Alyssa L. Abbey
Postdoctoral Fellow UC Berkeley Earth and Planetary Sciences department and Berkeley Geochronology Center: September 2018-Present.
Postdoctoral Fellow UC Berkeley Earth and Planetary Sciences department and Berkeley Geochronology Center: September 2018-Present.
Education
University of Michigan
Ph.D. Earth and Environmental Sciences: July 2018
B.S. Geosciences: May 2008
Ph.D. Earth and Environmental Sciences: July 2018
- Advisor: Dr. Nathan Niemi
- Thesis: Assessing Rio Grande rift development and exhumation in the southern Rock Mountains using techniques in low-temperature thermochronometry
B.S. Geosciences: May 2008
- Advisors: Dr. Paul Kapp & Dr. Adam Hudson
- Thesis: Changes in lakes areas from 1972 to present on the Tibetan Plateau
- Advisors: Dr. Alain-Philippe Durand & Mrs. Anne-Marie Engels-Brooks
Professional Experience
Graduate Student Instructor - University of Michigan: Sept. 2014 - August 2018
Graduate Student Intern - Shell Oil and Gas: June 2017 - September 2017
Graduate Student Mentor - University of Michigan: September 2015 - May 2017
Laboratory Assistant
Graduate Student Intern - Shell Oil and Gas: June 2017 - September 2017
Graduate Student Mentor - University of Michigan: September 2015 - May 2017
Laboratory Assistant
- University of Arizona, department of Geosciences, Structural Geology research group: May 2010 - August 2013
- University of Arizona, Laboratory of Tree-ring research: January 2011 - August 2013
Select Awards
(2019) NSF Collaborative Grant 1842123 & 1842496 University of California, Berkeley and Purdue University. Collaborative Research: Quantifying temporal relationships between tectonic forcing and landscape responses in the central Andean Precordillera, Argentina, D. Shuster and D. Granger PIs. I made significant contributions to the writing and design of this proposal.
(2019) France-Berkeley Fund Award University of California, Berkeley and University of Rennes Improving interpretations of thermochronometric data through updates to modeling programs and user education, D. Shuster and K. Gallagher, PIs. I made significant contributions to the writing and design of this proposal.
(2018) Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award for the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, presented at the annual Dorr Dinner.
(2017, 2016, 2015, & 2014) Scott Turner Award in Earth Science, University of Michigan
(2016) EarthScope AGeS (Awards for Geochronology Student research) Program Arkansas River development & late Cenozoic exhumation in the southern Rocky Mountains, CO
(2016) GSA Research Grant Cenozoic topographic evolution of the southern Rocky Mountains: constraints from hydrated volcanic glass paleoaltimetry
(2016 & 2014) Rackham Graduate Research Grant University of Michigan
(2012) Galileo Scholar Award, University of Arizona
(2012) Best Undergraduate Presentation Award, University of Arizona, 40th Annual Geoscience Symposium: Geodaze
(2019) France-Berkeley Fund Award University of California, Berkeley and University of Rennes Improving interpretations of thermochronometric data through updates to modeling programs and user education, D. Shuster and K. Gallagher, PIs. I made significant contributions to the writing and design of this proposal.
(2018) Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award for the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, presented at the annual Dorr Dinner.
(2017, 2016, 2015, & 2014) Scott Turner Award in Earth Science, University of Michigan
(2016) EarthScope AGeS (Awards for Geochronology Student research) Program Arkansas River development & late Cenozoic exhumation in the southern Rocky Mountains, CO
(2016) GSA Research Grant Cenozoic topographic evolution of the southern Rocky Mountains: constraints from hydrated volcanic glass paleoaltimetry
(2016 & 2014) Rackham Graduate Research Grant University of Michigan
(2012) Galileo Scholar Award, University of Arizona
(2012) Best Undergraduate Presentation Award, University of Arizona, 40th Annual Geoscience Symposium: Geodaze
Service
Member-at-large on the GSA International Committee (2018 - Present)
Co-Organizer of the Michigan Geophysical Union mini-Conference (2016)
Co-President of the Geology Club (2014-2016), University of Michigan
Ultimate Frisbee Coach (2014-2016), University of Michigan’s Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Club team
Treasurer of the Geology Club (2013-2014), University of Michigan
Coordinator for Junior Education at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show (2011 & 2012), University of Arizona
Co-Organizer of the Michigan Geophysical Union mini-Conference (2016)
Co-President of the Geology Club (2014-2016), University of Michigan
Ultimate Frisbee Coach (2014-2016), University of Michigan’s Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Club team
Treasurer of the Geology Club (2013-2014), University of Michigan
Coordinator for Junior Education at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show (2011 & 2012), University of Arizona
Technical training, experience, and skills
Fieldwork:
San Juan, Argentina. Andean Precordillera. 2019
California. Eastern Sierra Nevada. 2018
Colorado & New Mexico. Rio Grande rift and southern Rocky Mountains. 2014-2017
Maryland. Appalachian Mountain Valley and Ridge Province. 2016-2018
Wyoming & Idaho. Tectonic development from the Sevier Orogeny to present. 2015-2016
Michigan & Indiana. Paleozoic sedimentology and stratigraphy. 2015
Chile. Tectonics and ore deposits in the Atacama Plateau and Andes Mountains. 2014
Michigan upper peninsula. Ancient orogeny and mining. 2014
Southern Tibetan Plateau. Forearc sedimentology and stratigraphy. 2012
Arizona. GPS in the Mogollon Transition zone. 2009
Laboratory:
Whole rock processing: crushing, sieving, sawing
Mineral separation: water density table, panning, Frantz magnetic separator, heavy liquids, sonicator, centrifuge, dissolution and precipitation with hazardous chemicals (HF, HNO3, HCL)
Mineral identification: picking minerals by hand (tweezers) using a Transmitted Light Microscope for grain packaging and mounting
Analytical:
Alphachron Helium Instrument ; Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer ; Multi-Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer ; High Temperature Conversion Elemental Analyzer (TC/EA), QTQt, ArcGIS (ArcMap) ; Matlab ; StructureSolver ; Petrel
San Juan, Argentina. Andean Precordillera. 2019
California. Eastern Sierra Nevada. 2018
Colorado & New Mexico. Rio Grande rift and southern Rocky Mountains. 2014-2017
Maryland. Appalachian Mountain Valley and Ridge Province. 2016-2018
Wyoming & Idaho. Tectonic development from the Sevier Orogeny to present. 2015-2016
Michigan & Indiana. Paleozoic sedimentology and stratigraphy. 2015
Chile. Tectonics and ore deposits in the Atacama Plateau and Andes Mountains. 2014
Michigan upper peninsula. Ancient orogeny and mining. 2014
Southern Tibetan Plateau. Forearc sedimentology and stratigraphy. 2012
Arizona. GPS in the Mogollon Transition zone. 2009
Laboratory:
Whole rock processing: crushing, sieving, sawing
Mineral separation: water density table, panning, Frantz magnetic separator, heavy liquids, sonicator, centrifuge, dissolution and precipitation with hazardous chemicals (HF, HNO3, HCL)
Mineral identification: picking minerals by hand (tweezers) using a Transmitted Light Microscope for grain packaging and mounting
Analytical:
Alphachron Helium Instrument ; Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer ; Multi-Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer ; High Temperature Conversion Elemental Analyzer (TC/EA), QTQt, ArcGIS (ArcMap) ; Matlab ; StructureSolver ; Petrel