Sandra Passchier earned her Ph.D. from SES in 2000 and is now a Professor at Montclair State University.
Contact: passchiers@montclair.edu, @earthmontclair
"Ask many questions and put your efforts into something that you are passionate about. Don’t lose hope at any bumps in the road; you will find a way to succeed in the end!"
Where has your degree taken you?
During my Ph.D. research I spent three seasons in Antarctica. My Post-Doc work in the Netherlands didn’t allow for any polar work. I missed the polar work, so I came back to the U.S. for a faculty position at Montclair State University and my previous OSU experience allowed for an opportunity to spend many more seasons working on my favorite subject: Antarctica’s ice sheet and climate history!
How do you feel your experience, specifically as an SES/geology student at OSU, prepared you for your career or life in general?
I was introduced to the polar science community and benefited from the extended professional network of my advisor Peter Webb and many others, Larry Krissek, Terry Wilson, to name a few. The faculty were also very effective role models as teachers and research advisors, and my current success as a teacher and advisor can be entirely attributed to the great examples I had at OSU.
What is your favorite memory as a student?
The graduate students and faculty were a very tight-knit community. We spent time together on the ice, traveling to conferences, and to interesting places on field trips. “Ohio mafia”. On one of these field trips in New Zealand I buried my advisor in gravel when I sped off too quickly with the rental car from a gravel lot (he was standing behind the car). My fellow grad student buddies were laughing hysterically, but I was a little worried I wasn’t going to graduate (not really!).
What advice do you have for current and future students?
Ask many questions and put your efforts into something that you are passionate about. Don’t lose hope at any bumps in the road; you will find a way to succeed in the end!