This photo of Rachel McCrary was taken on a snowshoeing outing in the Never Summer Wilderness in Colorado. Notice the moose in the background!
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of Nick Parazoo
Rachel McCrary
I am a graduate student at Colorado State University and I study drought. For my masters thesis, I am using global climate models to study drought over the Great Plains of the United States. I am most interested in trying to understand why decade long droughts, like the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, happened over this region. I am also interested in studying how future climate change will impact the occurrence of drought over the United States .
Growing up, history and math were always my favorite subjects, but I was never really a fan of chemistry or biology. It wasn't until I started college at UCLA that I discovered my love for the physics of the atmosphere. During my freshmen year I took a climate science class and I knew, on the very first day, that I had found my passion. Studying the climate and especially drought is exciting because these topics are relevant and important to everyone on the planet. It is rewarding to know that scientists, policy makers, and educators are all interested in knowing more about the topics I study.
When I am not studying or working on research I like to cook, race in triathlons, and spend time outdoors hanging out with friends while hiking or playing softball. Before moving to Colorado for graduate school, I grew up in southern California and when I get the chance to go home, I also really like spending time at the beach.
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