| Short Biography |
I research the hot underbellies of volcanoes. Specifically, I'm interested in how volcanoes and magma chambers form, where magma comes from, and generally what makes volcanoes blow up. Using a unique combination of fieldwork, lab work, and software aided analysis, my team and I study volcanoes from deep in the earth's mantle where the first bits of magma form to the surface where it erupts as lava to the global atmosphere where volcanic gases travel far and wide. Right now, we are studying three active volcanoes in Chile -- Villarrica, Lascar, and Puyehue-Cordon Caulle (last year's Chilean equivalent of the Iceland eruption, which caused its own air traffic problems in the southern hemisphere). Software is crucial for our data collection in the field and the rigorous analysis of field and experimental data back home in the lab. Using UV and FTIR spectrometers and camera systems, gas and particle filters, and aerosol photometers, plus a special batch of home-brewed, published, and commercially available software, we can get a complete picture of a volcano and what threat it may pose to surrounding areas and on a global scale. |
