​Contact Us: ucscgeodes@gmail.com
Geoscientists
Encouraging
Openness &
Diversity in the
Earth
Sciences
Our Team
Grace Barchek
Glaciology
Grace is a geoscientist because of the field trips, and she has travelled all over the world for research projects: Antarctica, Iceland, and Guam, to name a few. She is passionate about improving STEM education, especially for young women, and about getting people outside to play and learn.
Sarah Beganskas
Hydrology
Sarah is a PhD student studying groundwater recharge. She is originally from NY and has degrees in geology and computer science from Amherst College. Sarah is actively involved in education and outreach: she has led educational design teams through ISEE's Professional Development Program and has volunteered through WiSE. In her free time Sarah loves road biking, running, gardening, and knitting.
Claire Masteller
Geomorphology
Claire fell in love with geomorphology while jumping off of a sand dune. These days she uses mini rivers and power tools for her research. She is also passionate about improving the accessibility of research experiences for undergrads. In her down time she enjoys playing soccer, bar trivia, and yelling at sporting events of any kind.
Allison Pfeiffer
Geomorphology
Allison is a 3rd year PhD student. Before grad school she taught science to middle school students on a boat in WA. These days she runs, bikes, and climbs in the mountains when time permits.
Danica Roth
Geomorphology
Danica is a physicist/astrophysicist-turned-geomorphologist, an avid rock climber, feminist, world traveler, foodie, and burgeoning metalsmith. She enjoys engaging her intersecting passions for equality and education through STEM outreach, inquiry focused pedagogy, and her work as the vice president of Women in Science and Engineering at UCSC.
Stephanie Taylor
Geophysics
Stephanie discovered geology at the age of 24 during an epic solo cross-country road trip. Before this epiphany she got a degree in the sociology of gender and worked in public relations for a couple of years, but now she spends her days playing with sand, hiking, and meditating on the beauty of geologic time. Some of her other interests include cities, dogs, efficient Matlab scripts, and glitter glue.