Abby Ackerman graduated with her Bachelors in Geology from Bryn Mawr College in 2017. While in undergrad, she worked on research projects ranging from Martian mineralogical analysis to museum mineral curation and work on coal-related acid mine drainage (AMD) sites in Pennsylvania. Her EARTH Magazine article, published in the January/February 2018 issue, focuses on federal policies surrounding AMD legislation, which she got to explore as a policy intern. Following her Policy internship, Abby will stay at AGI as a Research Intern in the Critical Issues Program creating outreach materials on the importance and applications of geologic mapping in collaboration with the USGS National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP).

Jeremiah actively worked with federal agencies and congress to represent the geoscience community and promote sound public policy in Washington, D.C. He also managed the Geoscience Policy program’s social media presence and writes policy updates. Jeremiah is pursuing a Master of Science degree in Evaporite Sedimentology at West Virginia University, and also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth Science with a minor in Geography from Vassar College. Jeremiah’s graduate research uses salt deposits to determine environmental conditions in the Neoproterozoic Era. He also has prior experience working in environmental consulting and in natural gas development.

Adam Shaw graduated from Western Washington University in 2016 with degrees in Geology and Disaster Risk Reduction. During his final year, he volunteered with Whatcom Unified Emergency Management during the Cascadia Rising exercise and worked with a team to create a draft debris management plan for Whatcom County, WA. The following summer, Adam worked with the WWU Resilience Institute to assist with a series of conferences on Interagency Communication in the Cascadia region held by the Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup (CREW). At AGI, Adam assisted in the development of the Congressional Hazards Caucus website. Adam hopes to continue working in natural hazards and emergency management policy.

Franklin Wolfe received a bachelor's degree in Geology from Washington and Lee University in 2016. His undergraduate thesis focused on using zircon (U-Th)/He dating to better constrain the exhumation history of the Ruby Mountains-East Humboldt Range metamorphic core complex in northeastern Nevada. Inspired by a coal ash spill in his home state of North Carolina, Franklin studied the potential to extract critical rare earth metals from coal ash disposal sites during his time at AGI. This fall, he will begin a Ph.D. program in structural geology through Harvard University's Earth and Planetary Sciences Program.

Meg Freiberger graduated from Bowdoin College in 2016 with degrees in Chemistry and Earth and Oceanographic Science. Her undergraduate honors project investigated trace metal proxies in bamboo coral calcite as part of her lab’s broader effort to reconstruct intermediate water conditions in the California Margin over the past century or more. As a policy intern, Meg enjoyed following the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Subcommittee and writing about the environmental challenges associated with Arctic offshore drilling. This fall, Meg will begin her pursuit of a Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Columbia University, with a focus on paleoclimate and marine geochemistry.

Liana Agrios received a Bachelor of Science in Geology and Environmental Geosciences with a minor in Environmental Science from Lafayette College in 2014. Her undergraduate thesis focused on the origin and composition of cobbles in portions of the Newark Basin in New Jersey and New York. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Geology at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) to better understand ice streams in the Weddell Sea Embayment in Antarctica. At AGI, she enjoyed exploring permafrost hazards and the adaptation strategies of coastal cities to address sea level rise and other climate change hazards. After graduate school, she hopes to work in a job that applies geology to address real world environmental problems facing society. 

Madeline Atkins received bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Geology and Environmental Studies with a minor in Political Science from Case Western Reserve University in 2015. Her undergraduate thesis focused on volcanic tuffs to study paleoclimate and vertebrate evolution in Eastern Africa. While at AGI, Madeline studied the future of nuclear waste disposal in the United States. After leaving AGI, she will be joining The Nature Conservancy as a federal policy intern. This fall she will begin her master’s degree in Environmental Management at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment with a concentration in water resources management.

Danielle earned her bachelors degree in Geology from University of Kansas where she specialized in structural geology. Her thesis focused on mapping a region in the Southeast Owlshead Mountains in Death Valley National Park. At AGI, Danielle is focusing on the research and policy implications of the ongoing drought in the western United States. She is currently applying to graduate progarms where she hopes to continue her focus in structural geology. 

Sam Jacobson is a rising junior at Bucknell University majoring in Geology and East Asian Studies. His primary interest lies in economic geology and the consequences of exploiting mineral resources, particularly in regard to Chinese policy. He previously researched community health indicators in central Pennsylvania and helped sign people up for the Affordable Care Act. While at AGI, Sam assisted in the development of the 2016 Critical Needs Document and reported on the state of rare earth elements in the U.S.  He is active in his school's outdoor education department and hopes to spend some time in China.