Field Methods in Volcanology Alumni
Mike Poland
Mike Poland, who attended CSAV's Field Methods in Volcanology course as an undergraduate in 1995, is now working as a geophysicist at the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory after receiving a Ph.D. from Arizona State University in 2002. At CVO, Poland is responsible for characterizing and modeling volcano deformation at sites all over the world, but especially in the western United States. His current projects include monitoring the magmatic uplift at Three Sisters in central Oregon, determining the mechanism of subsidence at Medicine Lake volcano in northeast California, and mapping the deformation associated with the eruption of Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa. Many of the techniques Poland uses in his work, including leveling, GPS, and EDM, he first learned during the CSAV course. According to Poland, "The CSAV Field Methods in Volcanology course helped me get an idea of what it's like to monitor an active volcano. Back in '95, my experience was confined to what I had learned in the classroom and through my own literature-based research projects. In contrast, as a student of the CSAV course I was able to observe molten lava flowing on the Earth's surface first-hand, from only a few meters distance! Attending the course not only gave me a perspective on the range of methods used by volcanologists, but also taught me the skills I would need to work on volcanoes in all settings and helped me decide that volcano deformation was a field that I wanted to pursue. I met many valuable contacts and friends in Hawaii, and I credit their guidance and the CSAV course in helping me attain my current position."
Mike
Poland visits surface lava flows during the 1995 CSAV course.
Mike
Poland sets up a GPS tripod on Fernandina Island in the Galapagos.
Ivette Modinou
Ivette Modinou attended the course in 2002, and then volunteered to work with the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Modinou's primary focus has been public outreach, and she has proved invaluable in designing posters, printing maps, and assisting with the coordination of educational events. In 2002, Modinou helped with the "Mauna Loa Rises" symposium sponsored by CSAV and HVO; in 2003 she prepared for and worked at the HVO Open House celebrating the 20th anniversary of Puu Oo's eruption.
Ivette Modinou describes selected Hawaiian Volcano Observatory lava flow maps
to a Kona resident concerned about Mauna Loa.
Chris Harpel
Chris Harpel attended the CSAV course in 1995, completed a Bachelors in Geology at Western Washington University, then received a Masters from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology using tephrostratigraphy and 40Ar/39Ar dating to investigate the eruptive history of Mount Erebus, Antarctica. Harpel is now working for the U.S. Geological Survey at CVO for the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program. His day-to-day job includes compiling information on Central American volcanoes, such as eruptive history, geochemistry, and maps, into a cohesive format in a computer database. The database is used when VDAP responds to a volcano crisis, at which time Harpel also helps to assemble and pack the monitoring equipment. Between events, he assists with GPS and leveling surveys at South Sister bulge and Mount St. Helens.
Chris
Harpel surveys a lava flow. Here's what Harpel says about CSAV Field Methods: "The class gave me a solid grounding in volcano monitoring techniques that would have been impossible to get in any other academic situation. The hands-on aspect of the class really sets it apart from any other way to learn about volcano monitoring. It is a rare opportunity for someone, especially an undergrad, to get to go to an active volcano and use the techniques that they are learning about. As it turned out the skills that I gained helped me both during my graduate work and are incredibly important for my current job."
Gari Mayberry
Gari Mayberry's experience during the CSAV course in the summer of 1996 cemented her passion for Volcanology and led her to pursue a career in the field after receiving a Bachelors in Earth and Environmental Science from Wesleyan University and a Masters in Geology from Michigan Technological University. While in graduate school she focused on using satellite imagery to reconstruct the evolution of ash clouds erupted from Soufrière Hills volcano. Mayberry has participated in projects at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Alaska Volcano Observatory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Montserrat Volcano Observatory, and the Cascades Volcano Observatory. She is currently employed by the US Geological Survey and is stationed at the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program, where her main duty is to write the Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, a joint-agency on-line report of volcanic activity around the world. Her other duties include designing and maintaining the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory website, co-editing the Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, and assisting scientists with various fieldwork. According to Mayberry, "CSAV's field course not only provided an excellent foundation for the knowledge and techniques I would use later in my career, but seeing science in action really brought the geological concepts together that I had learned up to that point."
Gari Mayberry sees her first
skylight during the CSAV course.
Gari
Mayberry at the edge of the Bramble Airport in 1999.
The airport was destroyed by an eruption of Soufrière
Hills volcano, Montserrat.