Zoe Futornick and Matt Jenkins awarded Puget Sound Energy Fellowships

Congratulations to Zoe Futornick and Matt Jenkins, who are the 2010-2011 recipients of the Puget Sound Energy Fellowship. Zoe and Matt were chosen for this distinction because of their outstanding progress on research topics that address natural hazards in the Pacific Northwest. Please read on for more information about their research.

A Pacific Northwest native, Matt grew up just 20 miles north of Seattle and received a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Geology from Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA. Post-baccalaureate, Matt pursued work as a rock climbing guide on the coast of Maine, managed the day-to-day operations of a ski rental company in Colorado, and worked as a geologic consultant for ConocoPhillips in Seattle. For his M.S. degree, Matt is working with Dr. Susan Kaspari assessing the impacts of black carbon on snow and ice reflectivity and its relation to melting and climate change in the Cascade Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau.

Zoe Futornick is a second year graduate student in Central Washington University's (CWU's) geology department, where she is currently working with Dr. Carey Gazis researching the hydrogeology of Upper Kittitas County, Washington State. The purpose of this M.S. project is to produce a computer model of groundwater – surface water interactions in the county, which is heavily pumped for groundwater. Prior to her time at CWU, Zoe attended the University of Puget Sound (UPS) in Tacoma, Washington, where she received her B.S. in Geology in 2008. Zoe then returned to Oregon, her home state, where she worked as an entry level Scientist for Shaw Environmental and gained valuable experience in the environmental field and workplace. Her interest in the field of hydrogeology led her to CWU's graduate program.