In the Company of Volcanoes

- Dr. Janine Krippner This is a scary blog post to write. Why? Because even if you follow every bit of advice here you could still get hurt on a volcano. No one wants to give inadequate advice but I do not want to see any of you get hurt. The only way to eliminate the risk of getting injured or killed on a volcano is to not be there. I repeat: The only way to eliminate the risk of getting hurt or killed on a volcano is to not be there. But you can take some safety steps to reduce that risk. Keep in mind that this is not a complete list, and above all else, ALWAYS follow advice from local agencies who know the volcano and work to keep people safe. Last week a young man lost his life at Stromboli. He wasn't doing anything wrong. There was a large explosion that gave no warning and he never went home to his friends and family. This is what we face when we visit volcanoes. It is a calculated risk just like getting into your car. I love volcanoes and I intend to keep visiting the...

Dr. Alison Graettinger The scale of geologic history is not just spread over a larger time span than many of us are used to thinking about, but also a larger physical scale. To help train future geologists to be comfortable with these large scales, and three dimensional challenges of our planet's history, we take students out into the field and make them map, the old fashioned way, by hand. I went with the UMKC field camp this June to learn about the places and projects that we use to train our geology majors as I will likely take over leading the camp in the future. UMKC field camp students putting boots on rocks and pencils to paper to gain experience making geologic maps in South Dakota. For many people the idea of making a map seems outdated. People hear words like map and geography and assume that it is all done, and they only have to worry about changing country boundaries. Maps, however, are a means of conveying information in a spatial way, that doesn't just in...

- Dr. Janine Krippner It saddened me to see a new study published a couple of weeks ago that tells us girls from the age of six are prone to thinking that they are not as smart as boys. What is even more sad is that this wasn't really a surprise. You only have to look at how the media portrays women to get an idea why. When I was a little girl my Mum told me that I could be anything I want to be. I believed her and I am passing this message on to you. I know some of you have it much harder than others, harder than I could have imagined as a little girl. Don't give up and follow your dreams. I have asked women volcanologists from around the world to tell you what they do, why they love their work, how their work makes a difference in the world, and to give advice for girls everywhere. Of course this advice is not limited to girls, boys are also subject to messages that they are not good enough, and this can be much worse depending on race, religion, sexual orientati...