Joanna is currently in her 3rd year of studying Earth Science, a subject which has fascinated her for many years. Volcanology in particular has captured her interest and she is very excited at the prospect of seeing her first active volcano, especially as it is so unique in its geochemistry and setting. She loves that her degree has taken her all over Scotland for fieldwork and is very grateful to be given the opportunity to take part in this expedition and travel further afield. She feels that it is a very valuable opportunity to be able to participate in research of this type whilst still at university and is especially interested in investigating how the volcanic activity is affected by the tectonics in the area. She is also excited to see how her fieldwork skills improve, which will help her in completing her three week independent mapping course when she returns from the expedition, and throughout 4th year. Tanzania will be her first expedition of this type, but she previously travelled to Kenya where she took part in a collaborative study with a school in Kisumu. This experience inspired her and she is excited to be working with the Dodoma students.

Joanna’s main role in the team is Secretary, which involves taking minutes at meetings, ensuring the team is notified of any important announcements and maintaining the email account. Having juggled work and extra-curricular activities with her academic studies for many years she has become very organised and reliable, vital qualities for the Secretary position. She is looking forward to taking on the full responsibility of the role, which will allow her to develop a wide range of communication skills that will benefit her throughout her studies in 4th year and onto her career. Joanna has also taken on the role of joint fundraising convener, which involves co-ordinating the fundraising plan for the team. She has past experience with organising fundraising for her trip to Kenya, so feels that she will work well in this position. In addition to these roles, she is working on the logistics of the expedition and has collaborated with the Risk Assessment team to complete the risk assessment and the Emergency Procedures document. When she returns from the trip, she hopes that the skills she learns from these roles will help her in further field trips and expeditions, as she hopes this will not be her last. She is enjoying the planning process so far and is excited for the challenges that the expedition will bring.