From 2011 to the present, Ian Miller, Washington Sea Grant’s coastal hazards specialist, has played an active role in investigating and assessing the coastal influences of the Elwha watershed restoration. Removal of the two dams eventually led to the transfer of 19 million metric tons of mud, sand and gravel that had been trapped in the reservoirs to the coastal zone. WSG-funded research confirmed that sediment reconfigured the shoreline, restored eroding beaches and led to cascading ecological changes in the estuary and nearshore zone around the river’s mouth.  Based at Peninsula College, Dr. Miller focuses on research, education, and outreach on natural coastal hazards on the Olympic Peninsula, including hazards due to climate change, tsunamis, and chronic erosion. He has a bachelor’s degree in marine ecology from Western Washington University and earned his doctorate in oceanography from the University of California—Santa Cruz in 2011. Ian spoke to the QGS in 2013, and has lead field trips to the Elwha River in 2013 and 2021.  (Updated Oct. 2021)

In 2015, Nick received the prestigious James Shea Award, a national award recognizing exceptional delivery of Earth Science content to the general public. Past Shea Award recipients include John McPhee, Jack Horner, Robert Ballard, and Stephen Jay Gould. Nicks audio and video podcasts are some of the most followed in the geological field.  Nick’s wife, Liz Zentner, teaches science at Ellensburg High School. The Zentners have grown three boys – Max, Sam, and Jack.

Nick presented our highest attended event in June 2019.  Approximately 350 persons attended his talk entitled “Nick on the Rocks—Videos of geologic topics” at Chimacum High School. (Updated Oct. 2021)

Ray Wells has been a research geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey for almost 30 years, concentrating on the use of field geology, magnetic rock properties (paleomagnetism), and GPS to solve large-scale problems in the Earth’s on-going structural evolution. Ray has produced a simple, hands-on block model of the Pacific Northwest, which he will demonstrate at the talk. Today, 165 of the models are used in classrooms around the Pacific Northwest.

Ray received his B.S. in Geological Science from Penn State, his M.S. from University of Oregon, and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Since 1975, he has worked at the U.S. Geological Survey studying the processes and products of the Cascadia subduction zone in the northwestern U.S. Ray retired recently, but continues to be involved in research at the USGS in Menlo Park,CA.  He is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award of the Department of the Interior and the 2017 recipient of the Geological Society of America’s Geologic Mapping Award in honor of Florence Bascom.