The 2014-2015 William L. Fisher Congressional Geoscience Fellow is Joseph Majkut. Joseph graduated with his B.S. in Mathematics from Harvey Mudd College in 2006. He spent the following two years at the Technical University of Delft, The Netherlands, studying for an M.S. in Risk Analysis and Environmental Modeling. His PhD is from the Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Studies at Princeton University, with a certificate in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy. As a researcher, he developed new methods for using computer models and observational records to detect changes in the oceanic carbon cycle that result from climate change. His research also asks how climate policy mechanisms can consider the uncertainty in climate projections and incorporate observational information robustly. As a congressional fellow, Joseph looks forward to learning two related things, how scientific results and principles are put to use in developing legislation and how to pose policy questions that can help scientists ask fundamental and policy-relevant questions.

Peri Sasnett earned her bachelor’s degree in Earth Science from Columbia University with a minor in American History. She completed her Master’s in Geology at the University of Canterbury, focusing on active tectonics, while on a Fulbright fellowship to New Zealand. Since then, she has been an interpretive geologist for the National Park Service in the Grand Canyon and Grand Canyon National Parks through the GeoCorps program. She has worked to inspire curiosity and respect for science within the general public, and to connect park visitors with their public lands through a deeper understanding of the processes that have shaped those landscapes. She is currently a guest scientist in Yosemite National Park, and she hopes to continue to combine her interests in science policy and natural hazards.

Zachary Schagrin is currently working towards a Master’s degree in Geosciences at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on developing a chemostratigraphy of the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania, using radiation as a proxy for natural gas levels. Some of his other research interests include ultramafic petrology and serpentine soils. Zachary also completed his undergraduate degree at West Chester University, earning a Bachelor’s in Political Science with a concentration in Public Policy and a minor in Geology. Here, he examined the use of the filibuster in the United States Senate. He is originally from Levittown, PA.

Lily Strelich is a Geoscience Policy Intern with the American Geosciences Institute. She graduated in May 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in Geology from Occidental College. As an undergraduate, she volunteered with the National Institute of Archaeology in Bulgaria, and studied environmental policy in Berlin. She earned academic distinction for her senior thesis, written on exhumation and uplift in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where she attended field camp. Lily’s research interests include oceanography, hazard mitigation, unconventional resources, and Arctic geopolitics. She plans to continue promoting the geosciences as a science writer. She is originally from Santa Barbara, California.