Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

Volunteer experience that relates to this position:

My volunteer experience primarily consists of outreach activities (demonstrations) to the communities around which I work. I feel that communicating geosciences to the public is an important part of our work as it generally informs the public of what we do and can be used as a recruiting tool for students into undergraduate programs. The other part of my volunteer experience is judging student presentations at conferences, encouraging current students to continue in their careers.

As one of the elected leaders of your section, how will you partner with your president and president-elect to communicate with and engage your members to help implement AGU’s new strategic plan including its mission and vision?

As secretary, I would work with the president and president-elect to communicate with and engage members of the Mineral and Rock Physics (MRP) community by continuing to work with the platforms already in place and considering new platforms if a need arises. In addition, I would help promote communication with members of other AGU sections via representatives from other sections. Specific examples include Volcanology, Geochemistry and Petrology; Planetary Sciences; and Study of the Earth’s Deep Interior, sections with which I am already affiliated, though certainly not limited to these. This communication would help reach some of AGU’s new strategic goals and mission of supporting and inspiring a global community of scientists.

I would also work to encourage communication with the next generation of diverse scientists by assisting with any existing science education and outreach programs and updating or creating programs, as needed. I see this goal being implemented in a variety of ways that will be a community effort, for example, by current MRP members, at universities around the world, sharing how they communicate with their communities and attract a diverse group of students, perhaps compiled as a single, centralized resource. This would also work toward one of AGU’s new strategic goals of promoting an inclusive scientific culture.

Section affiliations:

Mineral and Rock Physics; Planetary Sciences; Study of the Earth’s Deep Interior; Volcanology, Geochemistry and Petrology