Portland • October 28-30

Erin Pettit explores glaciers to better understand and predict changing climate and rising seas. She is an associate professor of glaciology at Oregon State University and creator of Inspiring Girls Expeditions, wilderness science experiences for teenage girls. As a field glaciologist, Erin listens, watches, and measures the flow and fracture, advance and retreat of glaciers and ice sheets. She has traveled from the North Slope of Alaska to the interior of Antarctica for research expeditions. The action at the boundary where glacier ice flows into the ocean is her current favorite place to explore.

Erin has pioneered the use of underwater microphones to listen to the glacier’s activity from a safe distance because glaciers meet oceans in an explosion of sound. Calving ice slams into waves, water gushes out from below, and air bubbles pop as icebergs melt. She’s especially interested in the freshwater that rushes out from underneath the glacier, because it directly contributes to sea level rise and can signals major changes in the system. Her work on Dawes Glacier in Alaska was highlighted in the IMAX film Extreme Weather.

Erin’s passion reaches beyond the ice itself. She wants to share the beauty and challenges of working in these extreme environments with others by linking the science with art and exploration, especially with young women through Inspiring Girls Expeditions. “I think it’s important for all of us, kids and adults, to push outside our comfort zone," Pettit says. "That’s how you discover the most interesting things about yourself, other people, and the world around you. Curiosity and risk-taking drive many of the best scientific breakthroughs. You may feel scared, be questioned, or get cold before you learn how to keep warm, but the more you push yourself, the more discoveries you will make throughout life.”

Adam Johnston is a professor of physics and director of the Center for Science and Mathematics Education at Weber State University in Ogden, UT. He teaches courses in both physics and science education in a wide array of settings. His work in science learning led him to co-organize a national conference in science education reform, Science Education at the Crossroads, and he established a local outreach program, Science in the Parks, hosted each summer as a traveling program to Ogden City parks.  Recently, Adam has been investigating learning in other contexts and modes, including dance workshops and performances investigating parallel practices of science and art, experiential learning in remote landscapes, and the fascinating habitats and ecosystems of local classrooms—the most innovative and interesting context of all.

Some of Adam’s work has been published in Educational Leadership and Science Education. He completed a PhD in science education and an MS in physics from the University of Utah, and a BS in physics from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR. Through his career, he’s earned multiple honors, including Weber State’s Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor award and the Utah Science Teachers Association’s Outstanding University Science Educator award.

Melissa Haeffner is an assistant professor in the Environmental Science and Management department at Portland State University. Her research unifies several research domains that contribute to the knowledge of local politics in watersheds and how they shape urban water infrastructure development in the past and present, and under future predictions. Her ongoing research and teaching commitments investigate water insecurity and justice within municipal water systems and the links between multi-scale policies, infrastructural and environmental conditions, and household behavior. Her work focuses on “just water” and how social, political, and biophysical factors structure access to water, using the concept of environmental justice to draw attention to issues of fairness and equality in the ways different social groups gain access to natural resources.

Melissa received a BA/MA in Sociology from DePaul University and a MS through the Department of Urban Studies and Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She received her PhD from Colorado State University in the Graduate Degree Program of Ecology, with a specialization in human-environment interactions.