Ms. Payne has taught a variety of college level geology courses for UAA, APU, and ANSEP. Courses have included physical geology, environmental geology, historical geology, and mineralogy. Ms. Payne has taught both lecture and laboratory courses, as well as special topic courses that focus on coastal erosion in Alaska.

Ms. Payne’s duties with Cardno Inc. have included technical writing of environmental documents, environmental permitting and compliance, and project management. Ms. Payne has served as lead author/technical expert for Geology, Soils, Hydrology, Geologic Hazards and other Earth Resources sections of environmental reports, including NEPA Environmental Impact Statements (EIS’s) and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Resource Reports. Environmental permitting and compliance duties have included working with Federal and State Agencies such as DNR, ADEC, ADF&G, EPA, AOGCC, etc. Clients have included the oil and gas sector, government, mining, geothermal, and other industries in Alaska and the lower 48 states.

Ms. Payne has taught a variety of college level geology courses for UAA, APU, and ANSEP. Courses have included physical geology, environmental geology, historical geology, and mineralogy. Ms. Payne has taught both lecture and laboratory courses, as well as special topic courses that focus on coastal erosion in Alaska.

Ms. Payne has taught a variety of college level geology courses for UAA, APU, and ANSEP. Courses have included physical geology, environmental geology, historical geology, and mineralogy. Ms. Payne has taught both lecture and laboratory courses, as well as special topic courses that focus on coastal erosion in Alaska.

As an associate scientist with SLR, Ms. Payne served as a field hydrogeologist and a well-site geologist on sonic and rotary drill rigs at the proposed Pebble Mine site. Duties included groundwater well installation, hydrogeological testing and monitoring, soil and water sampling, lithological logging, and geotechnical core-logging. Ms. Payne also supervised drill crews, oversaw health and safety compliance, and assisted with management of remote logistics and schedules.

Ms. Payne completed oral interpretation and written translation work for the Alaska court system, legal and medical documents, medical and social service appointments, etc.

Ms. Payne served as the well-site geologist and operations manager on the Mt. Spurr Geothermal Exploration program. Duties included lithological and geotechnical core-logging for rotary drill operations, geological/petrological sampling, geochemical/water sampling, downhole hydrology surveying and monitoring, etc. She also carried out environmental permitting and compliance on the local, state, and federal levels with Agencies such as DNR, ADEC, ADF&G, EPA, AOGCC, etc, and oversaw field restoration activities. Ms. Payne has also supported geothermal resource evaluation through geological, geochemical, and mineralogical studies, and served as a field volcanologist and Spanish language interpreter at various geothermal exploration sites in South America. She has managed remote operations logistics, schedules and budgets, health and safety regulations, hired, supervised and mentored junior staff, assisted with grant reporting and served as a client field liaison.

For the Alaska Volcano Observatory, Ms. Payne conducted igneous petrology research and managed the operations room during the active eruption of Mt. Redoubt in 2009/2010. She also carried out remote sensing/satellite volcano monitoring, and served as media and community outreach liaison.

While completing her Master’s degree at the University of Alaska, Ms. Payne conducted electron microprobe studies on the geothermometry of Katmai high-silica magmas, and remote sensing/satellite monitoring of volcanic activity. She also taught undergraduate mineralogy and petrology laboratory courses and conducted community outreach and education.

While completing her Master’s degree at the University of Alaska, Ms. Payne conducted electron microprobe studies on the geothermometry of Katmai high-silica magmas, and remote sensing/satellite monitoring of volcanic activity. She also taught undergraduate mineralogy and petrology laboratory courses and conducted community outreach and education.

Ms. Payne got her start in Alaska as a geologist/naturalist interpreter in Katmai National Park and Preserve, in the remote wilderness of the Alaska Peninsula. Ms. Payne led park visitors on educational hikes through volcanic landscapes, guided visitors around the park’s dense brown bear population, and presented programs and lectures on the park’s ecology, Native cultural history, and geology.

Ms. Payne worked in the fields of agriculture, nutrition, education and women’s small business development in remote Native villages of central Bolivia. She communicated in Spanish and the local Native Quechua language.