February 11, 2022
by Julie Avery
For many of us, as little girls we had a natural curiosity that often got us in trouble. I spent hours and days exploring the forbidden Florida swamp behind my house. I loved all the sights, sounds, and smells that permeated my senses as I explored my swamp. While I was good at sneaking into the forest, I typically exited covered in mud unable to hide from my parents where I really was. My parents weren’t huge fans of the mud or the creatures I’d bring home, but they were always loving and supportive of my dreams.
My dream as a little girl was to be an explorer. I wanted to discover something new that no one understood before. I dreamed of going to Antarctica to see the places where my ancestor, Nathanial Brown Palmer, explored. This dream was an unlikely achievement for a young, dyslexic girl from Florida. But with a lot of hard work and support from some phenomenal female science mentors my dream became a reality. I made it to Antarctica to study Weddell seals with a #NSFfunded research project lead by Dr. Jennifer Burns. This was just one of the many incredible opportunities I have had to study pinnipeds (seals and sea lions) around the world thanks to mentorship from amazing #WomenInScience.
Today, along with my three co-Principal Investigators (all women!), I am privileged to lead a multi-year, interdisciplinary study of Aleutian Mercury Dynamics. Our team includes an extraordinary group of scientists, many of whom, just happen to be women. On this United Nations designated International Day of Women and Girls in Science we celebrate some of the phenomenal females on our science team. Click the images below to learn more about some of the #WomenInScience on our team, their roles on the AMD project, and some fun insights to their research and other interests.
