Ph.D. in oceanograhy at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 1977; at the time of her selection assigned at Scripps Institute of Oceanography, La Jolla, California; semi finalist in NASA astronaut group 8 selection; 1993 until 1998 she served as the director of the Arctic Environmental Security Geographic Information System at the Naval Research Laboratory; later professor at Hunter College of the City University of New York; currently Program Manager, Arctic Research Office, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.