New Faces In EAS: News: EAS Spring 2020 Newsletter: EAS Newsletter Archive: EAS Newsletter: News + Alumni: Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Indiana University Bloomington

New Faculty and Post-Docs in EAS

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Christina Friberg

Christina Friberg is a North American archaeologist and postdoctoral research scholar in EAS. Originally from the New York area, she earned her PhD at the University of California, Santa Barbara before coming to Indiana. Her research focuses on the pre-contact Midwestern US, specifically on issues of sociopolitical complexity, craft production, and the organization of everyday life in Mississippian societies (AD 1050 – 1450). She investigates these research questions through geophysical reconnaissance, targeted excavation, and various analytical methods, compiling multiple lines of evidence on architectural techniques, lithic tool industries, pottery traditions, and site chronologies.

Read about Christina's work

Ben Kravitz

Ben Kravitz arrived here just over a year ago, having previously been a staff scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington. Having grown up in Indiana and spent the better part of his life in this state, he happily says that it’s great to be back home. Ben’s research interests focus on climate modeling of large perturbations to the climate system: basically, when you push the climate system, how does it respond? His main area of research is in climate engineering, or deliberate, temporary modification of the climate system to counteract some of the effects of climate change.

Travis O'Brien

Travis O’Brien was previously a career scientist at Lawrence Berkeley Lab and a long-time inhabitant of the California Bay Area. His research uses climate models, long-term observations, and statistical analysis to understand what controls year-to-year variations in weather phenomena and the impacts of climate change. He and his husband are enthusiastic new Hoosiers and have been thoroughly enjoying the wonderful community, beautiful scenery, and variable weather in Bloomington.

Visit Travis' research page.

Shelby Rader

Dr. Shelby Rader is a trace metal geochemist who originally hails from Irvine, KY. Shelby attended the Gatton Academy and ultimately received her bachelor’s degree in geology and chemistry from WKU before obtaining her doctorate in geochemistry from the University of Arizona.

New Faculty and Post-Docs in EAS

Christina Friberg

Ben Kravitz

Travis O'Brien

Shelby Rader

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