It is only fitting to make the subject of my blog my two greatest loves: rocks and Roxanne (and not necessarily in that order). My 6 year old rescue, Roxanne (known as Roxy to her friends, which is essentially everyone she meets), is a border collie mix who came into my life about two years ago. I got Roxy right before starting my master's in mantle geochemistry at the University of California Santa Barbara. Roxy has been there for me throughout graduate career, and I'm incredibly grateful to have had a happy, curious, playful best friend by my side during the chaos that is graduate school. Roxy has been able to come to the office with me a lot and she has become a sort of unofficial therapy dog for many of the graduate students who know and love her. She is a big part of my research experience actually, so I couldn't imagine writing a research blog that didn't include her in some way.
Many of my blog posts will be about exciting research, academic culture, and my life as a PhD student, but some will certainly be about Roxy. Check back for more of our adventures!