Jess Phoenix (born 1982)[1][2] is an American volcanologist, writer and multimedia personality. She is the Science Ambassador of the Union of Concerned Scientists. She ran as a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives. She is the co-host of the Discovery series Hunting Atlantis and the author of Ms. Adventure.[3]

Jess Phoenix
Jess Phoenix at Yellowstone caldera in 2018
Other namesJess Peláez
EducationSmith College
California State University
Occupation(s)Volcanologist
Writer
TV personality

Early life and education edit

Phoenix grew up in Colorado, United States, with two parents who are FBI agents.[4] She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Smith College and a master's degree in geology from California State University, Los Angeles, with a thesis titled Lava Flow Morphologies and Structural Features Along the Axis of the South Rift Zone of Loihi Seamount, Hawaii.[5][4] Phoenix later enrolled in a PhD program with the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences[6] at Queensland University of Technology in Australia studying Mexico's Sierra Madre Occidental range,[7] but withdrew after falling out with her PhD advisor.[1][4]

Books edit

Phoenix has written a memoir titled Ms. Adventure: My Wild Explorations in Science, Lava, and Life[8] published by Timber Press, a division of Workman Publishing Group, 2021.[9][10] The book was nominated as a finalist for the 2022 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books in the category of Young Adult Science.[11]

Media edit

Phoenix has appeared in the Discovery series Trailblazers in 2016,[12] Devil Sharks in 2017,[4][13] and Science Channel's series What on Earth? in 2015.[14] In 2021 she was a co-host with Stel Pavlou of the Discovery series Hunting Atlantis.[15] Hunting Atlantis has been criticized by scientists from the archaeology, anthropology, and history communities for pseudoscience and misrepresenting history and archaeology for entertainment purposes.[16]

Political career edit

Phoenix was a candidate in the 2018 election to represent California in the US House of Representatives[2] in the 25th Congressional District in California. She lost in the Democratic primary on June 5, 2018, finishing in fourth place with 6.4% of the vote.[17][1]

Personal life edit

Phoenix is married to Carlos Peláez. They both changed their last names to Phoenix in 2012.[4] Together they founded Blueprint Earth,[18] a volunteer-based non-profit focused on cataloging the ecosystem in one square kilometer of the Mojave Desert.[1][4]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Mervis, Jeffrey (15 June 2018). "The science candidates: Jess Phoenix says her defeat shows how much in politics needs to change". Science. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  2. ^ a b Astor, Maggie (2018-05-30). "Meet Jess Phoenix, the Volcanologist Running for Congress in California". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  3. ^ Hunting Atlantis (Fantasy, Reality-TV), Revelations Entertainment, 2021-07-21, retrieved 2021-09-26
  4. ^ a b c d e f Derouin, Sarah (December 11, 2017). "Down to Earth With: Volcanologist Jess Phoenix". Earth Magazine. American Geosciences Institute. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  5. ^ Deemer, J.L., 2010. Lava Flow Morphologies and Structural Features Along the Axis of the South Rift Zone of Loihi Seamount, Hawaii. Los Angeles: California State University Press.
  6. ^ Technology (QUT), Queensland University of. "School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences". QUT.
  7. ^ Bryan, Scott; Ferrari, Luca; Ramos-Rosique, Aldo; Allen, Charlotte; Martinez-Lopez, Margarita; Orozco-Esquivel, Teresa; Pelaez, Jessica (2011). "Consequences of extensional tectonics on volcanic eruption style, compositions and source regions : new insights from the southern Sierra Madre Occidental and Gulf of California regions, western Mexico". 25 IUGG General Assembly: 1–2.
  8. ^ "Ms. Adventure". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  9. ^ "Gardening, Horticulture, and Natural history". 6 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Ms. Adventure". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  11. ^ "Finalists for 2022 Young Adult Science Book Award". 18 November 2021.
  12. ^ Trailblazers (Adventure), October Films, 2016-04-29, retrieved 2022-11-25
  13. ^ Devil Sharks, Shark Week, 2017-07-26, retrieved 2021-09-26
  14. ^ What on Earth? (Documentary), Wag TV, 2015-02-02, retrieved 2021-09-26
  15. ^ Hunting Atlantis (TV Series 2021– ) - IMDb, retrieved 2022-11-25
  16. ^ Moss, Candida (2021-09-12). "Atlantis, Which No Serious Historian Thinks Existed, Is Making People Insane on Twitter". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  17. ^ "Jess Phoenix". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  18. ^ Totten, Sanden (4 May 2016). "Desert in a Box". Heat of the Moment. WBEZ Chicago.

External links edit