I’m a photographer and science lover, particularly engaged with the intersection of the two in education, interdisciplinary research, and journalism. I’m interested in finding approaches to sharing science in ways that excite people and allow them to see and understand the world in new ways. My favorite subject right now is river system science, and how biologic and geologic processes within rivers shape human lives and landscapes around the world.
I've worked as a farmer and raft guide, a roly-poly researcher and podcast maker, and I once lint-rolled a T-rex skeleton during my work at the Smithsonian. I never pass up a good adventure, am a NOLS graduate, WFR certified, and an experienced whitewater and sea kayaker. After college I embarked on a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, and traveled the Amazon river from source to delta. Since putting that project on hold for COVID-19, I've been working at Berkeley Lab, currently with the K-12 STEM Education team. In my spare time I look for ways to get people excited about seeing through science. Check out my recent work on instagram or my blog, and sign up for my newsletter to stay up to date! |
My latest project on the wonders of beavers
In December I sent out my first monthly newsletter and shared a personal project from my Mini-Watson about how beavers can transform river ecosystems and the creative ways that conservationists are bringing them back. You can view the post on my blog, and sign up for my newsletter to stay in the loop about future projects!
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My latest articleThis publication from my Watson Fellowship explores how rivers in the Andes are vital to the Amazon Rainforest downstream, and what might happen if Andean rivers are dammed.
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My Watershed StoryMap (and the cover of Nature!)
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I'm excited about
Science as X-ray vision
I've long been fascinated by the idea that science can transform how people see. In revealing the marvelous mechanisms that underlie everyday life, I hope to help others see the hidden inner workings of their world.
Seeing in this way adds wonder and intrigue to even the most familiar subjects, and I aim to harness that feeling to make science communication truly engaging and relevant. Most recently, I've been applying this idea to my Story of Sand project with the idea that even the most mundane and familiar things have both an "endo-story" (the little world contained within them) and an "exo-story" (the role they play in the world around them). |
My Interests
Conservation PhotographyI want my work to lend power and voice to the things I care about. I've long admired artists and conservationists who use stunning images to highlight the beauty, importance, and vulnerability of the world's natural places and indigenous communities. I'm excited about following in the footsteps of these role models and I hope to bring photography and journalism to bear to help others see the same beauty and value in these things that I see.
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The Human Side of ScienceScientific concepts aren't confined to a laboratory, they underlie our everyday lives. I think science education and communication should give people a new lens through which to see their world. In a time where public distrust of science has become an existential threat, I want to tackle the perception that science is something "other." That's why I'm excited about telling the stories of how science impacts real people everyday
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Multimedia SciCommI'm interested in communicating the full beauty and entertaining weirdness of scientific stories by any means available to me. I was drawn to
photography and videography as ways to captivate audiences and impart the full beauty and relevance of these stories. My brother and I also created a podcast, Microcosm, to share those stories with our peers, using all of the casual humor and personality of a brotherly chat. |
My ongoing project:
The Watson
I spent much of 2019-2020 on a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, traveling the length of the Amazon River and using photography to showcase the science of river systems.
This project is currently on hold for the pandemic, with the exception of a foray along the Colorado River in October 2021. I still hope to resume my travels internationally when I can. |