Associate Professor of Rock and Mineral Physics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Volunteer experience that relates to this position:

2019-present, member of In-situ Studies of Rock Deformation RCN Steering Committee; 2019-present, member of Consortium for Materials Properties Research in Earth Sciences (COMPRES) EOID committee; 2018-present, member of Physical Properties of Earth Materials (PPEM) Steering Committee; 2016-2019, member of Mineralogical Society Mineral Physics Group; 2014-2017, member of the Lehmann Medal Committee; 2014, chair of Gordon Research Seminar on Rock Deformation; co-convener of seven AGU Fall Meeting sessions.

Council members play critical roles as communication conduits among AGU members and leaders. How will you engage with members of your section to advance AGU’s new strategic plan? How might you facilitate engagement with other sections and people outside AGU to support our mission?

In promoting the core values of AGU’s strategic plan, I will particularly focus on the promotion of diversity in the geoscience community, collaboration and interaction with other sections of AGU and outreach to the next generation of scientists.

To help promote diversity in our community, I intend to rethink criteria for Mineral and Rock Physics’ (MRP) awards fellowships and ensure diverse representation on our committees and panels. Additional action can be taken to update MRP’s documents of governance to ensure issues of diversity are foregrounded in all aspects of our section’s operation. I will bring a similar ethos to broader AGU governance, with a focus on eliminating barriers to the participation of underrepresented groups in all aspects of AGU’s operation.

Interaction with other AGU sections is also essential for MRP. Although members with MRP as their primary affiliation are only a small fraction of the total AGU membership, much of the science we conduct feeds directly into the work of other sections. That interdisciplinarity is at the heart of MRP’s mission, and it can be promoted by cross listing AGU sessions; jointly advertising meetings, events and job openings; and creating positions on our internal committees for members with primary affiliations in other sections.

Finally, I see science education as a key responsibility of our community. I’d like to see MRP take a leading role in AGU’s existing and future programs for engagement of K-12 and undergraduate students, but there is also potential to establish dedicated MRP programs for interacting with future generations of scientists.

Section affiliations:

Mineral and Rock Physics; Tectonophysics