Principal Investigator
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Dr. Lauren Simkins (BS, PhD) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia. She attended Oklahoma State University as an undergraduate student and the University of California Santa Barbara as a graduate student. Prior to arriving at the University of Virginia in 2018, she was a postdoctoral researcher at Rice University. Lauren uses the geological record to inform ice-marginal and subglacial processes and ice-sheet behavior on timescales of decades to millennia. She is an advocate of true collaboration, resourceful science, and holistic professional development. She enjoys walks in the forest, lazy weekend mornings with family, coffee, and hot sauce. Lauren is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Curriculum vitae | Google Scholar | ORCiD profile
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Graduate Researchers
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Allison Lepp (MS, BS) is a PhD candidate and a member of the Thwaites Glacier Offshore Research (THOR) project. Her work relies on marine sediment cores and geological methods to connect grain-scale sediment characteristics to subglacial hydrologic processes beneath Antarctic glaciers. Alie is passionate about learning from traditionally exclusive scientific practices to build a more inclusive polar research community, and she values engaging with UVA undergraduates on earth science topics as an instructor and research mentor. She is a 2016 Appalachian Trail thru-hiker and loves volunteering at local vineyards. Website
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Marion McKenzie (BS) is a PhD candidate studying the effect of bed characteristics on ice flow dynamics across the deglaciated Northern Hemisphere. Her work utilizes a variety of materials ranging from outcrop sediment and geochronology samples to digital elevation models. Marion enjoys sharing her love of learning with students she teaches and mentors and pushes for equitable access to educational opportunities for all through her involvement with the UVA EVSC Departmental DEI Committee. When she’s not sorting through sediment or fighting with ArcGIS, Marion enjoys hiking with her dog Evy, exploring various coffee shops, and experimenting with different art mediums. Marion is looking for postdoctoral opportunities starting in August 2023. Website
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Santiago Munevar Garcia (BS) is a PhD candidate from Colombia assessing the role of bed topography on ice flow and retreat across time and space from deglaciated and currently glaciated landscapes. His work combines geophysical data with mathematical and statistical analyses to couple ice behavior with characteristics of the seafloor. Other research interests include the impact of retreating tropical glaciers on Andean communities who depend on these glaciers as their primary water source. Outside of research, Santi enjoys playing and watching fútbol, hiking, and seeing live music. Curriculum vitae
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Undergraduate Researchers
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Maya Weiss is an undergraduate researcher analyzing sediment samples from a suspected subglacial lake in the previously glaciated area of the Puget Lowland, Washington state. This work will contribute to evidence of subglacial lake preservation in the geologic record. She is majoring in Environmental Science and Environmental Thought and Practice. Outside of school, Maya enjoys going on outdoor adventures, playing for UVA's club water polo team, water color painting and enjoying a cup of tea.
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Marion Donald is an undergraduate researcher from Charlotte, North Carolina majoring in Environment Science with minors in both Studio Art and Urban and Environmental Planning, hoping to discover creatives ways for global ecosystem sustainability through the intersection of these three. Currently focused on discovering the history of sub-glacial lakes through sediment analysis, she hopes to pursue a future in glacial and marine science. Marion is likely found running through the trails, daydreaming about powder days, chasing big waves on the river, climbing large rocks, or manifesting the prospect of post-adventure ice cream.
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Medha Prakash is an undergraduate researcher from Portland, Oregon, studying terrestrial esker and martian ridge morphometrics in order to better understand the implications on martian glaciology and hydrology. Double majoring in Environmental Sciences and Statistics, with a minor in Astronomy, she aspires to go to graduate school and study the surface processes of icy worlds such as Europa. She is also passionate about encouraging K-12 students to pursue earth and space science. Medha loves to bake, do crosswords, play tennis, sing with her a cappella group, and fantasize about being a Hogwarts student. Website | LinkedIn
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Tahi Wiggins is an undergraduate researcher studying the morphometry of glacigenic lakes in the context of the regional landscape to understand historical glacier behavior. Majoring in Environmental Science and Global Studies, she is interested in broad questions of science accessibility and epistemology and hopes to, in the future, combine her passions for glaciology, marine sciences, writing, and social sciences. When not being a student, Tahi enjoys cooking, climbing, coffee-experimenting, weightlifting, and meaningful conversation (though usually not all at the same time).
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Alumni
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Amy Smith is an Undergraduate Researcher who studied grain-scale properties of glacial and glaciomarine sediments offshore of Thwaites Glacier. She plans on studying Environmental Sciences and Public Policy. She is interested in the intersection between science and policy and its use in the creation of effective solutions to environmental issues. In her downtime, she enjoys painting and hiking in her hometown of La Paz, Bolivia.
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Delaney Buskard completed a senior thesis in the Department of Environmental Sciences titled "Grain-scale Characteristics of Meltwater Plume Deposits Offshore of Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica", results from which will be included in a peer-reviewed journal article to be submitted in 2021. Delaney is graduate student in the Master of Environmental Management program at Duke University.
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Mackenzie Carter investigated spatial differences in seafloor radiocarbon ages in the Antarctic Peninsula as an Undergraduate Researcher in 2019.
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Elizabeth Eareckson is an Undergraduate Researcher who quantifyed magnitudes of grounding line retreat from ice-marginal landforms in the Ross Sea, Antarctica during the Spring 2021 semester.
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Cesar Garcia is a former PhD student, LSAMP Bridge to Doctorate Scholar, and Dean's Doctoral Fellowship Scholar. His project focused on the causes of spatially variable seafloor radiocarbon ages on the Antarctic continental shelf. He holds a BS in Geology from Indiana University Northwest (2019) and has expertise in beach sediments and microplastics, and a plans to pursue a career in secondary education as an earth science teacher.
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Catherine Leigh documented subglacial channel morphology and channel distribution across glaciated continental shelves as an Undergraduate Researcher in 2019.
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Hannah Leigh is worked on data preparation for bed roughness analysis on the deglaciated Antarctic continental shelf during the Fall 2020 semester.
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Sarah Lang used trace elemental composition of glacial-marine sediment to track spatial variable sediment sources on the Antarctic continental shelf as an Undergraduate Researcher in the Spring 2020 semester.
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Sean Penaparanda mapped moraine morphology changes in the tri-state region of the US East Coast as an Undergraduate Researcher in Fall 2019 semester.
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Alma Salisbury is an Undergraduate Researcher with us during the 2021 summer as a VA-NC Alliance Scholar. Her research focuses on the morphology of glacial and non-glacial lakes in Antarctica and the Americas. She is graduated in December 2021 from Elizabeth City State University with a degree in Biology, and currently works as a laboratory technician in Seattle.
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Jacob (Jake) Slawson completed a senior thesis through the Distinguished Majors Program in the Department of Environmental Sciences titled "Just a bump in the road? Assessing the influence of topographic relief on Cordilleran Ice Sheet flow from deglaciated landscapes" in May 2021. His thesis formed the framework for publication that will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal in 2021. Currently, he is a PhD student at Colorado School of Mines.
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Alan Zhai worked on spatial variability in roughness of a paleo-ice sheet bed as an Undergraduate Researcher during the Spring 2019 semester.
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