She accepted a position as an engineer designing hybrid and electric cars, work that resonated with her personal beliefs. But her first job after college brought her back to the West Coast, this time to the Los Angeles area. “I did a lot of artsy projects at home because it was always a secret love.” Hybrid Cars to GeoscienceĪfter graduation, Pettit headed east to Rhode Island and Brown University, where she majored in mechanical engineering. She enjoyed art and writing but kept those interests secret because she had trouble believing that someone interested in math and science was allowed to be creative. In high school, Pettit relished her math and science classes but also kept busy with sports and marching band. “Even though I struggled, I knew that I could eventually do math.”

“If my mom can do it, I can do it,” Pettit remembers thinking.

Her mother, who studied math at a small college in Massachusetts before transferring to the University of Washington for its wider breadth of course options, inspired Pettit to work through academic challenges. “He always loved doing little science fair projects with me,” said Pettit. Her father, an economics professor, fostered her interest in science. Pettit grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and her love of the outdoors developed from numerous hiking, boating, and camping trips in and around Puget Sound. For over 20 years, Pettit, an associate professor at Oregon State University in Corvallis, has been balancing a research career with leading wilderness expeditions for young women that incorporate scientific inquiry– and art-focused experiences. But guiding energetic, scientifically curious teenagers through nature brings its own challenges and thrills. Antarctica is an incredible place to do research, as glaciologist Erin Pettit knows from her 15 trips to the White Continent.

Erin petitte cort vicinity