Alison Eckberg, a 2002 graduate of Hamilton who is working on volcano research at Mount St. Helens in Washington state, is among geologists featured in a Washington Post article (5/29/05) about volcano experts. The article details the U.S. Geological Survey's concern that, because of flat budgets, a lack of hiring of new, young volcanologists will result in a collapse of volcano-monitoring programs. Eckberg is pursuing her master's degree in geology but fears that she will be unable to get a job as a specialist in volcanoes.
According to the Washington Post article "One of the reasons Alison Eckberg is drawn to a career in volcanology is that she was born the year of Mount St. Helens's big blast.
"Her parents took her to the mountain at the age of 8, and the images of
flattened forests and charred stumps stuck with the scientifically minded little
girl from Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
"So she majored in geology at Hamilton College and landed a summer job at
Johnston Ridge Observatory, the Forest Service visitor center closest to the
volcano.
"She schooled herself in the history of the 1980 eruption and shared the
mind-boggling details with visitors: nearly 25 square miles of forest and
valleys buried beneath up to 200 feet of mud; ash clouds so thick they blocked the sun hundreds of miles away; a superheated surge of rock and gas that roared off the mountain at more than 200 mph; 57 people killed, including USGS scientist Dave Johnston, who was camped on the mountain.
"When the volcano started to rattle and belch steam and ash last fall,
Eckberg was hooked. 'Being five miles from an erupting volcano really increased my enthusiasm about volcanology,' she says.
On her days off, she volunteered for the USGS, sorting and analyzing ash
and rock samples. She sat in on daily meetings where scientists shared data and debated what the volcano might do. The experience was so invigorating she decided to go for a graduate degree in geology.
But like many young people who would love to work on volcanoes, Eckberg is
tempering her dream with practicality. Instead of specializing in volcanoes, she
may opt for mining exploration, where she'll have a better chance of finding a
job.
"'I would absolutely love to go into volcanology, but it's such a small
field, and it's so hard to get into,' she says."
