New Direction

So I have a new job at the American Geosciences Institute (www.agiweb.org). I get to work with around 250,000 geoscientists (I hope to increase that number) to study everything from the core of the Earth to the outer reaches of space. While I care immensely about different causes, I'm going back to the roots about why I like geoscience. Why the Earth and nature is awe-inspiring.

From now on, I'm going to keep a tally of what I like, and focus on how even in the most dire geoscience news, there's still wonder. It's still okay to take away a silver lining.

I've talked to a lot of people over the last few years and I think everybody is getting worn down with the weight of reality. To me, everything seems like a mess, and people are at each other's throats. I've decided it's unsustainable for my happiness, and I am going to use my blog to provide a more optimistic outlook on it all.

I'm going to throw ideas out there to challenge the norms from all sides. When you work with everybody, you realize how impossible it is to make everybody see from the same lens; however, it may be worth trying to celebrate common ground. So I'm going to explore what causes a sense of wonder about the universe I live in, and celebrate it. It's an abstract angle but my first goal is simply to write on a regular basis.

***Opinions expressed here, although awesome, are not those of my employer but are my own***

Holy cow it's been a year since I posted. Major life changes have left me with more time to focus on blogging and writing, and I'm happy to be back. More to come. :)

Changes Changes Changes!

For all two of my readers - thanks for still following! Sorry for the radio silence. I have have been riding the roller coaster of life (looks like this)

Full Disclosure: I am currently obsessed with GIFs!

I have learned a lot, grown a lot, cried a lot and had a lot of time to think about what was important to me. I am happy to report it appears I have weathered the storm. But now the worst has passed and I'm moving forward with some really exciting projects!

After two years of making the case for social media in my office, we were approved to move forward with this project. So I have spent a lot of free time over the past month establishing these tools in our office and defining our place in the social media sphere! It has been fun, but definitely not as easy as I anticipated. (Story of my professional life)

The best part has been getting to work with other individuals throughout the American Meteorological Society, and developing relationships with my coworkers outside of my department. I find I really enjoy this level of engagement and I think they're excited to learn about what we do in the Education Program! 

I'm really excited to start working on developing a media kit. I really hope I'm able to make contacts in the press to get them into our workshops. A lot of the soul searching about being a professional led me to one thought: irregardless of how bad I felt, I still believed with the utmost passion in the mission of the AMS Education Program, and I felt proud to be part of a team that makes such a positive impact in the US Education System!

Cool Reading about Social Media in the Sciences:

http://www.labmanager.com/?articles.view/articleNo/30199/article/Social-Media-Gone-Viral

My Favorite GIF ever:

How to talk to kids at #SciFest

(a how-to for unsure professionals)

I posted three questions for students, but I've decided to post three questions for scientists and engineers. I have always happily worked with younger-folk, but I have encountered a lot of professionals who are unsure with their ability to engage and relate to kids and teenagers. Ironically, kids and teenagers are sometimes afraid to approach professionals. Since the US Science and Engineering Festival Expo is only TWO days away, here are: 

THREE questions for scientists to get a conversation going!

Getting answers to important questions.

1. What is their dream job?
2. What is their favorite class?
3. Have they considered college?

These questions appeal to all ages. It has been my experience that all students, even if it's buried under shyness or age, still have a dream job. Sometimes you just have to coax it out of them.

Classes are another common denominator for students, and sometimes the answers to this question can be surprising. The number of times I've heard students list math as their favorite class warms my heart. It seems students just aren't sure what jobs are available to mathematicians.

Lastly, some of these students may be on a path to become the first person in their family to go to college. College is typically necessary to be a scientist and this point should be underscored. Engaging the student, and their parents/guardians about what college was like can provide valuable insight about a worthwhile venture. There are many challenges students face getting to college and first-hand testimony from somebody who understands it's importance can be invaluable.

Celebrate Science!

Back to scheduled programming in a minute

but first....

My volcano, Mount Etna, is erupting (again)! I'm seriously in love. I'm not even researching Etna right now and I'm still excited. More importantly, I'm still glad I decided to study it. I knew it was a sexy volcano when I picked it, and I have yet to be disappointed.

Check out today's paroxysm!

I wish I was there to see it in person, but thank goodness for the digital age. If I could, I would sample the most recent lava flows, run chemical analyses on the mineral phases (aka crystals), and do a full petrographic analysis. I want to do a comparative analysis to MELTS models and further develop a hypothesis about the magmatic plumbing system.

Sigh.... I miss petrology. Oh well, I know someday I'll be back. Once I figure out how to get access to journals cheaply I can start MELTS modeling again, and even branch out to other volcanoes. I positively can't wait. 

-MoMo

2012 US Science and Engineering Festival Expo

Go Interview a Scientist!

Hands-on science!

This weekend is the second US Science and Engineering Festival Expo, and it sounds even BIGGER, BETTER and MORE EXCITING than the first! It's important to go if you're considering being a scientist or engineer when you grow up. The main event is in Washington DC and there are satellite events nationwide. Scientists from every discipline will be there. Interviewing these professionals can help you figure out what you can do to have an exciting job.

Here are three questions to get your interview started:

Talking to robots!

1. What is their job/job title?
2. What was their major in college?
3. Which classes were most helpful?

"Shoot for the moon and even if
you miss, you'll
land among the stars"

How to use this Information:

Asking these questions connects jobs with the majors you should consider in college. Knowing which classes are important gives you time to participate in programs that will help you before you go to college, like enrolling in AP programs, so you start college ready to jump into the fun stuff!

If you're an older student nearing college or have just started search for jobs using the "job title" and "college major" information from your interviews. Adding a phrase like "entry level" pulls job postings intended for recent college graduates. This can be done using job posting sections of local and major newspaper websites (New York Times, LA Times, Washington Post), scientific and professional society websites (follow link, search USA on page), and even Craigslist. This way you can see what skills/classes employers want to see. This is valuable information to take to college advisers to get further guidance on tailoring your college curriculum.

Have fun at the expo and believe in yourself!

*all images used with permission from the US National Science and Engineering Festival

Tornadoes in CA

So my coworker told me about the Storm Prediction Center (SPC), and it is a resource to track daily meteorological events. This resource is common knowledge for meteorologists, but as a geologist I was BLOWN away! (tee hee - get the joke?) One cool feature of the SPC site is the "reports" tab are all the official logged NOAA reports about tornado, hail, and wind events that have occurred around the United States in the past 24 hours.

An image of the April 11, 2012 Stockton CA tornado.

A cool fact: today's only tornado (thus far, there's still 3.5 hours left!) was in Stockton, CA. Just as DC was caught unprepared by an earthquake, I'm sure many Californians are blissfully ignorant to the possibility of a tornado (but lets be serious all kinds of severe weather!) striking them. Check it out: there was a tornado near Stockton!

I just wanted to throw this out there to remind those I love that you should always be ready for anything. Take a moment to review the National Weather Services' StormReady website. Also, if you're a science enthusiast remember the SPC is a great way observe what's happening around the country.