Hi I’m Amy, I was born and raised in Minnesota just outside of Minneapolis and have since moved to Duluth, MN along the shores of Lake Superior because Winter is my favorite season and I do not like the heat! I currently live in my own house with my partner of 13 years and our 3 cats, 2 dogs, and pet snake. I foster dogs & cats and like to sew, take pictures, read, game, and do yard/housework in my spare time. I run two small businesses (photography & custom quilts) in between working and school. I have been interested in working in the environmental field since I was in high school as I went to a charter school lovingly referred to as the “zoo school” since it is located on the MN zoo grounds. I have worked in urban forestry and waterway restoration - two topics that still interest me greatly to this day - along with my growing interest in data centers and their impact on local communities.
What is your favorite thing about research?
I LOVE learning new things, it is part of the reason why I like school so much. So doing research and learning about new things always peaks my interest - I want to be informed about the world around me, especially in this day and age when information is so readily available.
What are you reading right now?
I just read Abundance for class and actually really enjoyed it! They do a great job of walking through how certain policies came to be and what the consequences of them are - good or bad. I also just finished Daughter of the Drowned Empire and am grabbing the second book this week, it’s an interesting fantasy novel!
When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I really thought that I was going to be a veterinarian growing up since I have always loved animals. But as I got older I realized how much schooling it was and that I was glamorizing that life (i.e. wasn’t thinking about the fact that I would be putting a lot of animals down, or be seeing them when they are in pain) so I ultimately decided not to pursue that career path.