My Next Challenge

The next challenge I face is not an athletic one, but academic:
My PhD qualifying exam begins today!  This exam moves me from PhD student to PhD candidate, and gets me one step closer to graduating and achieving my goal of a doctorate in Isotope Geochemistry. 

 (my normal lab attire:  lab coat, safety goggles, and gloves (not shown!))

This exam entails a three week take-home written exam of questions selected by my 4 committee members.  Following the written section is an oral presentation of my thesis work so far and a proposal (my plan) for the continuation of my research.  Also, any general chemistry and geology questions can and will be asked at this point. 

 

(collecting soil samples at the Savannah River Site, SC)

Because when it comes down to it, I am a scientist that does triathlons, not a triathlete that does science.

(calculating infiltration rates of soil (absorption of water) Jennie, Kristie, and Laura, during GSU Summer Field camp, Maymester, with Dr. Jordon Clayton)

(collecting and interpreting diffraction patterns of clay samples from the Savannah River Site, at Stanford's SLAC SSRL Laboratory)

(using the vacuum line at University of California-Irvine to isolate carbon dioxide from fossil coral skeletons)