Three panelists will discuss effective ways to amplify one’s voice by communicating with elected officials and policymakers as well as how to leverage one’s professional expertise and personal heritage in the process. Each person will discuss their involvement with congressional policy, followed by a moderated Q&A and open Q&A with the audience.
Panelists:
Dr. Christine Ray was the 2023-24 AGI Congressional Geoscience Fellow and 2022-23 GSA Science Policy Fellow. She received her doctorate in physics from the University of Texas at San Antonio and began her journey into policy by advocating for NASA science in Congress with organizations like The Planetary Society and American Astronomical Society.
Dr. Edward Lo is an assistant professor of geology at Georgia Southern University, with a research program in sedimentary geology. Edward was a 2022 GSA/Congressional Visits Day grantee and moderated a Seminar on Indigenous Peoples with the support of Taiwan in New York in 2024 and 2025.
Dr. Robby Goldman is the current GSA-USGS Congressional Science Fellow, advising U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) on natural hazard management and STEM education and research policy. Robby received his geology doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and has expertise in volcanic hazard modeling and communication.
Questions about this event can be directed to Jeemin Rhim (jrhim@ucsb.edu)
May 23, 2025: “Navigating Career Transitions” Panel co-organized by Black in Geoscience
Friday, May 23, 12:00 pm Eastern/11:00 am Central/9:00 am Pacific, 60 minutes
This panel discussion is designed to showcase individuals who have leveraged their academic training to transition into careers in government, industry, and nonprofit sectors. As new industries and technologies come onboard, our field is rapidly evolving and new career prospects are opening outside of universities and research-based work. We envision this event as a resource for students and early-career researchers during these current times of rapidly changing outlooks on faculty and federal government hiring, and it will have a portion of time designated for audience Q&A.
Panelists:
Dr. Byron Winston is an Environmental Scientist with a proven track record of 15+ years managing and executing environmental projects in lakes, rivers, and contaminated groundwater. He currently leads AECOM’s Algae to Sustainable Agriculture program, pioneering the use of algae as a sustainable fertilizer supplement to enhance soil carbon sequestration, improve water quality, and mitigate harmful algal blooms. Dr. Winston received his Bachelors from Midwestern State University in 2003, and Masters and PhD from University of Arkansas in Cell and Molecular Biology and Environmental Dynamics respectively.
Dr. Sophie Chu is the principal oceanographer and director of monitoring, reporting, and verification at Captura, a marine carbon dioxide removal startup company based in Pasadena, CA. She has spent over a decade developing and testing ocean carbon sensor technology to better understand carbon cycling. Prior to joining Captura, Sophie was a research scientist at the University of Washington and NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Lab in Seattle, WA. Sophie has her B.S. in chemical engineering from Columbia University and Ph.D. in chemical oceanography from MIT and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Dr. Kieron Prince, Associate Professor of Geology at Broward College, is a first-generation college student and immigrant with a passion for teaching. Dr. Prince received his BSc from Loma Linda University in 2013, his MSc from Baylor University in 2015, and a PhD from Texas A&M University in 2020, where his research investigated the impacts of strong ocean-bottom currents on the alteration of carbonate sediments.
Dr. Susan Park is the Executive Director of the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF), an international scientific society dedicated to advancing the understanding and wise stewardship of estuarine and coastal ecosystems worldwide. Prior to this appointment, Susan was the Associate Director of Virginia Sea Grant, based at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and College of William & Mary; Senior Program Officer with the Ocean Studies Board of The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine; Adjunct Professor at Trinity Washington University; and NOAA Coastal Management Fellow with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management. Susan received her PhD in Oceanography from the University of Delaware, and her MA and BA in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania.
