County native travels to bottom of world for research project
A Butler County native spent two months examining boulders for sunburn and collecting ancient freeze-dried algae in the coldest, most arid spot on Earth.
Fortunately, Maraina Miles' trip to Antarctica last winter was field research, not a vacation. And while most of the time was spent collecting samples, she did manage to get in a few cribbage games.
The former Oakland Township resident took a circuitous route to the southern continent.
The daughter of Mary Miles and the late Timothy Miles, Miles graduated from the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School then graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in sculpture.
“Then I spent two years as a gardener/janitor at the Pittsburgh Aviary,” she said, before enrolling at Slippery Rock University to work on a degree in environmental science-geology.
“I had been interested in geology and picked environmental art projects as sculptures,” Miles said.
“Art is really good at asking questions but doesn't provide a framework for answers. Science is good at that,” she said, adding, “some day I hope to combine the two.”
But for now, she's pursuing answers with science, graduating from SRU in 2018 and then becoming a graduate student at the University of Maine pursuing a master's degree in Earth and climate sciences.
Miles studies moraines, the rock formations deposited by glaciers. This field led to her inclusion on an all-female team including her adviser Brenda Hall, the supervising professor; Tess Walther, a fellow graduate student; and Laura Mattas, an undergraduate student.
Pick up Sunday's Butler Eagle to read more about Miles' journey to the bottom of the world.
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