About

Welcome to the Earth and Planetary Surface Processes (EPSP) Section Student Website. We are a group of students who volunteer to promote & advocate for student involvement in the EPSP community. We also facilitate networking opportunities for EPSP students, and gauge student interest & community climate. You might be familiar with our work organizing the Early Career Spotlight every month on the EPSP website. We also run Fall Meeting events like the EPSP Early Career Student Networking Event and Early Career Social Night.

View our Bylaws (adopted January 2021 and updated April 2023)

Bylaws Amendment 1 (evaluation rubric for selecting new members)

Meet your student committee representatives:

Interested in joining?

The AGU EPSP Student Committee is typically recruits new members annually in January and February, check back then for more info. 

All applications for new student committee members are evaluated following this rubric.

Claire Divola, University of California Santa Barbara (she/her/hers)

What are your EPSP research interests?
Coastal geology, sedimentology and stratigraphy

What influenced you to study EPSP?
Growing up near both an active part of the San Andreas Fault and the coast, I saw many examples of how geological hazards permanently altered the landscape. The fascination I developed for understanding the processes driving such changes motivated me to pursue a PhD in coastal sedimentology.

What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time I enjoy taking care of my horse, Red, and trail riding or practicing dressage. I also enjoy hiking, playing volleyball, and spending time with my friends and family.

Contact Info: cdivola@ucsb.edu, Twitter: @claire_div

Dru-Ann Harris, Georgia Tech

What are your EPSP research interests?
Tectonic geomorphology, low-temperature thermochronology, glacial geomorphology

What influenced you to study EPSP?
I grew up in the Appalachian mountains surrounded by their natural beauty. I also was surrounded by natural resource extraction in the form of underground and surface coal mines. I had always appreciated the natural world but was hesitant to study geology in college, because I thought getting a degree in earth science was synonymous with wanting a job in the extraction of fossil fuels. When I took my first geology class I learned about the plethora of opportunities available in earth science, and loved the idea of doing research. Since then I’ve been focused on learning about what processes affect mountain landscapes, which I think comes from my curiosity about the mountains I called home growing up.

 What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time I enjoy trail running, kayaking, day hikes with my dog, and baking!

Contact Info: dharris326@gatech.edu, Twitter: @druann_harris

Garrett Marietta, Indiana University

What are your EPSP research interests?
Sediment provenance and transport, BSL/pIRSL geochronology, glacial and fluvial geomorphology

What influenced you to study EPSP?
I was drawn to EPSP for the geochronological record held by surficial features and the potential to investigate the reason they form where/when they do, and the provenance of the sediment making up the features. This includes glacial outwash, aeolian dunes, coastlines, meanders/point bars, and really any other sedimentary feature.

What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time I like to work on recipes, spend time with my girlfriend and my dog, work in a new coding language, or read tech articles.

Contact Info: gmariett@iu.edu, LinkedIn, Twitter: @GMarriett_IU

Srinanda Nath, Georgia Tech

What are your EPSP research interests?
Tectonic geomorphology, surface processes, low- T thermochronometry

What influenced you to study EPSP?
While it be cool to have a time machine to get a firsthand view of the Earth in the past, one can also look at the surface of the Earth, which thankfully preserves so much of the history over the billions of years it’s been hanging around. I find it amazing that even an apparently bland piece of landscape, can lead you to a detailed past climate record, like for example extensive deposits of innocent loess have been key evidence in deciphering past Ice ages. I think surface processes is an incredibly underrated branch, even though everyone who studies the earth is at mercy of whatever the surface preserves, so I believe it’s worth taking time to decrypt it.

What do you like to do in your free time?
My free time is mostly filled with reading, running, and crocheting. I also enjoy taking up new hobbies from time to time, right now I am experimenting with homemade tofu.

Contact Info: snath40@gatech.edu, IG/Twitter: @whoserockisthis

Priyasha Negi, University of Nevada Reno

What are your EPSP research interests?
Critical zone processes, long-term carbon cycle, weathering-climate relationships

What influenced you to study EPSP?
My path to EPSP wasn’t very straightforward. I originally set out for a master’s degree in chemistry. However, a turning point came during a summer break when I did a reading project on how the late Cenozoic cooling could possibly be linked to the uplift of the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau. Living in close proximity to these remarkable mountains, I was genuinely fascinated, to say the least, by how surface processes can shape Earth’s climate over geological time. As a result, my focus shifted towards exploring the intricate ways in which surface processes contribute to maintaining Earth's thermostat and the rates at which they operate.

What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time I like to cook, hang out with family and friends and I love playing volleyball.

Contact Info: pnegi@unr.edu, @priyasha_negi

Emma Rogers, Dartmouth University

What are your EPSP research interests?
Martian terrestrial analogs, Alluvial fan geomorphology, Grain shape evolution, stratigraphy

What influenced you to study EPSP?
I love taking something like rock shape or alluvial fans, something that many people wouldn't consider for longer than a couple of seconds, and using them to explore the past and present history of not only the Earth, but the other planets in our solar system. I think it is so cool that this field allows me to use the world around me to see 'back in time' to landscapes and environments that no longer exist. I find it even cooler that I can do the same for somewhere such as Mars, where we have only scratched the surface of exploration.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I love tapping into my creativity with watercolor painting, sewing, embroidery, or any other craft that comes my way! I also love being outdoors by traveling, hiking, hammocking, swimming, or even just reading a nice book out in the sun!

Contact Info: emma.rogers.gr@dartmouth.edu; Personal Science Website, Watercolor Instagram: @designs_by_emma_rae