VM: Hello everyone! My name is Viridis Miranda. I’m a Science Communication intern at EarthScope Consortium, and I’ll be interviewing Danielle Kinkel. Hello Danielle, how are you doing today?

DK: Doing good, how about you?

VM: Awesome, and it’s a pleasure to meet with you and interviewing you today. Danielle, can you tell us a little bit about what you do in the internship position that you’re currently in at EarthScope?

DK: Yeah. So I’m the Education Data and Resources intern, so most of what I’ve been doing has been like reviewing existing education materials to figure out, like ways to improve them or adapt them to be better, like more useful for introduction courses. And next week, I get to help out with the in-person geophysical field workshop, where we’re going to be teaching instructors how to use EarthScope equipment so they can then teach their students. And I will mainly be teaching how to use seismic refraction in the field.

VM: Awesome. That’s pretty cool. Can you tell us a little bit about the dynamic of like, using geophysical equipment and showing education outreach?

DK: Yeah, so teaching students about like geophysical–especially, like near surface techniques– is pretty important and pretty cool for them, because it’s something they can do really hands on, and it teaches and covers a lot of like broad different, like Earth science topics, but also, just like in real life, a lot of what most geoscientists would do is a lot of the more like near surface techniques compared to like the whole earth, like tomography, like scale. So it’s just a great way to get students interested and interacting and just get some real field work.

VM: Oh, that’s awesome. I’m currently an employee at the Puerto Rico seismic network, and I’m currently a master’s student. I have done active source geophysics surveys, like from seismic reflection and refraction and using geophones. Will you be using that sort of equipment during the field work, or different equipment?

DK: So it’s going to be the standard, like geophones and seismograph seismographs and stuff that you’ve most people and have probably seen like in their, you know, in school field courses and maybe even like in jobs. There are other techniques we will be teaching people. So we’re also going to be covering things like GPS, GPR and ERT, so ground penetrating radar and electrical resistivity tomography. So they get a little spread of what they can like, what they can borrow from EarthScope.

VM: That’s pretty cool. They get a little bit of out of everything, which I truly like about this project that you have. What is the most thing that you like about it so far?

DK: I feel it’s just pretty interesting, because I really do like teaching, so it’s kind of fun. See it from like, a different side of things, like focusing on, like online, like meant for other people to use, and not necessarily, like you’re teaching the class. I mean, next week I am teaching, but it’s just like an interesting, like, kind of different sort of teaching environment. And like everyone I’ve met so far at EarthScope has been really nice, my mentor is really great. So that’s made this obviously a lot better.

VM: Would you say these skills and this teaching experience, and also teaching students how to use your physical equipment, does tie to your graduate degree, or does it enhance it?

DK: I would say it ties in. So for me, I am a PhD candidate in geophysics with the Nevada Seismological Laboratory at UN Reno. So I am definitely a seismologist, but also really, what I want to do is I really like teaching, so I really want to go into a lecturing, teaching focused position in the future, rather than, like a mixed research or just research position. So it’s been great getting, like, more hands-on experience with like, kind of how you create education materials more, because it’s like, I’ve had some experience with that in the past, like TAing and taking different, like education courses. But like I said, it’s just more of like a real hands on experience. So I feel like it is a very useful internship.

VM: It truly is, by the sounds of it, you’re becoming this cool educator, and we need more educators. We need researchers, but I think education is a really important part about geophysics. Some students find geophysics to be really difficult, just by the name of it, and I think you’re a pretty cool candidate in order to show them that it’s not as difficult as it seems.  Have you found with students, that they tell you right off the bat that it’s really, truly difficult, or your experience has been more leaning towards the people getting excited about studying the field?

DK: I feel like it’s mixed depending on the specific courses and like what your students like, what their majors are. So like one of the courses at UNR I’ve TAed is like earthquake engineering. So it’s like a mix of geology majors and geophysics majors, but then also a lot of geologic engineering majors. So you get a lot of mix of people who are like, coming in with a little bit more understanding, and then people who are like, Oh God, this is so much. And so it’s like, everyone comes in a little nervous, but then you get into the mechanics of how things work, and you break down the science in ways that’s a little easier for them to understand. And people in general tend to just end up liking it a lot more.

VM: I truly agree. As an undergrad, I did more geochemistry than geophysics when I went into grad school, then I switched my interest towards geophysics. At first, it was pretty difficult, but then I truly got the hang of it, and it truly is interesting. What advice would you give students that would like to aspire to your same graduate degree or go into any geophysics related research?

DK: So for grad school, the best piece of advice I got, and the best piece of advice I think, for anyone looking into grad school is you really want to focus on your advisor more than the school you’re going to because your advisor is the person who’s going to be like, really helping you out along the way, really kind of gearing all your research and helping you focus. So you really want to make sure you find an advisor who’s doing research you’re really interested in, someone who you can really work with and will really help you. And like I said, just advisor above all else. Don’t worry about, like, if it’s not like a fancy school, or if it’s not like this, necessarily the school you thought you wanted, like, it’s really your advisor that makes or breaks grad school. And then in terms of real world, because I have, I did work like, kind of a real world job a bit before going to grad school, my biggest advice is just kind of do a lot of the when you have the opportunity do the field work courses and, like, even stuff outside of school when you can. So like, one of the things I did in undergrad is there’s, like, the Taber drilling seminars, where it’s like, free for students, and you get to come and learn about drilling. And there’s a bunch of different things similar to that offered by different schools and industries and companies, and they’re just great ways to kind of dip your foot into, like, a more industry focused field work, and it’s just something that looks really good on your resume. Like, I can definitely say that all of the field work I had on my resume and the like extra was very attractive to businesses when I was applying to jobs.

VM: Oh, that’s pretty cool. And I agree. Before starting grad school, I also started working a bit in order to get into that focus of, how is an industry field job different than being in the academia route, right? And I do agree, webinars, seminars are really great. Internships are really great too. That’s also another thing that most students need to also take into consideration. And also quick question, like, out of all the cool things that you do and are aspiring to do as an education and as a seismologist, what would you say is the biggest, let’s say, biggest event of your life in seismology that you’re like, “Wow, this is super interesting, and this is what I want to do for the rest of my life?”

DK: Well, I guess I can give a little background to clarify to a bit. I’ve wanted to be a geologist since I was six years old. Like, not even exaggerating, and then I started, like, tutoring in middle school, and I was like, Oh, I really like teaching, too. And then I just kind of niched into geophysics because, like, I’m from California. I’ve lived through many earthquakes, and like, I do really like with geophysics that there’s a lot of math and physics like woven into it. So it’s a bit of a like compilation of like different science, with the idea it is focused on Earth science, but it’s like, you got to bring in a bunch of other like concepts into it as well, in terms of, just, like, big events or anything, I don’t know, like, I’ve lived through many earthquakes. I can’t think of any in particular, but I will say it’s been pretty cool, like in grad school, getting to, like, one of the things for the seismology lab I have done, like, picking earthquakes. So, you know, pick the first arrivals. And it’s kind of fun doing that for events, and then seeing that they get published on, like the USGS, and it’s like, oh, cool. And then also, just like, some of the research I’ve been doing has been pretty fun, like, most of what I’ve worked on in the past is, like, Earthquake Early Warning, trying to bring it to Nevada. So it was pretty cool.

VM: So you also work with Earthworm, or a different system altogether?

DK: At NSL, we use like Antelope and for most of our picking, and then we have like, a bunch of like other background processes to help with, like making the focal mechanisms and stuff. But yeah, I don’t think we use Earthworm.

VM: Yeah, at the Puerto Rico Seismic Network, we use Earthworm, and we use the early bird system, which is kind of like an early warning system as well. It’s just pretty cool. And then we also use Jiggle. I love all the names.

DK: I definitely think geoscience is one of the bigger pun sciences. I’ve seen a lot of people purposely name their things with specific acronyms and stuff to try to get the joke in.

VM: Oh, that’s amazing. I use it all the time with undergrads as well. Sometimes they look at me like, I don’t get it. I’m like, you will eventually when you get into this course. And another question is, what other hobbies and extracurricular activities do you do?

DK: So my main hobby is, I do a lot of crafting. So knitting, crochet, sewing, embroidery, beading. One of my friends used to say that my hobby is collecting hobbies. I have a lot of them, and I guess my other main extracurricular is hanging out with my dog, going for walks in the park, and going on hikes. I also play D&D, so I’m a very nerdy person.

VM: Oh that’s awesome. Back in the day, I played Pathfinder.

DK: Yeah, I’ve done Pathfinder, too. 

VM: What I love about geoscience is that we all have, like, our very like wholesome hobbies. I’d say very nerdy, but also wholesome hobbies, because it does create, like, a kind of family based community. That’s super cool.

DK: I’ve known a lot of, like, various geoscience majors who one of the reasons they got into it is because they really liked, like, camping and hiking and, once they, you know, took their first geology class and they’re like, Wow, this science really relates to my outdoor interests, they ended up switching majors.

VM: Oh, that’s pretty wholesome, because I know a whole bunch of undergrads that started out in a whole different course altogether. They went into their first field trip, and they’re like, You know what? I’m an outdoor person, and this is what I love to do. Well, Danielle, thank you so much for this interview, and it was very lovely chatting with you!
DK: Great chatting with you as well!