UtSTA 2024: Out-Of-This-World Science Teaching

Asteroids, often seen as remnants of the early solar system, could be crucial to understanding the origins of life on Earth. These ancient space rocks, dating back over 4.5 billion years, are rich in organic molecules and water—the fundamental ingredients for life. Many scientists believe that asteroid impacts with early Earth delivered these essential materials, setting off the chemical processes that led to life. By studying asteroids, we gain insights not just into the solar system's history, but also into how life might have begun here and possibly elsewhere.

I’ll be speaking about the career of a laboratory scientist, the paths you can take to become a laboratory scientist, and my unique experience working as a laboratory scientist in a warzone.

Earth's drylands are some of the most important ecosystems that are also some of the most understudied. They are experiencing drastic changes as a result from climate change and changes in wildfire regimes. My research program asks questions about how climate change, wildfire, and community structure interacts and determines plant community structure and function. In this session, I share results from various research projects centered in Utah's drylands, what we are learning about the state and potential transitions of these dryland plant communities, and how my team and I are using that information to create well-informed decision making tools for land managers.