Class of 2023
2023 College of the Environment Graduation Gift
In appreciation of the 2023 College of the Environment graduating class, the College is partnering with the Campus Sustainability Fund to help fund the Resiliency Tunnel Project for the UW Farm , a student powered urban farm that provides locally grown produce to UW and the greater community through local partners and the UW Food Pantry. This gift will help fund the construction of a high tunnel, a USDA-approved method for season extension, to protect crops and extend the production season by multiple months. This project will incorporate small scale solar and rainwater catchment systems and provide an educational space for the community. We are excited to support this project and the increased sustainability of our Husky community.
Please find below a collection of student impressions and reflections. Congratulations to our Class of 2023!
Undergraduates
Griffin Easthouse
Bachelor in Earth and Space Sciences – Geology Option
Capstone
Tracing Talc Formation in Mélange Rocks with Magnesium Isotopes
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
My best experience with the ESS department was definitely the trip to Death Valley in Darrel Cowen’s structural geology class. It was an experience like no other. It allowed students not only to get hands on experience in the field but also allowed us to apply what we learned directly to natural geologic structures. On top of the amazing geology the trip was an amazing way to form new connections with other undergraduates in the department and bond over this crazy trip! (RIP Charlie)
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
Geochemistry with Fang-Zhen Teng and Economic Geology with John Stone. These two classes supplied intense and rigorous course work while also covering some incredibly interesting and complex topics of geology.
What are your current plans post-graduation?
Continue research on talc formation and investigating the movement of fluid mobile trace elements in subduction interface zones. I also hope to find a position in exploration geology or geochemistry within a mining or geothermal company.
What do you like to do outside of school?
Backpacking, hiking, fishing, rockhounding, anything that can get me out into the mountains. Started investigating the locations and history of Washington’s abandoned Cascade mines.
Do you have any accomplishments or activities you would like to highlight?
Graduating with departmental honors and presenting my research at GSA in Reno, NV
Olivia Fraser
Bachelor of Science in Earth and Space Sciences – Geoscience Option
Environmental Geochemistry Capstone
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
My favorite experience with the ESS program has been the community of people. I have had so many great opportunities to meet and work with awesome people during field work and in class. There has never been a dull moment working alongside the friends I have made in ESS!
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
ESS 490 with Kathy Troost was so helpful during my job search and learning about job opportunities in the Geosciences. I also have really enjoyed Geomechanics, but I feel all the classes I have taken have been engaging and interesting.
What are your current plans post-graduation?
Moving to San Diego and (hopefully) starting work in the Environmental Remediation or as a Field Geologist.
What do you like to do outside of school?
I love to ski, hike, camp and thrift!
Do you have any accomplishments or activities you would like to highlight?
I had the opportunity to go to Forks, Washington and do fieldwork on Rialto Beach for PhD student Elizabeth Davis! This week was so much fun, and I learned so much from the incredibly talented students and professors around me. The best part of this trip was definitely staying on the beach after sundown to collect debris flow samples for luminescence dating.
Jillian Florent
Bachelor of Science in Earth and Space Sciences – Physics Option
Minor in Physics
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
Trying to figure out how to do the coding labs with my friends. It was difficult but a fun experience overall!
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
ESS 312
What are your current plans post-graduation?
I would love to do something with space and space travel.
What do you like to do outside of school?
love running, going on walks, reading, writing and being with my friends!
Andrew Guilford
Bachelor of Science in Earth and Space Sciences – Geology Option
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
The trip to Death Valley for the Structure and Tectonics class.
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
Field camp. Applying everything I previously learned to understand the history or dangers or an area was very fun and fulfilling. It also introduced me to GIS, which heavily influenced my future plans.
What are your current plans post-graduation?
Graduate school starting Fall 2023.
Graham Johnson
Bachelor of Science in Earth and Space Sciences – Geology Option
Capstone
10,000 and Counting: Determining Grain Size Distribution and Constraining Error of Boulder Measurements Between Google Earth and Photogrammetry in the Eastern Himalaya
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
Fieldwork in the Advanced Field Methods course with Kathy Troost and the Death Valley Field Trip in Darrel Cowan’s Structure and Tectonics class.
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
The Advanced Field Methods course and Structure and Tectonics course. Much of Geology is meant to be done in the field and these classes get you there. The Instructors are also amazing.
What are your current plans post-graduation?
I will be working as a staff scientist at Landau Associates.
What do you like to do outside of school?
Spend time in the mountains and play music.
Do you have any accomplishments or activities you would like to highlight?
I won the award for Best Poster in the undergraduate student category at the 2023 Geological Society of America (GSA) Cordilleran Section Meeting in Reno and second place for that same poster at the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists Puget Sound Chapter Student Night.
Ava Kamm
Bachelor of Science in Earth and Space Sciences – Geoscience Option
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
Going to Death Valley with Darrel Cowan, Bruce Nelson, and my classmates
What do you like to do outside of school?
Go to concerts, travel, and visit state/national parks
Do you have any accomplishments or activities you would like to highlight?
Graduating with distinction (completed departmental honors), poster presentation at Undergraduate Research Symposium, awarded funding for field school (Julian D. and Marajane Barksdale Endowed Fund and the Joseph A. Vance Endowed Student Support Fund & Livingston Wernecke Memorial Scholarship)
Louis Levy
Bachelor of Earth and Space Sciences – Geoscience Option
Weijie Li
Bachelor of Science in Earth and Space Sciences – Geoscience Option
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
The impressive summer field trips in ESS 401.
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
ESS 488 very cool professor and great friend.
What are your current plans post-graduation?
Graduate school in England.
What do you like to do outside of school?
Skiing.
Julia Macray
Bachelor of Science in Earth and Space Sciences – Geoscience Option
Minor in Climate Science
Capstone Honors Project
Assessing the Effects of Regenerative Agriculture on Topsoil Depth and Organic Carbon Content in the Puget Sound Region
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
Going to Death Valley for a week with the Structures and Tectonics class
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
ESS 457/482: Environmental Geochemistry. It was really interesting to spend a quarter learning about the modeling and theory behind topics in aqueous geochemistry, then get to practically apply and observe those concepts in lab.
What do you like to do outside of school?
Hiking and backpacking, backcountry skiing, painting, riding my bike, gardening
Do you have any accomplishments or activities you would like to highlight?
I was a member of the Husky Marching Band while at UW. I worked on the UW Student Farm and received a Mary Gates Scholarship for starting a new vermiculture (worm composting) facility on the farm. I worked in the Sachs Chemical Oceanography Lab studying paleoclimate trends in precipitation and temperature. I also received the Douglas Merrill Prize for Excellence from the ESS Department.
Anjali Manoj
Bachelor of Science in Earth and Space Sciences – Geoscience Option
Minor in Data Science
Capstone
Engineering Geology Capstone.
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
My favorite experiences have been all the field trips! It’s one thing to learn all this cool stuff about the earth, the forces that shape it and how this impacts human life. But to actually see this in action in the many field trips? Unbeatable! The opportunity to connect with my classmates, TAs and professors are an added bonus of field trips.
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
ESS 447: Engineering Geology with Prof. Juliet Crider and ESS 490A/510: Advanced Field Investigations with Prof. Kathy Troost have been my absolute favorite classes in the ESS major. I knew early on that I wanted to work in the consulting industry after graduation for a couple of years before heading to grad school. Both Engineering Geology and Advanced Field Investigations were excellent and highly practical classes that offered me insight into the types of projects that I will likely work on at a consulting job and equipped me with important skills for the same.
What are your current plans post-graduation?
I will be working as a Geomorphologist for a consulting and engineering services firm doing river restoration projects!
What do you like to do outside of school?
Amateur plant ID, balcony gardening and hanging out with my cats!
Do you have any accomplishments or activities you would like to highlight?
The outreach work that I have been able to do through various means, including PNSN + Rockin’ Out, GeoClub and College of the Environment Ambassadors, has been a very rewarding experience! It has offered me the opportunity to connect deeper with the community both in the ESS department and across Seattle as well as practice science communication across different audiences.
Heather Maran
Bachelor of Science in Earth and Space Sciences – Geology Option
Bachelor of Science in Oceanography
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
My best experience with the ESS program was the opportunity to conduct my own research project through the Quaternary Research Center as part of my departmental honors and present a poster at the ESS Gala and AEG student night.
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
My favorite class I took for the ESS major was Advanced Field Techniques with Kathy Troost. Kathy is an amazing geologist and she really wants you to understand geology outside of the classroom and in the field. The field trips we went on were eye opening and got me more interested in field geology.
What are your current plans post-graduation?
This summer I am going to be working part time with Carrie Garrison-Laney at Sea Grant to help collect tsunami deposit samples at Discovery Bay by Sequim, WA.
What do you like to do outside of school?
Outside of school I like to do archery, hike, take film photos, and rockhound.
Marquis Richardson
Bachelor of Science in Earth and Space Sciences – Geoscience Option
Capstone
Glaciers or Subduction: Identifying the Provenance of Garnet in Beach Sand on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington.
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
Helping Elizabeth Davis with fieldwork for her Ph.D. research at Rialto Beach. The location is a beautiful place to work, I learned a lot of practical field methods, and had a great time working with so many different people.
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
ESS 510 (490A): Advanced Applied Geology Field Investigations with Kathy Troost. This course felt the most practical for the work I plan to do in the future. I gained a lot of skills surrounding field methods and professional writing. Also, any class that gets me outside is amazing and the trips to Sequim/Port Angeles and the Duwamish Greenbelt were loads of fun.
What are your current plans post-graduation?
I will be attempting a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. When I return from this trip, I plan to begin working as a geologic consultant. In the future, I hope to go to graduate school and continue researching the garnet sands at Ruby Beach.
What do you like to do outside of school?
I enjoy backpacking, playing tennis with my friends, reading good books, and baking.
Francesca Skene
Bachelor of Science in Earth and Space Sciences – Physics Option
Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
One of my best memories was the the trip to Death Valley with the Structures and Tectonics class. It was great to get hands on experience with real rocks and get to know the students in my class better.
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
I really liked hillslope geomorphology. Not only is Alison Duvall a great professor, but I also am very interested in the subject and liked that we applied what we learned to local areas.
What do you like to do outside of school?
I love running and climbing.
Do you have any accomplishments or activities you would like to highlight?
I did undergraduate research in the Denolle Lab looking at the seismicity of landslide events on the Cascade Volcanoes and presented the research at AGU fall meeting 2022.
Tin-Yan (Jessie) So
Bachelor of Science in Earth and Space Sciences – Biology Option
Capstone
I conducted a comparative analysis to a mammalian tooth fossil and could potentially extend the temporal range of a stem primate clade by several million years, back to mid-Paleocene (63-58 Ma). The findings of this study will enhance our understanding of mammalian evolution during that particular stage.
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
One of my best memories is the incredible resources and opportunities that ESS has provided me. Despite being a transfer student, I was still able to achieve a lot here in the past two years. I conducted research, gave presentation at the ESS Gala, served as a teaching assistant in two classes, received scholarship and went on a field trip to Montana to collect some fossils for the Burke Museum and our research lab. ESS really pushed my limits to the next level.
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
To be honest, I don’t have a favorite, as I enjoy many of them. However, if I had to choose, I would say the paleobiology series, which includes the invertebrate & vertebrate paleontology, and fossil mammals (ESS 451, 452 & 453) are some of my favorites. I enjoyed every lab section, as I had the opportunity to handle various fossil specimens and observe them.
What are your current plans post-graduation?
After volunteering as a fossil preparator at the Burke Museum, I found myself deeply immersed in this field and eventually landed a job as a paid fossil preparator specializing in sauropod dinosaurs after graduation. I am incredibly excited and eagerly look forward to working on more delicate and valuable fossil specimens.
Colin Spring
Bachelor of Science in Earth and Space Sciences – Geology Option
Minor in Naval Science
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
Swimming and generally goofing off with Jay, Juan, and Maya during field camp excursions
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
Darrel Cowan’s Structure and Tectonics. The weeklong trip to Shoshone feels like a dream. Tooling around the desert in Snowflake and going on beer-night-star walks remain at the top of my favorite college memories.
What are your current plans post-graduation?
Commissioning into the United States Navy and beginning training as a Student Naval Aviator.
Amanda Syamsul
Bachelor of Science in Earth and Space Sciences – Physics option
Minor in Applied Mathematics
Capstone
My research project titled Global Surface Load Induced Earthquakes was supervised by Professor Brad Lipovsky. We worked on this project for two years and found a global correlation between hydrological/climatic surface mass loads and tectonic earthquake activity — and we just submitted a research paper with our findings!
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
My favorite experiences with the department revolve around educational outreach, either through Rockin’ Out or PNSN! Having the opportunity to engage with all levels of the community to share our science and increase earthquake preparedness has brought me a lot of joy and fulfillment.
What are your current plans post-graduation?
I’ll be starting my PhD journey at the University of California Santa Cruz to study Geophysics — specifically seismology and surface deformation!
What do you like to do outside of school?
When I’m not in school or at work, I spend most of my evenings either climbing or cooking!
Do you have any accomplishments or activities you would like to highlight?
In my sophomore year at UW, I participated in an internship on the Matanuska Glacier in Alaska, where I lived in a small tent for four months. During this time, I worked as a guide to ensure the safety of tourists and researchers during hikes, and teach them about glaciers and climate change. My experience also allowed me to learn about glaciers in a new light: as a significant source of water, a part of Native history, an influence in Art, and as having a multi-directional relationship with sea level, the global environment, and ocean circulation.
Linh Vu
Bachelor of Science in Earth and Space Sciences – Geoscience Option
Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Sciences – Climate Option
Minor in Human Rights
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
I really loved all of the accessible field trip opportunities there were, including going to the Grand Canyon, Utah National Parks, or even to local Mt. Erie.
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
Going to Death Valley for ESS 463! It was really fun getting to explore the park with Prof. Cowan who is a big part of the community near Death Valley. It was also nice getting to stay in ultra-luxurious SHEAR cabins and hang out with my classmates.
What are your current plans post-graduation?
I’m taking a gap year to travel through South America and Southeast Asia!
What do you like to do outside of school?
Rock climbing, cooking/finding good food, gardening.
Jin Yeh
Bachelor of Science in Earth and Space Sciences – Physics Option
Minor in Physics
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
The professors and faculty members within the ESS program are so very passionate and invested in their work, it has been an honor learning from them.
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
I genuinely liked every class taken for the ESS major, but I especially enjoyed ESS 205 and ESS 421. Both having a hands-on project (205) and analyzing remote sensing data (421) has helped me realize where my passions lie in the space sciences.
What do you like to do outside of school?
Outside of school, I enjoy reading and drawing! I particularly like sci-fi and fantasy themes to read and tend to draw anything that comes to mind.
Graduates
Todd Anderson
PhD in Earth and Space Sciences
Dissertation
Sensing impacts to the Earth-ionosphere waveguide from terrestrial and space weather
Advisor
Robert Holzworth
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
A seminar called “Knowability and No Ability in the Climate and Space Sciences” with Gerard Roe and David Battisti. This seminar helped me think about how to formulate tractable science questions, and was also a wonderful opportunity to discuss science and other topics with my very smart colleagues!
What are your current plans post-graduation?
I will start a postdoctoral position at Los Alamos National Laboratory in September, working with Amitabh Nag and Chris Jeffery on characterization of radio emission processes in compact intracloud discharges and the use of these radio emissions for ionosphere remote sensing.
What do you like to do outside of school?
Breaking my bicycle and then fixing it; learning about espresso; skiing, climbing and general wandering in the Cascades and elsewhere.
Do you have any accomplishments or activities you would like to highlight?
In Summer 2020 I had the opportunity to participate in the inaugural NASA Heliophysics Mission Design School (HMDS), a 10-week program similar to the successful Planetary Science Summer School. This program was hugely useful in learning how to design a hypothesis-based experiment based on the concept of science traceability, and was also a valuable opportunity to network with both senior and early-career scientists in my field. I strongly encourage senior ESS graduate students and postdocs in planetary, heliophysics, or astrophysics fields to apply for the relevant Mission Design School program if they are interested in these opportunities.
David Bailey
Masters in Earth and Space Sciences, Applied Geosciences (MESSAGe)
Capstone
I focused on fluvial geomorphology and studied the geomorphic response to large woody debris on the South Fork Tolt River, WA.
Advisors
Steven Walters and Derek Booth
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
Going to Death valley as part of the Structure and Tectonics course with Darrel Cowan was a great experience because I got to do something that was completely out of my discipline and expertise, but it was also a really fun and interesting trip.
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
ESS 526 – Fluvial geomorphology. It was a very interesting class which combined topics in geomorphology, engineering, and restoration, which was relevant to what I want to do in my future career.
What are your current plans post-graduation?
After graduation I plan to continue to work as a Forest & Fish Biologist for the Tulalip Tribes where I participate in Forest Practices review and develop future small and large scale stream restoration projects.
What do you like to do outside of school?
I enjoy hiking, fishing, basketball, playing music, and hanging out with my wonderful wife Taylor.
Sam Bartish
Masters in Earth and Space Sciences, Applied Geosciences (MESSAGe)
Capstone
A Geomorphic Change Assessment of the Strawberry Point drift cell, Whidbey Island
Advisors
Juliet Crider and Kathy Troost
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
Time spent on the Olympic Peninsula for Kathy Troost’s class
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
Hillslope Geomorphology — because Alison Duvall is an amazing professor
What are your current plans post-graduation?
Continue working with the Washington State Department of Transportation in the Engineering Geology Section.
What do you like to do outside of school?
Hang out
Anita Bauer
Masters in Earth and Space Sciences, Applied Geosciences (MESSAGe)
Capstone
I use gravity and magnetic potential field data that are constrained by measured geophysical properties to construct a geophysical model of the Bald Hill quadrangle located in the south Puget Lowland.
Advisors
Juliet Crider and Darrell Cowan
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
Making new lifelong friends with everyone in MESSAGe cohort 10.
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
ESS 509/510 – Advanced field methods. I really enjoy being out in the field, learning new field method techniques, and applications for science that can be used to help people. I also feel like my writing improved greatly from this class.
What are your current plans post-graduation?
Continue working with the Washington Geological Survey as a Geophysical Assistant
Do you have any accomplishments or activities you would like to highlight?
Getting to do my internship and capstone project with the Washington Geological Survey
Katelyn Card
Masters in Earth and Space Sciences, Applied Geosciences (MESSAGe)
Capstone
Investigating the Potential Trigger Mechanism of a Deep-seated Landslide at Rialto Beach, Washington State
Advisors
Kathy Troost and Juliet Crider
What are your current plans post-graduation?
Continue working with the Washington State Department of Transportation in the Engineering Geology Section.
Ben Hills
PhD in Earth and Space Sciences
Dissertation
Focus: Geophysics/Glaciology
Title: “Exploring past and present ice-sheet dynamics with geophysically-derived temperature and crystal orientation fabric”
Advisors
Knut Christianson
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
I have been fortunate to have multiple field experiences in both polar environments and alpine environments of the Pacific Northwest. Getting to know colleagues in a setting away from campus during those field experiences has been my best memory.
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
Physics of Ice. Gave me a deep understanding of the material I was thinking about.
What are your current plans post-graduation?
I will be working with Matthew Siegfried at Colorado School of Mines and Fernando Perez at University of California, Berkeley.
What do you like to do outside of school?
Board games; distributed networks and crypto security; mountain biking; skiing
Do you have any accomplishments or activities you would like to highlight?
My NSF postdoctoral fellowship was recently recommended for funding by the Office of Polar Programs.
Annika Horlings
PhD in Earth and Space Sciences
Dissertation
Evolution of polar near-surface processes: investigating the roles of ice dynamics and climate
Advisor
Knut Christianson
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
My favorite memories involved fieldwork in Antarctica and teaching in Alaska, both with some pretty incredible people.
What are your current plans post-graduation?
Postdoctoral position
What do you like to do outside of school?
Almost anything outdoors – climbing, backpacking, mountain biking; playing guitar; writing poetry; meditation.
Do you have any accomplishments or activities you would like to highlight?
David A. Johnston Award for Research Excellence, University of Washington (2023); Kenneth C. Robbins Fellowship, University of Washington (2022); Geophysics Student Support Fund Award, University of Washington (2022); Joseph A. Vance Endowed Fellowship, University of Washington (2019); Geophysics Student Support Fund Award, University of Washington (2019)
Tianyi Huang
PhD in Earth and Space Sciences
Dissertation
Tracing crustal evolution using potassium isotopes
Advisor
Fang-Zhen Teng
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
Giving an oral talk in the Goldschmidt Conference
Favorite class you took for the ESS major and why?
ESS 501. I learned a lot about geochemistry.
What are your current plans post-graduation?
Postdoctoral position at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
What do you like to do outside of school?
Continue to do scientific researches
Do you have any accomplishments or activities you would like to highlight?
Two papers have been published in the Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta before my graduation.
Gemma O'Connor
PhD in Earth and Space Sciences
Dissertation
Investigating the drivers of West Antarctic ice loss using proxy data
Advisor
Eric Steig
What is your best memory or experience with the ESS program?
Doing field work in Antarctica, and developing strong collaborations with scientists in the UK and Japan.
What are your current plans post-graduation?
I’ll be a Washington Research Foundation postdoctoral fellow working in the UW School of Oceanography with LuAnne Thompson and Kyle Armour
What do you like to do outside of school?
Whitewater kayaking, mountain biking, and baking
Do you have any accomplishments or activities you would like to highlight?
I was fortunate to receive the Boeing International Research Fellowship, which provided me with funding to conduct 1 quarter of research abroad in Hokkaido, Japan. This experience allowed me to work closely with an expert on the last chapter of my thesis (numerical ocean modeling around Antarctica), exposed me to a new culture and language, and allowed me to enjoy a season of whitewater kayaking in Japan. I strongly encourage more students in ESS to pursue avenues such as these to conduct research in fun and productive places!
Nicholas Wogan
Dual Title PhD in Earth and Space Sciences and Astrobiology
Dissertation
Biosignatures, the Origin of Life, and the Early Earth Atmosphere
Advisor
David Catling
What are your current plans post-graduation?
In September 2023, I start a postdoc fellowship at NASA Ames working with Natasha Batalha. My postdoc work will involve studying the atmospheres of exoplanets using the James Webb Space Telescope.
What do you like to do outside of school?
Skiing, running, spike ball, paddle boarding, biking