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 typically recruits new members in December, January and February. Look for more information at that time.

All applications are evaluated following this rubric.

Vanessa Gabel, University of Colorado Boulder (she/her)

What are your EPSP research interests?
Landscape evolution, bedrock rivers, tectonic geomorphology

What influenced you to study EPSP?
For most of my life, I've been fascinated by the power of water to move sediment across the landscape. When I was little, I spent hours upon hours in the summer running a garden hose over a patch of bare dirt in our yard, watching gullies form. (My parents reprimanded me for wasting a lot of water; I maintain that these were important experiments). When I began studying geology in college, my love of water was matched by a newfound curiosity about plate tectonics and the concept of “deep time.” Now, I study landscape evolution, paying special attention to the role of bedrock rivers in tectonically active landscapes. This field of research allows me to merge the pieces of earth’s story that I find most intriguing: the shifting landmasses, the flowing water, and lots and lots of time.

What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time I like to dabble in photography and put together photo albums. I also love Amtrak and have a goal to ride every line.

Contact Info: Vanessa.gabel@colorado.edu, Twitter: @unhappy_vans

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

Michelle Harris, University of South Carolina (She/Her)

What are your EPSP research interests?
Coastal geomorphology, managed coastlines, coastal dune development/processes

What influenced you to study EPSP?
I have always had a curiosity about the world around me, and had a particular interest in the coast. Growing up in SE Texas, I witnessed tropical systems impact the coastal zone and the community that I grew up in. That quickly translated to research!

 What do you like to do in your free time?
I love day adventures with my dog, and trying to read fiction when time allows!

Contact Info: mh28@email.sc.edu, ResearchGate

Madeline Kelley, Arizona State University (She/Her)

What are your EPSP research interests?
Sediment transport, aeolian geomorphology, fluvial geomorphology

What influenced you to study EPSP?
I love exploring our dynamic earth and learning from all the beautiful, unique places and people that call it home. The interactions and complexity of geographic and geomorphic research drew me in. I have worn many different career "hats." I value interdisciplinary research that combines human dynamics, biology, biochemistry, geochemistry, geology, hydrology, engineering, and atmospheric dynamics to increase our understanding of terrestrial (and extraterrestrial) surface processes.

What do you like to do in your free time?
Accompanying my dogs on their biking, rafting, hiking, camping, fishing adventures.

Contact Info: mmkelle4@asu.edu, Twitter: @Turbulenttimes1

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

Shanti Penprase, University of Minnesota (She/Her/Hers)

What are your EPSP research interests?
Fluvial geomorphology, geochronology, glacial geology

What influenced you to study EPSP?
As humans, the Earth's landscape impacts all aspects of our lives in some way. I was inspired to study EPSP because I wanted to be able to understand the processes and past stories recorded in the landscapes we see every day. I love the idea of being able to study a place and understand how it has evolved over time and how the processes at play in that particular place will continue to shape it in the future.

What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time, I love running, biking, and yoga along with baking bread and going on long walks with my dog, Stella.

 Contact Info: penpr001@umn.edu, Twitter: @shantidune

Brian Penserini, University of California Santa Barbara (He/Him/His)

What are your EPSP research interests?
Tectonic geomorphology, low-T thermochronometry, autogenic landscape evolution

What influenced you to study EPSP?
I followed a somewhat indirect path toward EPSP. I started college as a Mechanical Engineering major before realizing I wanted to learn about the natural world instead. I changed my major to Geology at the beginning of my Junior year and immediately knew it was the right choice for me. Eventually I became interested in pursuing EPSP as an area of graduate study during my Senior year, when I took my first geomorphology class. It seemed like the perfect fit considering my interests and experience.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I enjoy cycling and running in my free time. I've run in two marathons and I'm hoping to train for a third in the next year.

Contact Info: bpenserini@ucsb.edu, ResearchGate

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; Watercolor Instagram: @designs_by_emma_rae

Chelsy Salas, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (She/Her/Hers)

What are your EPSP research interests?
Fluvial geomorphology and sediment transport

What influenced you to study EPSP?
I became interested in EPSP by accident. After high school, I attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and started off as a business major. Coming from a performing arts high school, STEM was largely absent from my background. After two years of being a business major, I enrolled into an introductory geology course. It was in this course that I realized how little I had known about our shared planet and the many complex and dynamic processes that shaped it. I was unquestionably intrigued and changed my major to geology the following semester. I am now getting my PhD and love wading through rivers and taking in all the beautiful scenery.

What do you like to do in your free time?
During my free time, I try to take road trips and explore new places and activities. I love being the driver on road trips! On a day-to-day basis, I love spending time with my two beautiful cats, my insanely supportive partner, and my amazing friends and family.

Contact Info: crsalas2@illinois.edu

José Silvestre, Tulane University (He/Him)

What are your EPSP research interests?
My research interests are understanding surface processes on deltaic systems and how these impact stratigraphic architecture.

What influenced you to study EPSP?
Growing up around the Gulf Coast really sparked my interest in understanding how nature and humans shape coastal environments.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I enjoy reading or hanging out with my friends during my free time.

Contact Info: Jsilvestre@tulane.edu, Twitter: @js_silvestr

Niraj Bal Tamang, University of Auckland

What are your EPSP research interests?
Fluvial geomorphology and cascading geohazards in mountain environment

What influenced you to study EPSP?
I am from Kathmandu, Nepal, which is in the tectonically active Himalayan ranges with lots of ongoing geomorphological changes. I used to be fascinated by the amazing landscapes while travelling. I developed a curiosity in the processes that lead to such landforms. Nepal is also one of the highly exposed countries to natural events such as earthquakes, landslides, and floods. I had the experience of the 2015 Gorkha earthquake and the aftershock events. This further triggered my interests in EPSP with a major focus on cascading hazards, as I was more involved in the related studies and projects afterwards. Now, I enjoy learning about the processes, modelling sediment transport and landscape evolution, updated field methods including UAV and LiDAR data processing to improve my understandings towards cascading natural hazards.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I like travelling, playing guitar and spending time with my family and friends.

Contact Info: ntam577@aucklanduni.ac.nz; LinkedIn, Twitter: @BalNiraj

Danny White, Colorado State University (He/Him/His)

What are your EPSP research interests?
Fluvial geomorphology

What influenced you to study EPSP?
I grew up in the Western United States surrounded by diverse river systems. As long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the physical processes that occur as water flows over the landscape taking the shape of rivers. In college I was introduced to the study of earth and planetary surface processes. Since then, I have felt extremely lucky to "play" in rivers while investigating scientifically interesting topics. In graduate school I have been involved in field studies investigating channel response to disturbance such as wildfire and climate change, conducted physical modelling experiments of floods in meandering channels with varied floodplain vegetation density, and simulated a variety of hydraulic and geomorphic conditions through numerical morphodynamic modeling.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I enjoy trail running, eating good food, and relaxing on river trips with friends and family.

Contact Info: danny.white@colostate.edu, Twitter: @dannywhitewater, https://danny-white-water.github.io/