• Former Title: Research Assistant (HART Group)
• Affiliations: University of Utah Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Utah Department of Environmental Quality

Lexie completed an Honors Bachelor of Science in Physics in May 2017 from the University of Utah. As a freshman, Lexie engaged in research studying superconducting materials at extremely high pressures and low temperatures where she gained a set of laboratory skills. After an internship at the Natural History Museum of Utah, Lexie became interested in Earth sciences and began working in a rock and mineral physics laboratory. She studied rock deformation at high temperatures and high pressures using X-ray diffraction. In the summer of 2016, Lexie had the unique opportunity to work at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego as part of an REU program to study cloud microphysics over the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. It was there that Lexie became interested in atmospheric science under the mentorship of Dr. Dan Lubin and Ph.D. student Ryan Scott. Her undergraduate senior thesis was written about this research, which can be downloaded here. She thoroughly enjoyed applying her knowledge of physics to Earth sciences, particularly in the arena of climate change. Lexie is currently taking a gap year to advance her skills in research before applying for graduate school in Fall 2017. She joined the Hallar Aerosol Research Group in May 2017, where she is currently collaboating with coworker Ross Petersen to generate a package of R software tools for cloud screening and other analysis to easily obtain aersol optical depths from multifilter rotating shadowband radiometers.

Lexie also continually makes efforts to be involved with science communication, including teaching and policy tracking. Alongside conducting research in the laboratory, Lexie currently works with the Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah (HEAL) to lobby for cleaner air in Utah.