Kerry Howard

My academic career began with a bachelor’s in geology from the University of Puget Sound, where I conducted research in igneous petrology in the Cascade Range. I went on for a master’s in science and studied sediment transport in estuaries and on continental shelves at Boston College. Most recently, I completed a master’s in science education at Sierra Nevada College. I have been teaching middle school science and math for the last six years in California and Nevada. Currently, I lead a double life as a K-12 educator and as a PhD student in geological sciences. It is fantastic to be both a teacher and a scientist—I continually find engaging, meaningful, and exciting ways to bring science directly from the field to the classroom! My PhD research involves utilizing diatoms as a paleolimnological tool for the reconstruction of climate/environmental records. I am a 2012 NPS George Melendez Wright Climate Change Fellow and I am undertaking a project to study alpine lake sedimentary records and past/present diatom community composition in Lassen Volcanic National Park.