Chrissie Phelps (BA Geology, 1990)

After graduating from CWU in 1990, I worked at the Department of Ecology in Yakima until 2005. In 2005, I moved to Hawaii and took a job with Colorado State University - which contracts with the Army to perform environmental research on Army bases on Oahu and the Big Island. I research historical use of Army property in order to identify potential and known contamination prior to redevelopment. My work takes me to a lot of interesting places - from museum archives to hikes in the jungle.

I finally bought a surfboard and enjoy paddling in the morning - especially when a turtle joins me. My favorite hiking is at Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island.

I live in Waialua, on the North Shore of Oahu. The North Shore is Surf Capitol of the World (it says so on the sign, it must be true!). The photo is from Mokoli'i Island and I'm pointing to a Hawaiian Monk seal (endangered but making a small come back).

I have many fond memories of CWU Geology - including two trips to Blythe, tributes to the great and powerful amphibolite, the quarter that all four of my classes were with Dr. Bentley and Dr. Ringe's April Fool's Wind Erosion equation.