We would like our Peace Corps assignment to be in Central or South America. We are very interested in going to Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua or Peru, but we are flexible with our Peace Corps assignment. We would like to utilize our past skills, notably in natural resource management, while learning new skills based on our interests.

Karinne's interests: I would like to work at a volcano observatory. I am also interested in mapping volcanic deposits and identifying the main volcanic hazards of an area. A vital component of my work would be educating local citizens about the geohazards and designing hazard mitigation strategies. I hope to be located within or near an indigenous population so that I can record their stories of volcanoes or the surrounding environment.

Noah's interests: My interests focus on natural resource management, in particular fire management. I'm interested in the complex interactions between science, public perceptions, economic values and politics that determine management policies. How can we increase the use of good science to influence better decision making?

A peripheral interest that has been growing is translating values associated with wilderness and natural areas to economic estimates, allowing for a better objective comparison when management decisions are made.