Corinne Wong

Dr. Corinne Wong’s research focuses on reconstructing past climate variability from environmental proxies archived in the geologic record. In particular, she uses speleothems (cave mineral deposits) to interpret past variability in precipitation to provide a baseline for assessing climate change impacts on hydroclimate. Her work in cave environments is important to understanding the modern links between climate, the cave environment, and speleothem deposition that are key to properly decoding the climate signal from speleothem records. She also integrates climate reconstructions with results from paleoclimate model simulations to help delineate the key climate processes governing precipitation variability in response to global climate variability. Some of this work will be featured in a thematic, special issue of Quaternary Science Reviews titled “Novel approaches to and new insights from speleothem-based climate reconstructions,” that Corinne Wong is guest editing with a colleague, Daniel Breecker.

Inspired by her Peace Corps experience in The Gambia (West Africa), Corinne pursued her graduate degrees at The University of Texas at Austin where she was supported by two EPA Star Fellowships. She was a California Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Davis, and recently started as an Assistant Professor at Boston College where she is excited to be able to continue on the academic career track. Corrine says, “Each step of the way, I drew on, and continue to draw on, the support of ESWN and the resources that this amazing community has to offer. ESWN has been a supportive mentor, providing encouragement, advice, and ideas, whether it be through formal workshops or informal Forum postings. So many times, I have been relieved to know I am not alone in having a particular thought, perspective, or experience, as well as completely inspired by the selfless actions of ESWN members to help peers and promote a supportive community.” At the prompting of ESWN, for example, Corinne created a webpage and got involved with the AGU Paleoclimate Focus Group. She is eager to “pay it forward,” so to speak, and look for opportunities to mentor younger women in STEM.

Corrine adds, “I am fortunate to balance my professional life with an amazing wife and our twin toddlers, as well as a passion for the outdoors, great coffee, and quiet mornings.”