Dawn Home   Profile   CV   Research   Teaching   Lab   Links   OSU CEOAS       Last update: October 5, 2025

Dawn is...

• Chief Scientist of Esri, since 2011

• a courtesy full professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences

• a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and American Academy of Arts & Sciences

• a Certified GIS Professional (GISP), Certification #00022933

• a former research collaborator with the Northwest Alliance for Computational Science & Engineering (NACSE)

• a former faculty advisor for the Black Graduate Student Association and Hui-O-Hawaii

• a Lego maniac
• profiled in more detail at other sites, including Wikipedia
       Short professional bio | NSF-style CV
• also on social media

The Early Years...

Born on Income Tax Day, at the "dawn" of Generation X, exactly 10 years before the secret location code birthdate of Jason Bourne (David Webb) Raised on Maui, Hawaii
Education:
Bachelor of Science cum laude, Geology, 1983     Wheaton College (Illinois)
Master of Science, Oceanography, 1986    Texas A&M University
3 YEARS AT SEA as a marine technician for the    Ocean Drilling Program!!
Interdisciplinary Ph.D., 1994     Physical Geography and Marine Geology     UC-Santa Barbara

Thrives on...

God, Snoopy & the Peanuts Gang, Calvin & Hobbes, art films, cycling, weight training, cartoons, Rugrats' philosophy, and did I already say, Lego building?

Greatly Admires...

I don't care for snakes or lima beans!

BUT... Here's a cool thought for the day and deeper stuff to support it.

Greatly Misses...

Michael Landon, John Candy, Princess Di, JFK Jr., Arthur Ashe

Some Favorite Music, Books, Movies...

Favorite WNBA/NBA Players

Caitlin Clark

Stephen Curry