#HumansOfCIRES
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brongstad.bsky.social
Typically, I run the #HumansOfCIRES campaign, but this week my colleague did one about me. ⬇️
cires.colorado.edu CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 1d
For this week's #HumansOfCIRES, meet Brigitta Rongstad Strong @brongstad.bsky.social, a scientific communications specialist at CIRES. Rongstad Strong has a PhD in geological sciences — and when she was younger, she wanted to a marine biologist.

Read the Q&A: cires.colorado.edu/news/humans-...
Humans of CIRES: Brigitta Rongstad Strong
Scientific communications specialist wanted to be a marine biologist when she was younger
cires.colorado.edu
October 7, 2026 at 4:49 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For this week's #HumansOfCIRES, meet Brigitta Rongstad Strong @brongstad.bsky.social, a scientific communications specialist at CIRES. Rongstad Strong has a PhD in geological sciences — and when she was younger, she wanted to a marine biologist.

Read the Q&A: cires.colorado.edu/news/humans-...
Humans of CIRES: Brigitta Rongstad Strong
Scientific communications specialist wanted to be a marine biologist when she was younger
cires.colorado.edu
October 7, 2026 at 4:30 PM
cires.colorado.edu
#HumansOfCIRES is back with @nsidc.bsky.social Director Mark Serreze!

Serreze studies the rapidly changing #Arctic, he is passionate about teaching people how our planet works — and he creates and records his own music. @cugeography.bsky.social
cires.colorado.edu/news/humans-...
Humans of CIRES: Mark Serreze
NSIDC Director rocks to his own tunes
cires.colorado.edu
March 4, 2026 at 5:04 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For our next #HumansOfCIRES, meet Guoqing Ge, a CIRES research scientist at @noaa.gov’s Global Systems Laboratory. Ge uses data assimilation, models, and AI to improve weather analyses and forecasts.

Read the Q&A: cires.colorado.edu/news/humans-...
Humans of CIRES: Guoqing Ge
CIRES Research Scientist at NOAA GSL improves weather forecasts
cires.colorado.edu
June 17, 2026 at 3:57 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For our next #HumansOfCIRES, meet Adriana Villanueva Costilla, a 2026 intern with the Research Experience for Community College Students (RECCS) program. This summer, Villanueva Costilla studied the downslope windstorms that affected Colorado in December 2025.
cires.colorado.edu/news/humans-...
Humans of CIRES: Adriana Villanueva Costilla
2026 RECCS intern studied downslope windstorms in Colorado
cires.colorado.edu
August 14, 2026 at 6:00 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For our next #HumansOfCIRES, meet CIRES Fellow Katherine Siegel, an assistant professor of Geography at CU Boulder. Katherine studies wildfires, land use change, and ecological transformations — and she loves to go tidepooling.

Read the full interview: cires.colorado.edu/spotlights/t...
A person crouched down near tidal pools. At the bottom left, there is a blue box with the CIRES logo and white text: Humans of CIRES. Katherine Siegel. CIRES Fellow and Assistant Professor of Geography at CU Boulder
May 21, 2025 at 4:03 PM
cires.colorado.edu
It's #OceanDataDay — and for our next #HumansOfCIRES, meet Emma Beretta, a passive acoustic data analyst at CIRES & NOAA NCEI. She is passionate about protecting Earth’s ecosystems & mitigating human impacts on vulnerable environments.

Read the Q&A cires.colorado.edu/news/humans-...
Humans of CIRES: Emma Beretta
Statistician found way to soundscape monitoring through hands on undergraduate research experience
cires.colorado.edu
June 25, 2026 at 4:05 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For this week's #HumansOfCIRES, meet Kelsey Eigsti, a digital communications specialist at @noaa.gov's National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS). She creates actionable digital tools about drought research — and she loves doing improv comedy.
cires.colorado.edu/news/humans-...
Humans of CIRES: Kelsey Eigsti
NIDIS digital communications specialist does improv comedy
cires.colorado.edu
July 8, 2026 at 7:00 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For this week's #HumansOfCIRES, meet Jianhao Zhang (@jianhaoz.bsky.social), a CIRES research scientist in NOAA’s Chemical Sciences Laboratory. Jianhao studies clouds, he's done research in Namibia, and he loves to play basketball!

Read more: https://cires.colorado.edu/spotlights/flying-high-sky
A person in a t-shirt and shorts hangs off a red-painted building above a coastal town and clear blue water. At the bottom left, there a blue rounded-edge box with the CIRES logo and white text: Humans of CIRES: Jianhao Zhang. Research Scientist II at NOAA’s Chemical Sciences Laboratory (CSL).
February 12, 2025 at 5:06 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For this week's #HumansOfCIRES, meet Elizabeth Jimenez, a data operations specialist @nsidc.bsky.social. Jimenez sustains important NASA Earth science data — and in June 2026, she finally got to travel to a bucket list location: Iceland.

Read the Q&A: cires.colorado.edu/news/humans-...
Humans of CIRES: Elizabeth Jimenez
NSIDC data operations specialist enjoys camping and kayaking in the mountains
cires.colorado.edu
August 5, 2026 at 4:03 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For our next #HumansOfCIRES, meet Tory Nau, a program manager & curriculum developer @ciresceee.bsky.social. Nau works at the intersection of science, education & community engagement. She loves trail running & camping with her husband Erik & dog Avery.
cires.colorado.edu/news/humans-...
Humans of CIRES: Tory Nau
CEEE program manager and curriculum developer loves to explore the outdoors
cires.colorado.edu
May 13, 2026 at 4:02 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For our next #HumansOfCIRES, meet Samuel Sandoval, a 2026 intern with the Research Experience for Community College Students (RECCS) program. This summer, Sandoval is studying the connection between cheatgrass growth and wildfire burn severity.
cires.colorado.edu/news/humans-...
Humans of CIRES: Samuel Sandoval
2026 RECCS intern studying connection between cheatgrass and wildfire
cires.colorado.edu
July 23, 2026 at 5:30 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For our next #HumansOfCIRES, meet Eliza Baxter, a 2026 intern with @ciresceee.bsky.social's RECCS program. This summer, Baxter is studying how plant traits affect flammability — and she is passionate about mentoring and helping others.
cires.colorado.edu/news/humans-...
Humans of CIRES: Eliza Baxter
2026 RECCS intern studying how plant traits affect flammability
cires.colorado.edu
July 21, 2026 at 8:02 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For our next #HumansOfCIRES, meet Kara Hartig, a CIRES postdoctoral visiting fellow @nsidc.bsky.social! Kara studies Arctic clouds, she loves video and board games, and she recently adopted a sun-loving dog.

Read the interview: cires.colorado.edu/spotlights/a...
Image of a person in a black, floral print shirt poses, smiling at an overlook with green, vegetated mountains. At the bottom left, there is a blue box with the CIRES logo and white text: Humans of CIRES. Kara Hartig. Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).
March 12, 2025 at 4:01 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For this week's #HumansOfCIRES, meet Audrey Payne @audipayne.bsky.social, a communications specialist @nsidc.bsky.social. Audrey is an avid hiker and backpacker, she loves dogs, and she recently self-published a memoir about her thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail! https://cires.colorado.edu/spotlig…
Image of a person in a pink jacket, blue shorts, and hiking boots stands on a ridge with their hands up in the air. Tall, rocky mountains are visible in the background. At the bottom left, there a blue rounded-edge box with the CIRES logo and white text: Humans of CIRES: Audrey Payne. Communications Specialist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).
January 30, 2025 at 4:00 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For our next #HumansOfCIRES, meet Peter Effertz, a professional research assistant at CIRES. Effertz studies atmospheric ozone, he leads the @noaa.gov GML Surface Ozone Network, and he is currently working on his PhD @colorado.edu.

Read the Q&A: cires.colorado.edu/news/humans-...
Humans of CIRES: Peter Effertz
Scientist tracks ozone with NOAA while working on PhD at CU Boulder
cires.colorado.edu
May 27, 2026 at 4:05 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For our next #HumansOfCIRES, meet Alejandro Garcia, a 2026 intern with the @ciresceee.bsky.social Research Experience for Community College Students program. Garcia studied the atmospheric boundary layer in the Integrated Remote & In-Situ Sensing lab @colorado.edu.
cires.colorado.edu/news/humans-...
Humans of CIRES: Alejandro Garcia
2026 RECCS intern researched atmospheric boundary layer
cires.colorado.edu
August 12, 2026 at 3:01 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For our next #HumansOfCIRES, meet Vidhyarth T S, a PhD student in @colorado.edu's Aerospace Engineering Sciences. Vidhyarth studies variations in Earth’s gravity field using satellites, he is a 2025 NASA FINESST grant winner, and grew up in Chennai, India.
cires.colorado.edu/news/humans-...
Humans of CIRES: Vidhyarth T S
PhD Student in Aerospace Engineering Sciences grew up in Chennai, India
cires.colorado.edu
April 2, 2026 at 4:04 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For our last #HumansOfCIRES of the year, meet Amanda Bowden, a PhD student at CU Boulder and CIRES. Amanda studies tropical weather, she's worked for the National Weather Service in Guam, and she would title her autobiography "Tales of a Weather Weenie." ⬇️
cires.colorado.edu/spotlights/a...
Advancing tropical weather science
Amanda Bowden is a second-year PhD student in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at CU Boulder studying the Madden-Julian Oscillation, a tropical weather disturbance of clouds, rainfall, winds, and pres...
cires.colorado.edu
December 4, 2024 at 7:41 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For this week's #HumansOfCIRES, meet Meg Littrell, an education researcher & evaluator @ciresceee.bsky.social. Meg has a PhD in Cognitive Psychology, she performs with improv comedy teams, & she grew up in a Cajun family. buff.ly/R0jO9wn
Image of a person wearing a long sleeve blue shirt sitting on a rock in front of a large canyon. On the bottom left, there is a blue box with the CIRES logo and white text: Humans of CIRES. Meg Littrell. Education Researcher and Evaluator at the CIRES Center for Education, Engagement, and Evaluation
March 26, 2025 at 5:05 PM
cires.colorado.edu
In celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we're re-sharing 4 #HumansOfCIRES posts that highlight some of the amazing work (and hobbies) led by #WomenInScience at CIRES.
Four images showing women scientists in the field. Left to right: a woman in a blue jacket crouches low over a tidepool, a woman in a light blue shirt sits on the edge of a canyon overlook, a woman in a black hat with an ogre holds moss up to camera, and a woman in a multicolor winter hat and black jacket poses in a field of flowers. Text: #WomenInScience. CIRES logo is on the bottom right.
February 11, 2026 at 5:04 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For our next #HumansOfCIRES, meet Jesse Rush (@lifesjustpeaty.bsky.social), a PhD student @colorado.edu studying carbon cycling in peatland ecosystems. Jesse has worked on multiple long-term global change projects, she loves to read books by Becky Chambers, and she teaches Zumba. buff.ly/lH8FTte
A person in sunglasses and a hat standing on a wooden platform above peatland while holding up moss to the camera. In the bottom left corner, there is a blue box with the CIRES logo and white text: Humans of CIRES: Jesse Rush. PhD student in CU Boulder's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
April 9, 2025 at 4:00 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For our next #HumansOfCIRES, meet Nels Bjarke, a hydrologist with @wwanews.bsky.social. His work focuses on supporting communities, municipalities, and resource managers to build resilience to natural hazards — and he enjoys film photography. @colorado.edu
cires.colorado.edu/news/humans-...
Humans of CIRES: Nels Bjarke
Western Water Assessment hydrologist enjoys film photography
cires.colorado.edu
September 9, 2026 at 4:02 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For our next #HumansOfCIRES, meet Rebecca Mesburis, a PhD candidate in chemistry @colorado.edu. Mesburis studies aerosols — and she loves to spend time outside in the mountains running or backcountry skiing.

Read the Q&A: cires.colorado.edu/news/humans-...
Humans of CIRES: Rebecca Mesburis
PhD Candidate in Chemistry loves to run in the mountains
cires.colorado.edu
April 15, 2026 at 4:04 PM
cires.colorado.edu
For our next #HumansOfCIRES, meet Daniel Abdi, a CIRES research scientist @noaa.gov's Global Systems Laboratory. Abdi uses high-performance computing & AI to develop, improve weather prediction models — and he develops computer games.

Read the Q&A: cires.colorado.edu/news/humans-...
Humans of CIRES: Daniel Abdi
CIRES Research Scientist at NOAA GSL develops computer games
cires.colorado.edu
April 30, 2026 at 3:31 PM