I am a 3^rd year Ph.D. student in the Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science; I am currently working to understand how soils form over time in Southeastern Arizona as part of the Catalina-Jemez Critical Zone Observatory (CJCZO, criticalzone.org/catalina-jemez/). Along with my current research, I am currently developing a video series about the researchers working on the CJCZO with the Flandrau Science Center (flandrau.org). The Critical Zone is the thin outermost layer of the Earth’s crust, from the top of the tree canopy down to groundwater; this layer of the planet is where the majority of life exists. The concept of the Critical Zone is integral to the earth and life sciences, but this important layer of the planet remains largely unknown to the general public. With this video project I hope to increase the awareness and understanding of the Critical Zone, and the science currently being done to understand this layer of the planet.

The videos will feature short profiles of the researchers and their projects currently working on the CJCZO; by putting a face to the science, we hope to better communicate the research being done by the scientists on the CJCZO and why we need to better understand the Critical Zone. By communicating the science through the personal narratives of the scientists working on the project, we hope to make the science easily accessible and understandable, and that everyone can be a part of the scientific process. In addition, the videos will highlight selected science projects and scientific tools and concepts that the researchers of the CZO use to study the Critical Zone. This video series will be available to the public through sites such as YouTube and at the Critical Zone Exhibit at the Flandrau Science Center.