Associate Professor, Robert R. Shrock Professor of Surficial and Sedimentary Geology, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, USA

AGU embraces the global community and welcomes leaders representing various identities, voices, and perspectives. List any identities, voices, and perspectives you would bring, including but not limited to nationality, regional representations, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and anything else you feel comfortable sharing.

My journey as a first-generation college student from rural central Illinois has been a transformative one. The idea of studying the Earth and Planetary surfaces as a career or becoming a university professor was never on my radar. It was the encouragement and belief of the faculty at my undergraduate institution that led me to explore research and discover my passion for science. This personal experience has shaped my perspective on the diversity issue in geosciences, emphasizing the need for active engagement to build the confidence of the next generation of scientists, not just providing opportunities.

We must move past a ‘if you build it they will come’ perspective and move towards a more proactive outreach approach. Much like our discipline would be sorely incomplete if we only studied one landform in a limited environment (or on one planet), our discipline is incomplete if we do not have representation from as diverse of backgrounds as possible. With this perspective, my primary focus as president-elect and then president will be focused on engaging students and the next generation of the EPSP community.

Volunteer experience that relates to this position:

Science community: Engagement with numerous community initiatives (Subduction Zones in 4 Dimensions, Center for Land Surface Hazards) relevant to Earth and Planetary Surface Processes (EPSP). FACET (Faculty Academy on Excellence in Teaching) workshop organizer to increase US-Taiwan collaborations in the geosciences. Professional societies: Helped create the EPSP Marguerite Williams Award. Geological Society of America: panel member; editorial board for Geology and Geosphere. Indiana University: Hudson and Holland Program for historically excluded minorities; Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Director of Undergraduate Studies; College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s executive committee chair; University tenure and promotion committee.

This role aims to catalyze community and build AGU as envisioned by the strategic plan. This leadership position is a dual role - helping to advance AGU’s strategic plan as a member of Council and leading your section. How would you support the Board, staff and other sections to achieve AGU’s vision, values, mission, and goals? How will you engage with members of your section to execute AGU’s strategic plan?

We spend the majority of our lives focused on the Earth's surface, the core of our discipline. Our section is vital to AGU's mission of advancing Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. The Earth's surface serves as a nexus, connecting various AGU disciplines. Throughout my career, I have collaborated across diverse fields such as climate science, structural geology, paleontology, hydrology, evolutionary biology, and ecology. This multidisciplinary approach has given me a unique perspective that can significantly contribute to AGU and EPSP in achieving their strategic objectives.

For a strategic plan to succeed, it requires engagement and buy-in at all organizational levels. Therefore, I will work to engage the EPSP community by leveraging our diverse interests, which span almost the entire AGU disciplinary spectrum. Additionally, I am committed to fostering an inclusive culture within EPSP, promoting diversity among early career scientists. This will empower a new generation to tackle critical problems across our varied research areas, ensuring the continued growth and impact of our discipline.

Section affiliations:

Earth and Planetary Surface Processes; Hydrology; Mineral and Rock Physics; Natural Hazards; Tectonophysics