Stephanie Tubman ’08
Stephanie Tubman ’08 is making a big splash in the world of geology.
The Colgate geology major was recently named a fellow at the American Geosciences Institute (AGI), where she will work in the Critical Issues program.
Tubman’s work will center around circulating geoscientific information to help foster decision making at the federal, state, and municipal levels. Already, she has succeeded in writing and distributing a fact sheet at a congressional briefing about the 50th anniversary of the Good Friday Earthquake that struck Alaska.
“The goal of the Critical Issues program is to provide decision makers with clear, relevant and quickly digestible information about the geosciences, without oversimplifying the science,” Tubman said of her new position and work.
Stephanie Tubman ’08
Tubman pursued geoscience because of her passion for connecting with the environment and her desire to help others do the same.
During her time at Colgate, she was a staff member for Outdoor Education, a member of Focus the Nation, the Green Summit, and the university’s Geological Society.
As a member of geology professor William Peck’s research team, Tubman co-authored a paper that studied the effects of climate change on the chemical composition of maple syrup and other foods. The paper appeared in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, and was reported about in Nature.
After earning her bachelor’s at Colgate, Tubman interned at the U.S. Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory before enrolling in Michigan Tech’s Peace Corps Master’s International Program in Geohazards Mitigation. Her volunteer work with the Peace Corps, a two-year tour in Guatemala working at the municipal level, would prove to be fundamental in her candidacy for the fellowship, which she first heard about while attending an AGI event at the Geological Society of America annual meeting.
“Science is an important tool,” Tubman said. “I’m looking forward to engaging with different decision-making communities to understand how they use information and how we can help to meet their needs for geoscience information.”
The AGI fellowship was made possible through a donation from Schlumberger, a global service provider to the oil and gas industry.