About Me
As a Researcher
I'm a recently-graduated master's student who received my M.S. degree from the University of Kentucky. While there, I worked in Dr. Ryan Thigpen's lab where I applied techniques from the fields of metamorphic petrology, geochronology, and structural geology to solve larger tectonic problems. More specifically, I worked to constrain the spatial and temporal extent of Appalachian orogenesis. The Appalachians have experienced three major orogenic events during the Paleozoic. These mountains used to be Himalayan-sized during the Paleozoic but have now been eroded down over hundreds of millions of years. Therefore, they offer insight into the inner workings of large mountain-building events that can't be obtained from modern large mountain chains. Making sense of these insights requires a solid understanding of how the different orogenic events have impacted the Appalachians, making my research the first step towards addressing larger research questions.
I received my Bachelor's degree in Geology with a concentration in Quantitative Geoscience from Appalachian State University in August of 2019. My experience as a researcher began here, where I worked with Dr. Jamie Levine and Dr. Gabriele Casale to determine the deformational and metamorphic history of the Toxaway Dome, a geologic structure on the North and South Carolina Border. During this three-year project, I learned various techniques such as: microstructural analysis of metamorphic rocks in petrographic microscopes, scanning electron microscopy, garnet-biotite thermometry and garnet-biotite-muscovite-plagioclase barometry, electron microprobe analysis, and monazite geochronology. I presented this research at the Southeastern and national meetings of the Geological Society of America in 2018 and presented it as an unpublished senior thesis.
As a Teacher
I have a full year of experience as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Kentucky. I taught two lab sections of Principles of Physical Geology, an introductory level geology course designed for undergraduates studying geology, environmental science, and various types of engineering (e.g. mining, civil, etc.). I also taught one lab section of Structural Geology and Geology for Teachers. I have experience designing short (15-20 minute) lectures following some professor guidance that are intended to supplement a full lecture course and prepare students for hands-on lab assignments and I am well-experienced with answering questions and providing guidance for these in-lab assignments.
Before this, at App State, I was an undergraduate teaching assistant for two semesters. In one semester I taught Introduction to Physical Geology, a course similar to the one I currently teach at the University of Kentucky, and in another I taught Fundamentals of Mineralogy, an upper-level undergraduate course that teaches mineral identification in hand sample and under the microscope as well as other topics in mineralogy (crystal symmetry and habit, mineral classification, phase diagram introduction, etc.). As an undergraduate teaching assistant, I mainly helped the primary professor answer questions and set up/tear down lab equipment each week.
I have a bit of experience as a tutor as well. In Spring of 2017, I volunteered through App State to tutor a nearby middle school as they prepared their students for Science Olympiad. I, alongside another App State student, taught basic rock and mineral identification to two of these middle school students once a week for a little over a month. One of these students went on to take first place in mineral identification in the actual event, which is still something I look back on as a source of inspiration.