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Heather Michelle Wright
Heather Michelle Wright is an American geologist and volcanologist, known for her contribution to the field of volcanology through research.

Education
Wright earned her bachelors degree in Geology at Whitman College in 1999. She went on to achieve her Ph.D. in geological sciences at the University of Oregon. Katherine Cashman was an academic advisor and Chair of the Examining Committee for Wright and her thesis titled Physical and Chemical Signatures of Degassing in Volcanic Systems.

Career and Research
Heather Wright is currently employed at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) with the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP), where she conducts fundamental research on volcanic processes and participates in disaster response all over the world. She has been working with USGS since 2010, previously conducing a project called "Using crystal and glass compositions from eruptive products of Mt. Mazama (Crater Lake) volcano to examine magma chamber evolution processes; modelling this evolution through time using an integrated geochemical and thermodynamic approach," and working at the California Volcano Observatory until achieving her current employment in 2013. Prior to her time at USGS, she worked as a research fellow for Monash University, and many of her publications can be found on the Monash University Research Portal. In between earning her B.A. and Ph.D., Wright was hired by Susan Sakimoto as a student intern at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in 1999. That same year, she also interned at USGS as an earth science intern.

Wright's biography on the her current employer's (U.S. Geological Services) website presents more information about her background and work experiences.

Wright is also know for her research impact on Volcanology and Geology. Her research through Monash University, her thesis, and her other publications explore the interworking of volcanoes to advance the research available in the field. The impact of some of her individual publications is listed in the publications section.

Publications
Heather Wright's publications also contribute to her impact on volcanic research. Many of her publication can be found on her Google Scholar profile and the Monash University Research Portal.

In July of 2006, Heather Wright published a research article with The Bulletin of Volcanology that is titled, "Breadcrust bombs as indicators of Vulcanian eruption dynamics at Guagua Pichincha volcano, Ecuador." While there is volcanic activity around the world, breadcrust bombs, a type of volcanic bomb, represent samples of different parts of shallow plugs and preserve valuable information that can be used to hypothesize the conditions of magma during its flight.

Wright published her research with Advancing Earth and Space Science in September, 2006. The article is titled, "Permeability of anisotropic tube pumice: Model calculations and measurements." Wright studied the flow through porous matter and its microstructure, and understanding these materials can have advancing impacts on engineering.

Wright also published "Estimating Rates of decompression from textures of erupted ash particles produced by 1999-2006 eruptions of Tungurahua volcano" in 2012. She studied the erupted ash of the Tungurahua Volcano to reveal information about the ascent of magma during eruptions.

Wright worked on an article titled "Strain localization in vesicular magma: Implications for rheology and fragmentation," published by Geological Society of America in 2009. She researched magma rheology for different types of flow and how that effects eruption behavior.

In April of 2009, Wright published an article titled, "Pore structures of volcanic coasts: Measurements of permeability and electrical conductivity" in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 280. The paper studied the porosity, permeability, tortuosity, and electrical properties of sedimentary rock by comparing samples. It explored both effusive and explosive volcanic eruptions and the resulting rock formation and properties. Wright and her colleagues' measurements show that applying assumed relationships between sedimentary rock in volcanic samples based on properties is not a reliable practice.

Awards
Wright received the George P. L. Walker award in 2013. Awarded every 2 years, this award recognizes scientists early in their careers in fields included in the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior. In 2019, she received the Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering (PECASE). It is the highest government recognition that can be awarded to scientists early on in their research careers, and Wright earned it due to her leadership in collaborative research across the globe on volcanic processes. Her research involved hazard assessment and risk mitigation of volcanic behavior. The work she was awarded for included eruption forecasting and aid response to volcanic disasters. She engaged in international outreach and education as she worked.