Episode 6: Michelle is a research engineer at the Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP ~ http://acep.uaf.edu) working on projects ranging from bringing more rooftop solar to Anchorage (the big city) to helping residents in the Bering Straits Region find solutions to the high cost of energy (https://avec.org/). After completing a degree in Astronomy from Caltech, and then dropping out of a PhD program in Geophysics at UC Berkeley, she has worked as an engineering geologist, an organic gardening coordinator, in energy efficiency outreach, and as a park ranger in Katmai (among other things)! She returned to school and graduated in 2018 with a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from UAA, writing a finite-element model of heat transfer in arctic soils for her thesis. As eclectic as this list might seem, all of it comes together in solving problems of finding sustainable energy sources in the Arctic, with the challenges of unstable permafrost for infrastructure foundations, finding the energy to grow food and provide fresh water, and other linkages between energy and the environment.

Michelle grew up in Alaska, and is happy to be raising her son here as well. They like to take the dog hiking, camping, ice skating and skiing, but also enjoy a lot of cozy indoor time as well. She is thrilled to be doing work that she hopes will continue to make Alaska a great place to live for her family and all Alaskans.

This episode's motto: "Working hard in hard-to-work places!"