Education__________________________________________________________________________________
PhD in Geoscience – University of Wisconsin at Madison Department of Geoscience
Expected spring 2027
Pre-Last Glacial Maximum climate as recorded in midcontinent and coastal speleothems
Advisor: Dr. Andrea Dutton and Dr. Shaun Marcott GPA: 4.0
Using high-resolution oxygen isotope measurements and precise U/Th chronologies from speleothems from midwestern North America and Quintana Roo, Mexico
M.S. in Geoscience – University of Wisconsin at Madison Department of Geoscience May 2017
Thesis: 10Be surface exposure ages on the Pleistocene history of Petermann glacier, Washingtonland, Greenland
Advisor: Dr. Shaun Marcott GPA: 4.0
Used 10Be surface exposure dating techniques to investigate the sensitivity of the northwestern ice margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet to climatic variations throughout the Holocene.
B.A. in Geoscience, B.A. in English – University of Wisconsin at Madison, May 2013
Undergraduate Honors Thesis: 10Be surface exposure ages on the late-Pleistocene and Holocene history of Linnébreen on Svalbard
Advisor: Dr. Anders Carlson GPA: 3.75
I used 10Be surface exposure ages and glacial stratigraphy to look at ocean, atmosphere, and ice interaction in southern Svalbard.
Relevant Work Experience____________________________________________________________________
Communications Specialist, Winter 2024 to present
Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey
Teaching/Research Assistant, Spring 2021 to 2024
-Glacial geology, oceanography, geohazards
-Outreach and communications support for the UW Geology Museum
Lecturer, Fall 2021
-Geo140: Geohazards
Pandemic parent of 3, Spring 2020 to present
-Flexibility, logistics, creativity, empathy, communication, patience, and first aid
-Toddler and twins
Foundation Geologist, August 2017-August 2020
Hess Corporation
-Petroleum geology (exploration and production)
-Projects have included interpretation of well log, core, and seismic data
-Attended several short courses including: Petrel, Esri, Subsurface Mapping, introduction to Geophysics, core description, petrophysics
-Field courses: Guadalupe Mountains, Southern Utah, La Jolla California (all sed/strat focused)
Research Assistant, August 2016-May 2017
University of Wisconsin-Madison
-Arctic fieldwork sampling glacial erratics for exposure dating
-Processed samples for Be isolation, regularly handled dangerous chemicals safely
-Co-managed lab: procedure development, completed inventories, cleaning, and stocking, scheduled sample processing
-Mentored and trained undergraduate students working for the lab
-Developed outreach for Wisconsin Institute for Discovery and UW-Madison Geology Museum
Teaching Assistant, August 2015-May 2016, May 2021-present
University of Wisconsin-Madison
-Geo110: Evolution and Extinction, an introductory geology and evolutionary biology course
-Geo105: Introduction to Oceanography
-Geo420: Glacial geology
Field worker and co-leader, August 2013 and 2014
-Assisted in paleontological fieldwork in the Triassic and Jurassic rocks of Wyoming
-Assisted in the planning, execution, and safety as co-lead in 2014
Samples Coordinator, August 2013 - May 2015
Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey
-Managed the accession and examination of subsurface samples/well logs, acted as a data resource for industries and researchers.
-Assisted in the management of Mt. Horeb Core Repository
-Supervised 2 undergraduate student workers
-Prepared outreach collections and sample sets, represented WGNHS at several outreach events
-Assisted in drilling various cores on a wireline coring drill rig for the USGS-funded “STATEMAP” project, including the completion of the initial core descriptions.
-Catalogued
Geochemical labwork, June 2012-May 2013
University of Wisconsin-Madison
-Prepared samples for cosmogenic radionuclide exposure dating
Student Worker, 2009 - 2013, and Research Assistant Summer 2021 and 2022 (collaborations and work ongoing)
University of Wisconsin Geology Museum
-Gave tours (to over 7,000 people), coordinated the tour program, designed/executed on and off-campus outreach events
-Identified specimens for museum patrons, aided in curation of collection materials
-Contributed to and presented GeoCheer presentations remotely to assisted living facilities
- Wrote blog posts for the tour guide blog
- Wrote "Have You Met?" articles for the museum newsletter
- Regularly communication with the public representing the museum through email
- Plan, write, and post museum social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) in line with the discussed goals of museum leadership
- Created Canvaa graphics and updated social media branding to align with social media goals
First Author Publications___________________________________________________________________________
Reusche, Melissa M. “Past Ice, Future Ice.” The Science Breaker, 23 Jan. 2019, https://doi.org/10.25250/thescbr.brk177
Reusche, Melissa M., et al. "Early to Late Holocene Surface Exposure Ages From Two Marine‐Terminating Outlet Glaciers in Northwest Greenland." Geophysical Research Letters 45.14 (2018): 7028-7039. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL078266
Reusche, Melissa M., et al. "10Be surface exposure ages on the late-Pleistocene and Holocene history of Linnébreen on Svalbard." Quaternary Science Reviews 89 (2014): 5-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.01.017
Select Awards and Honors___________________________________________________________________________
Geological Society of America Graduate Student Research Award (Outstanding Mention), 2023
George J. Verville Award in Geology and Geophysics, 2023
Wisconsin Idea Collaboration Grant, 2022
Weeks Research Assistantship, 2020
Marvel Ings Award for Excellence in Geoscience Education, 2013
Mack C. Lake Outstanding Senior Scholarship, 2011, 2012, 2013
Lowell R. Laudon Outstanding Junior Scholarship, 2010
Service__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Outreach: see Outreach page for a list of selected past work
Graduate student ombud: included conducting the 2nd Graduate Student Climate Survey in the UW-Madison Geoscience Dept.
D&I Committee: secured funding for department Field Gear Library, currently serving on the D&I steering committee
Panelist: being a woman in science, after a screening of Picture a Scientist presented as part of a large collaboration at UW-Madison
Active core member of the WI Student Parent Organization
Active core member of the Association of Women Geoscientists UW-Madison Chapter
Skills and Competencies______________________________________________________________________
Familiar software: Microsoft suite, Adobe suite, Petrel, Spotfire, QGIS, Paradigm, Canvaa, Meta, WordPress
Languages: Minor spanish
Other: forklift operation/pallet jack usage, pallet shipping preparation, core description and sampling methods, rock saw operation, core drilling procedures, curation techniques, remote and polar fieldwork.