In the Company of Volcanoes

- Janine Krippner I am in the Canary Islands working on the 2021 La Palma eruption, specifically how it impacted the local communities and thinking about how we can help during these events in the future. While on the island of Tenerife between field work in La Palma, there has been some deep seismic activity pretty much below our feet. Learning from the experiences of La Palma, and communication efforts during eruptions in the past, my colleagues and I are getting information out immediately to help people to understand what is going on now, increase awareness and understanding for future eruptions, and help identify the official sources of information. We want to drive the open flow of information to empower people with knowledge moving forward. The release below is being shared across platforms and will be updated on social media and the GeoTenerife website as we move forward. This deep, small magnitude seismicity might not lead to anything this week or month, but this volcanic isla...

 - Janine and Alison Wow it has been a few years, hasn't it? We lost access to our blog for a while there and are excited to have it back. The world has been changing a lot over the past few years and we have not been immune to this, so where are we now? Dr. Janine Krippner  Hello! Due to the pandemic and impending visa changes I moved home to New Zealand/Aotearoa after 6 months of the pandemic in the USA. After just over three years at my job at the Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program, this has been my last week. I am so very grateful for my colleagues (especially Ed Venzke, Ben Andrews, and Kadie Bennis), and I will miss working in the National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. That was such a fun office to be part of! So what am I doing next? I don't know. It is "normal" in this early career stage of many science fields to have rather frequent periods of job insecurity but I am taking it in with patience, and grabbing the chance to get paper...

- Dr. Janine Krippner David Johnston in the summit crater of Mount St. Helens  to collect samples. Photo by rick Hobblitt, USGS . People around the world know that David Johnston was a volcanologist at Mount St. Helens in 1980, and that he was killed when the volcano erupted. His last words are repeated over and over. His last photo shared all over the internet. What isn't widely discussed is who he really was as a person. Author Melanie Holmes has dedicated the last four years to talking to his friends, colleagues, and family. Her journey began as a result of a conversation between friends—Melanie has known Dave’s sister more than three decades. Since she began, Melanie has read reams of clippings and letters that his parents kept, as well as Dave’s teenage diary. And she spoke to those of us who carry on his scientific legacy today. It is time that his story is told, 39 years later, to clear up misconceptions and to fill in the gaps about who he was – a genuinely nice ...

- Dr. Janine Krippner Isn’t it funny how a photo can take you back in time, to the person you were many years ago along with all of those insecurities, fears, and aspirations? I just turned 31 (I will never be ashamed to tell my age) and my Mum lovingly posted photos on Facebook that threw me into a time warp. Photos from the day I was born, through my childhood, through high school, and into my field work as a young volcanologist. I felt my face (or entire body) flush red with embarrassment at the photos out there for all to see. After a long talk to Mum (and begging her to take a couple of them down) I promised her I would find a way to make it into a positive – yes I am that person who is determined to make a positive out of pretty much anything. Everyone has a story, everyone’s stories have chapters. Some chapters are much easier or harder than others, all good stories have challenges to overcome. Each one of them leads to the people you see today. If I could go back to my 13 y...

- 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...