Post-graduate school, I headed south to the NASA Ames Research Center to formally undertake programs that integrated field science with human-robotic operations and technical research. 

Enrichment Activities 

At all turns I love to explore, and have been finding ways to broaden the scope of my training, experience and knowledge base as often as I can.  Click on 'Learn More' to learn more!