Stacie Bender has roots in several earth science and natural resources disciplines: meteorology, hydrology, and remote sensing. Communication and sharing of technical information with all kinds of people has steadily evolved into a larger portion of her work.
Stacie spent a lot of time outdoors as a kid, which led to curiosity about nature and all things earth science. After studying meteorology and math at the University of Oklahoma, she worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). She also volunteered as a citizen scientist, observing precipitation for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (once with the network’s highest 24-hour rainfall total in the U.S.!) and monitoring water quality for state and local organizations. The water quality monitoring work led her to study water resources and hydrology at the University of Maryland, earning a Master's degree in Civil Engineering. She also worked for NOAA as a hydrologist, monitoring snowmelt-driven rivers using snowpack data from in situ networks and remote sensing, in partnership with NASA. With her experience in interdisciplinary applications of satellite data, Stacie moved from NOAA to a role where her current work varies among technical projects focused on natural resources and remote sensing, program coordination, and, most important to her, science communication, outreach, and education. Through her career and extensive volunteer work, she has collaborated with formal and informal educators, students, the general public, non-profit organizations, stakeholders, and technical scientists on a multitude of outreach and education efforts focused on natural resources.
Stacie is an active member of the American Geophysical Union’s Education Section, providing support in several roles. She enjoys highly collaborative people-focused work, finding nature in all places (including urban landscapes), hiking, skiing, yoga, and a good cup of coffee.