I grew up in the suburbs of Boston, Mass.

The teaching assistant for my undergraduate geology field camp was a graduate student in the geoscience department in the late 90s. Based on my love of field geology, acquired during that field camp in western Montana, he and my professors suggested UNLV as a good choice to pursue my graduate degree. Situated in the Basin and Range and only hours from several national parks, UNLV sits in a prime location for studying geology.

I received my Ph.D. in geoscience in 2010 and my M.S. in geoscience in 2002.

I received my bachelor of science in geology in 1999 from Salem State College (now Salem State University) in Massachusetts.

Growing up, I always loved astronomy. I entered Salem State with an undeclared major thinking that I would probably study for a business degree. In my second semester, I took my first geology course and was immediately hooked. What I realized was that my favorite part of astronomy growing up had been the planets: how they formed, what they were made of, and why they were different. So I always loved geology, I just didn’t know that it was called geology.

I’m a geoscience associate with ExxonMobil’s Upstream Research Company in Spring, Texas. For the past few years, my research has focused on understanding the fundamental controls on reservoir quality in unconventional plays such as the Eagle Ford in Texas. Basically what components of fine-grained sedimentary rocks, from deposition through burial, make the rock into a good oil reservoir.

The work I do on a daily basis is directly related to my graduate research (understanding depositional systems from outcrop scale down to microscopic scale). The specific analytical techniques that I first encountered as a student (specifically petrography and scanning electron microscopy) are critical for understanding fine-grained rocks. My geoscience coursework at UNLV provided me with a wide spectrum of geoscience knowledge that has been beneficial when working in inter-disciplinary teams. At a broader scale, the experience of studying and working with such exceptional people (both students and professors) has made me a better communicator and critical thinker.

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of having good communication skills. I don’t necessarily mean presenting or writing, although those are extremely important too. The communication skills that I’m talking about are the ones that center on interacting with others whether one-on-one or in a team setting. Students are in school to learn, the professors and instructors are just one part of that learning and they are busy. For the majority of them, their job is not just to teach but to push their research forward, find funding in an environment where funds are decreasing, publish, serve on both internal and external committees, attend meetings, formally and informally mentor both undergraduate and graduate students, and somewhere in there have a life of their own. Being able to effectively communicate makes it easier for both the professor and student to resolve any situation. Learn to really listen to what they are saying, and don’t always assume that they have negative intentions if they tell you something you don’t want to hear. The majority of professors truly want to help their students become successful in life after college.

Most of my time outside of work is spent with my family. My daughter just turned 2 so a lot of that centers on watching her explore the world around her and fostering her curiosity. We are also involved with our local animal rescue groups.

Explore Nevada and surrounding states. Grab a map. Get in the car. And go! But don’t leave a trace.