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Carroll Ann Hodges
Dr. Hodges was the fourth AGU Congressional Science Fellow, working with Representative Jim Santini of Nevada from 1980-1981.
Dr. Hodges holds a Ph.D. in Geology from Stanford University, an M.S. in Geology from the University of Wisconsin and a B.A. in Geology from the University of Texas.
During her year as a Congressional Fellow, Dr. Hodges worked in the office of Representative Santini, dealing with Department of Interior and related issues. She spent a great deal of her time evaluating an Air Force proposal to deploy the MX missile in Nevada and the impact that such activity would have on the physical and economic environments of the state and nation.
Dr. Hodges came to the fellowship in the middle of a career as a Research Geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California.
After leaving the USGS, Dr. Hodges focused her activities on her community's goverance. Having previously served on the Woodside, California Planning Commission, she ran for and was elected to Woodside Town Council for two terms.
Of her fellowship experience, Dr. Hodges writes:
"As for the influence the AGU Fellowship had on my subsequent career,
I can say that it was immensely significant. The opportunity to serve
in Washington provided considerable professional visibility I otherwise
would never have had, and I am quite certain it led to my appointment as
Assistant Chief Geologist for the Western Region of the USGS. It
was that exposure also that resulted in my appointments to various professional
boards and committees, all of which were certainly rewarding. Perhaps
the most significant fall-out from my Congressional Fellowship was and
is my enormously enhanced interest in the process of governance at all
levels, but particularly within my local community; I doubt that
I would otherwise have taken the initiative to run for my Town Council.
My experience in Washington convinced me irrevocably that local government
matters -- and one person can make a difference...I can say my Congressional
Science Fellowship year was incredibly rewarding and led to all sorts of
wonderful opportunities I would not otherwise have had!"
Dr. Hodges wrote three Eos articles reviewing her Hill experience: