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Intern Spotlight: Jackson Fellows (URISE)

Tags: internships

URISE intern Jackson Fellows in the field.
Jackson Fellows headshot.

This summer we’re introducing interns from URISE, RESESS, Student Career, and Geo-Launchpad programs to highlight their research projects and how EarthScope programs further their career goals.

Jackson Fellows is an URISE intern entering his third year at Cornell University studying Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. He heard about the URISE program through a professor at Cornell after asking for summer internship recommendations, and the program provided the perfect opportunity to learn more about the earth sciences and participate in research. This summer, Jackson’s project centers around data collected in 2018-2019 as part of the Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment.

The Alaska Amphibious Community Seismic Experiment deployed a variety of scientific equipment across the Alaska Peninsula to better understand seismicity in the region. Jackson’s project focuses specifically on the area offshore Kodiak Island, a convergent plate boundary where the Pacific Plate is currently subducting beneath the North American Plate. This area lies within the rupture zone of the 9.2 Mw Great Alaska earthquake of 1964, the second largest earthquake ever recorded. Jackson’s project uses the dense coverage of seismometers stationed on Kodiak Island coupled with data collected by research vessels to develop a model of physical properties of the upper crust near the subduction zone. Models like these help scientists better understand and mitigate earthquake risks in seismically active regions. Updates on Jackson’s project will be posted on his blog here throughout the summer.

Q&A

  • What has been your favorite part of the internship so far?

Meeting the other undergrads at orientation was super fun. People have similar interests and are really committed to science. 

  • How does this internship fit with your post grad or career goals?

One thing I am excited about this summer is trying to see if I enjoy doing research and would want to go to grad school.

In his spare time, Jackson enjoys backpacking, running, and listening to music. After completing his internship, Jackson has only one free week before returning to school: he plans to spend it hanging out with friends and enjoying the short time at home.