I am an ecosystem ecologist.
My goal is to understand and predict how ecosystems are shaped by climate change. My work takes me from upland forests to soggy peatlands to thawing arctic tundra, chasing a better understanding of the secret lives of roots hidden beneath the soil surface.
NEWS. |
Do you love roots? Do you love free data? You're in luck! FRED 2.0 is now available for download. Come see what's new.
Colleen was named ORNL's top Science Communicator of 2019. She had a little #SciComm surprise for the audience at the ceremony. |
VIDEO. |
What is climate? Check out our submission to the 2018 Flame Challenge. Watch out for zombies!
What is leadership? The women at Oak Ridge National Laboratory provide an answer on International Women's Day |
PRINT. |
'How it all began' ... Why geology makes me nervous, how I deal with impostor syndrome, and why I love what I do...
'I am a scientist' ... I am curious. I walk through a forest, dissatisfied with the dappled light dancing over green leaves... 'New voices, at last' ... We encourage the first members of New Voices to be bold... 'Taller plants moving into warmer Arctic' ... long observation series are invaluable... 'In the dead of winter' ... all the action in the tundra is below ground... |
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
- J. R. R. Tolkien