Dr. Michelle L. Coombs Ph.D. | |
|---|---|
 Coombs pictured in 2016 | |
| Title | Geologist and Past SIC (AVO) Affiliate Faculty (UAF) |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Williams College (BA) University of Alaska Fairbanks (PhD) |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | Alaska Volcano Observatory |
| Website | www |
Michelle Lynn Coombs is a geologist at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO). She was the Scientist-in-Charge from 2016 to 2023. [1] [2] Coombs is a fellow of the Geological Society of America. [3]
Coombs is married to USGS geologist Evan Thoms. [5] [6]
Michelle is originally from Maine, [7] where Coombs is a common last name. [8] [9]
Coombs was the Scientist-in-Charge (SIC) of AVO from 2016 to 2023. [10] As the SIC,she was in charge of coordinating emergency responses to volcanic eruptions,and guides the process of monitoring volcanic activity in Alaska. [11] She is frequently quoted in the news as a subject-matter expert on volcanoes in and around Alaska. [12] As the SIC,she was also the main contact from the media to AVO. Dr. Matthew Haney became the new SIC of AVO in August 2023,succeeding Coombs. [13] [14]
She is the second woman in AVO history to serve as the Alaskan SIC,as Terry Keith held the position from 1994–99. [15] When she became SIC in 2016,she was one of 3 women serving as a Scientist-in-Charge of a USGS-operated Volcano Observatory,but as of March 2023,she was the only one. [16]
She has worked with the AVO since 2004,before which she worked for the USGS's Volcano Hazards Program out of Menlo Park,California; [16] [17] which she joined after completing her Ph.D. [7]
While Coombs was in college,she was a field assistant to Judy Fierstein. Once she began working at AVO,she became a mentee of Terry Keith and Tina Neal. [16]
Coombs was the advisor to a 2011 internship studying the 2006 eruption of Augustine Volcano. [18] She had previously co-edited a 2010 U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper on the eruption. [19]
Coombs has also been a participant of a volcanic eruptions workshop from the National Academies. [20]
Coomb's main research focus is volcanology. [21] Much of her research is on volcanic geology in Alaska,but she has also published research on volcanoes in Hawaii, [22] and her doctoral dissertation was on Mount Desert Island,Maine. [23]
Coombs is an expert on the geology of the Aleutian Arc,having published extensively on it. [24]
In 2019,Coombs and a group of collaborators were awarded a NSF grant to model eruptions of Alaskan volcanoes. [25]
As well as currently being a fellow to the Geological Society of America (GSA),she stood on the Student Awards Committee for the American Geophysical Union (AGU) from 2011–2015. [26]
Coombs was an Associate Editor for the Bulletin of Volcanology (2013–2016),and was on the editorial board of Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (2007–2018). [24] She has also served as a Steering Committee member for the Community Network for Volcanic Eruption Response (CONVERSE). [27]
Hawaii Kilauea volcano erupts explosively and shoots ash miles high early Thursday
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| National | |
| Academics | |
