Andy Maguire

Current job:
I do research using fancy instruments that measure how evergreen forest canopies interact with solar radiation which drives complex processes like photosynthesis, ultimately impacting regional and global carbon cycling and plants’ responses to climate change.

Favorite thing you like about your work:
I really enjoy the witnessing broad range of scientific disciplines that my colleagues bring to their work at JPL fusing physics and engineering to use precise instruments, interpreting measurements based on knowledge of ecology and plant physiology, and presenting complex information on our Earth system in intelligible and meaningful ways. It is cool to be surrounded by so much cutting-edge activity research on a weekly basis.

Based on your own experience, what did you get out of your time at MOSS and why would you recommend it to someone else?
I absolutely loved the community of educators, staff, and students that are unique to MOSS. My experience was different than most students with a heavy focus on my dissertation research, but I truly enjoyed the curiosity everyone in the community expressed about my and everyone’s studies. It is truly a wonderfully supportive and positive community! Also, it really helped keep me grounded to be physically working under a lush forest canopy when this is exactly what I spent much of my days studying. Finally, I loved the challenge of synthesizing my research and communicating it to different audiences – fellow graduate students, local high school students, and MOSS K-12 participants.

I feel I really developed an appreciation for and honed my skills at communicating scientific research while at MOSS. Honestly, this is such a fundamental thing all scientists should be persistently working on to ensure we have an informed society that is invested in learning how and why environmental science affects us all.