Goodness where to start? I, like most children, have been a scientist from a young age. Science requires creative inquiry – and who doesn’t use that every day?

I am trained as a pedologist or one who studies soil formation, morphology, and classification. I’ve worked for the US federal government in the Natural Resources Conservation Service as a soil scientist with the Snow Survey and Soil Climate Analysis Network (2008-2011). I then took an academic position as an assistant professor at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo where I taught soil genesis, soil ecology, and wetlands (2011-2015). I took another academic postions at the University of Wyoming as an assistant professor of pedology where the position included a balance of teaching (pedology and introductory soils) and research. I earned tenure in 2021 and while I loved my work, in 2023 I decided to throw caution into the wind (literally) and bought a sailboat with my husband so we and our 2 children could explore the world aboard our floating home, Gnarwhal.

I’ve found that my training as scientist is wonderfully transferable to all the experimentation and curiosity that goes into making art and running a sci-art supply business.

Academic CV here for those interested (although I have stopped updating it as of 2024).