| Allisyn Stanfield |
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Allisyn is a Hydrologic Technician at NLAE aiding in CEAP and LTAR research with Kevin Cole’s group. She majored in Watershed Science at Colorado State University and spent several field seasons working on university affiliated research projects in Yellowstone National Park before moving to Santa Fe, NM to work at the Los Alamos National Laboratory as a Groundwater Technician in 2016. She arrived in Ames in April of 2020 and began her position at NLAE in August.
Was there an event or a person who inspired you to become a scientist?
I was inspired to pursue environmental science when I started volunteering with Riverwatch in high school. I loved the process of collecting samples and learning about the water quality in my local streams and rivers. Right away, I knew I wanted to pursue a career working with water quality. My mom did encourage me to sign me up for Riverwatch, so I suppose you could say she was the one who inspired me to be a scientist.
What attracted you to ARS or the NLAE?
Having never worked in an area where agriculture was the principle cause of surface/groundwater contamination, I was very intrigued by the research carried out at NLAE. I learned a lot about the trail of nutrient contamination from crops in the Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico in college so the prospect of getting to work on surface water research in Iowa was really exciting. I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the NLAE community!
What is your favorite aspect of conducting research?
I love gathering data and identifying trends. It’s so exciting when you start to get answers to your questions!
If you could achieve any research accomplishment in the next 5-10 years what would it be and why would you choose it?
I would love to research more effective ways to prevent contamination of surface water and groundwater. It’s much more difficult and time consuming to remediate environmental damage after the fact. Ultimately, we need better ways of keeping it from happening.
Tell us something about yourself that might surprise people who know you?
I used to play the fiddle in an Americana band in Santa Fe. It was an amazing experience, but my hearing will never be the same.
