#SoCaltech: Hannah Dion-Kirschner
A young Dion-Kirschner at the piano
“I arrived at college planning to pursue a career in classical music. In my first year, the only required writing seminar that fit my schedule happened to be about environmental chemistry. I had always loved nature and cared about Earth’s climate, but this was the first time I realized there were careers focused on studying our planet and finding solutions. I was totally hooked!
“My training in music was a huge help in learning how to be a researcher. Practicing music is basically just performing experiments—trying things, making careful observations of what works and what doesn’t, and adjusting before you try again. I spent many years of my life seriously practicing instruments, and when I started doing research in a lab, those years of patient self-directed work directly translated to my geoscience research. …
“When I was in fourth grade, we moved to a new house with a sugar maple tree in the front yard. The bark was soft and smooth, and two low-hanging branches made the perfect handholds for climbing up into the canopy. The tree was a go-to spot for reading and talking to friends. Today, one of my PhD projects is about using tree rings to understand how trees respond to changes in climate over their lives. I’m grateful to get to connect with trees in this new way. I think my younger self would be happy to know where life has taken me.”
Hannah Dion-Kirschner is a graduate student and Resnick Scholar from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who investigates biological processes that remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. On Thursday, April 11, 2024, she will present her Science Journey, “How Soil Microbes Help Us Fight Climate Change,” in Beckman Auditorium. The free Science Journeys program is designed for middle and high school students, but all are welcome. Register for the event here.
#SoCaltech is an occasional series celebrating the diverse individuals who give Caltech its spirit of excellence, ambition, and ingenuity. Know someone we should profile? Send nominations to magazine@caltech.edu.