Trisha Smrecak '06 researched the Earth at St. Lawrence; now she’s researches Earth’s climate.  The geology major is co-author of Climate Change - Past, Present, and Future: a Very Short Guide,published in 2010 by the Museum of the Earth in Ithaca, N.Y., where she leads several education initiatives at the Paleontological Research Institute (parent organization of the museum), including its Climate Change program.  Trisha completed her M.S. in invertebrate paleontology at the University of Cincinnati before joining the PRI. 

Her formal title is “evolution and global change projects manager,” she says, adding, “I oversee three of the institution's National Science Foundation grants. I am also co-principal investigator on an additional NSF grant and play an important role in a few other, local grants.”  She’s also drafting a book on the scientific aspects of drilling for natural gas in a wide area of the Mid-Atlantic Region known as the Marcellus Shale, and part of her master’s work has been drafted as a chapter in a graduate-level text scheduled for publication in 2011.

“As a science major at SLU, the activities that were most beneficial to me were those that allowed me to experiment with my creative side,” the performance and communication arts minor says. “I loved my time with the Laurentian Singers, performing in drama productions, and managing the Artists Guild theme house. Not only did these opportunities allow me to keep both sides of my brain active, but they gave me the confidence to become the person I wanted to be.

“Without the breadth of knowledge I received at SLU, I would never have made it as far as I have,” Trisha continues.  “I've had to teach myself how to create curriculum, write grants, design marketing material and lay out newsletters. I've had to present controversial information to a range of audiences and plan Charles Darwin's birthday party. It’s the whole range of experiences I had at SLU that prepared me for everything I've done since, and I'm grateful.”