Kira Harris

Kira Harris is from a small town in southeastern Ohio. A combination of interests between physics, chemistry, and the mystery of the natural world had her pursue a B.S. in Earth Sciences with a focus in Earth Systems at the Ohio State University. She found the field of paleoclimatology, the reconstructing of past climates, while working as an Education and Outreach Intern at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center. Alongside creating science communication and outreach tools like the Virtual Ice Explorer, Kira has developed a passion for teaching others about how we use evidence from the environment as clues to understand the past. She pursued a M.A. in Geography at the University of Arizona where she used biomarkers in ocean sediments to reconstruct ocean temperatures in the past, and their relationship to the North American Monsoon. For her Ph.D., she will continue to uncover the history of precipitation in the North American Southwest using biomarkers in different environmental archives. After the Ph.D., Kira aims to pursue teaching in the Earth sciences, and to continue using organic geochemistry to investigate the past. Throughout her time in the fellowship, Kira greatly appreciated the exposure to so many avenues and examples of science communication through other Carson Scholars’ work using both written and spoken word.