2011-Present:  Associate Research Scientist at University of Wyoming

1993-2011:  Research Associate at Mississippi State University

1993-1997:  Instructor at Mississippi University for Women

1993-1994:  Instructor at Mississippi State University

1993:  M.S. in Geology at Auburn University

1990:  B.S. in Geology at Mississippi State University

My research interests focus on examining geochemical connections in the critical zone – interactions between bedrock and biota. I enjoy hiking, skiing, gardening, reading, and playing the mandolin. I also manage a family-owned pine plantation in MS.

In high school I was fascinated by the periodic table as an elaborate puzzle – why were there so many elements, how did their properties relate, and how did we even figure this out? I also took my first geology course in high school and that seemed to be an even bigger puzzle – just waiting to be solved. But I was really good at English and soaked up a couple of books a week, so I thought I wanted to pursue a career in journalism. Like many university students after reality sets in, I went through several majors before I finally decided to go to work until I could figure out my real vocation. Nine years later, I was on vacation with friends in the Adirondacks and discovered that their version of outdoor activities and mine (checking out every outcrop we passed) was not the same. I suddenly realized that geology had been in front of me the whole time, but I hadn’t seen it. I quit my full-time job to seek a BS in Geology. In college I discovered a love of research and an aptitude for analytical instrumentation – I had found my niche. But the story doesn’t end there…