Eliza Jacobs
Water Resources Technician
Born and raised in Maine, Eliza grew up roaming 40 acres of woods behind her parents’ house and helping plant the family garden every year. Her science passion took root at a Junior Researcher Science summer camp. It continued to blossom during hours spent looking for critters in the stream behind her childhood home or tidepooling at the beach. Eliza went on to receive her Bachelor's degree in Environmental Biology and Women’s Studies from Hood College. She taught kindergarten in South Korea and worked in Maine’s public school system for several years before returning to graduate school. She received her M.S. in Science Teaching from the University of Maine’s Center for Research in STEM Education. Her thesis research focused on the affective and emotional dimensions of science teachers’ written reflections on their professional learning. Her time studying the ways in which education professionals engage with their own learning, as well as the emotions that brings up, supports her ability to understand community needs and science communication. She loves the way in which her work allows her to explore the intersection between emotions, personal values, the spaces around us, and the choices we make in community with each other.
Currently residing in Portland, she is a board member of Greendrinks, an organization which hosts monthly events benefiting local non-profits. An avid runner, she can often be found out training, when she’s not lounging on the couch knitting and catching up on podcasts.
