People

Mary Anne Holmes - Co-PI
Research Associate Professor, University of Nebraska Lincoln
Florida State University (PhD 1988)

Mail Address:
University of Nebraska Lincoln
Dept. of Geosciences
214 Bessey
Lincoln NE 68588-0340

Voice: 402-472-5211
Email: mholmes2@unl.edu

Mary Anne Holmes, a part-time Research Associate Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, went straight through an MS program in agronomy at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She left a PhD program at the University of Kentucky to end a long commute with Mr. (now Dr.) Right, which brought her into geology. Since following her spouse to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, she has held a variety of non-tenure track positions, including her current one. Her research interests include using clays to decipher environmental deposition, paleosols, and barriers to the advancement of women in science. She served as the President of the Association of Women Geoscientists (AWG) in 2000-2001 and is currently on the board of the AWG Foundation.

Suzanne O’Connell - Co-PI
Associate Professor/ Director of Service Learning, Wesleyan University
Columbia University (PhD, 1986)

Mail Address:
Wesleyan University
E&ES
265 Church St.
Middletown, CT 06459 

Voice: 860-685-2262
Email: soconnell@wesleyan.edu

Suzanne did almost everything late. She entered a PhD program at age 29. Trying to avoid the dual career conflict she didn’t date geoscientists in graduate school, instead married the horticulturalist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. At age 38, during her first semester of a tenure-track position at Wesleyan, she had her only child (Matthew) and received tenure at age 45. Her research interests are paleoclimate, human impact on coasts and rivers, geoscience education, and the barriers to the advancement of women in the geosciences. She served on the Executive Committee of the American Geological Institute (AGI) from 1998-2000 and on AGI’s Strategic Plan Update Committee in 2002. She is currently chair of the AWG Outstanding Educator Award Committee.

Virginia Harris—Program Coordinator

Mail Address:
Wesleyan University
E&ES
265 Church St.
Middletown, CT 06459

Voice: 860 685 2244
Email: vharris@wesleyan.edu

Deborah L. Matthews—Program Evaluator
Program Director
Center for Human Services/College of Human Science and Services

University of Rhode Island
Newman Hall
14 Upper College Road
Kingston, RI 02881

Voice: 401 874 4167
Email: dma5880u@postoffice.uri.edu