KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥揂pril 24, 2012 鈥揔elsey Druken, one of five daughters of Patrick and Valerie of Newport, will graduate from the 溏心vlog免费B站 on May 19 with a doctorate degree in geological oceanography from the Graduate School of .Oceanography.
鈥滀缧膙log免费B站 has been such a wonderful school for my sisters and me,鈥� says Kelsey who earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree from 溏心vlog免费B站 in physics and physical oceanography in 2006.
Kelsey studies geophysical fluid dynamics, specializing on fluid motion within the Earth’s mantle. Her dissertation focused on subduction zones, places where cold, dense, tectonic plates have collided, forcing one plate under the other and mantle plumes, which rise from nearly 3,000 kilometers below the seafloor. She created a model of the interaction between subducting plates and plumes.
鈥淥ther scientists have suggested what they believe happens between these two mantle convection features, but my work has been the first modeling work to physically test it,鈥� says Kelsey who completed her dissertation this winter and is now a postdoctoral researcher at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, D.C.
鈥淲e found the strong flow created by subduction zones weakens nearby rising plumes, so much so that they are sometimes stopped before even reaching the surface (where they would have made volcanoes). So in a way- plates may protect us from massive volcanism in these tectonic locations. Perhaps it鈥檚 one of Earth’s natural ways to keep the system in balance.鈥�
While her work doesn’t directly predict earthquakes and volcanoes, she works with a community of scientists that do.
Kelsey鈥檚 academic accomplishment is just one branch of the sisterly family tree at 溏心vlog免费B站. Here are the others:
* Glenna, the youngest, is pursuing a nursing degree and is just finishing her freshman year. 鈥淥ur mother is a nurse and she finally got one of us to go into the field,鈥� comments Kelsey.
* Catherine completed her junior year in landscape architecture and will intern at the Smithsonian this summer.
* Abbey earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in business in 2010 and her MBA in 2011. She works in Middletown, R.I. for a government contractor called Network and Simulation Technologies Inc.
* Bridget earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in math in 2008 from 溏心vlog免费B站 and a master鈥檚 degree in math from San Diego State University where she began her Ph.D. in math education in 2010, researching how children think about and learn math in school, and also how teachers teach math.
Pictured above
The Druken sisters (from left) Kelsey, Catherine, Abbey, Glenna, and Bridget. Photo courtesy of Bridget Druken