Faculty Spotlight: Einat Lev, Volcanologist and Lava-Chaser
Einat Lev is an associate research professor at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia Climate College and a professor in the Master of Science in Sustainability Program.
Most of us spend our lives trying to avoid natural disasters rather than rushing into them. Yet Einat Lev, Associate Research Professor, Columbia Climate Institute Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, as a career. From an early age, the concept of plate tectonics intrigued her, leading her down the path of studying geophysics and later physical volcanology. This specialty has given her the opportunity to observe erupting volcanoes around the world.
While her fieldwork was groundbreaking (excuse the geoscience pun), Lev conducts most of her research in what she describes as a cozy laboratory “plumber’s shop.” With the help of pipes, pumps and plastic tanks, her research looks nothing like the middle school science experiments we first think of when we think of “volcanoes.”
When she’s not visiting active volcano sites or using her “plumber’s shop,” Lev is teaching people “sustainability in the face of natural disasters” Master of Science in Sustainability program, offered by the School of Professional Studies in partnership with the Climate Institute.
How and when did you become interested in volcanology? Was it the classic middle school volcano science experiment that piqued your interest?
I have been interested in geology and physics since I was a child. Always collect rocks and build Legos. I grew up in a country that doesn’t have much active volcanism but is tectonically active, so I’ve been interested in plate tectonics since middle school. I went to college and then into graduate school to study geophysics and learn about larger tectonic processes. It was only during my postdoc that I decided to turn my attention to physical volcanology.
Your studies of physical volcanology often involve fieldwork at active volcanoes.Your field projects include the AlaskaGalapagos Islands, hawaii, Chileand Iceland. From your travels to these places, what is the most exciting experience you have had? Is it inextricably linked with active volcanoes?
This has always been a difficult question for me to answer because sometimes the most inspiring trips are also the ones that I see make an impact on the locals. For example, my trips to Hawaii in 2018 and the Canary Islands in 2021 were like this. A very exciting trip was to Iceland during the Fagradalsfjall eruption in 2021 because it was so beautiful it didn’t hurt anyone and because it was so easy to get to I took my then 8 year old daughter to see what I did What!
Einat and her daughter visit a volcanic eruption in Iceland.
In addition to field work outside the laboratory, your research will also include laboratory experiments. What is your lab at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory like? Are there mini volcano experiments everywhere?
The lab looks a bit like a plumber’s shop, full of pipes, plastic tanks, pumps and buckets of different liquids. When we do experiments, we focus on a specific process and simulate only that part, and we take care to make sure that the time scale and length scale are meaningful and similar to the natural process we are simulating. So none of the settings looked like volcanoes, but all looked like specific parts of a volcanic system.
In the lab, Lev and her team use pipes, tanks and pumps to simulate volcanic processes.
Your resume mentions that you are passionate about science education and extending its reach to all segments of society. What education-based activities have you been involved in at Lamont or beyond?
I have been fortunate to be involved in a variety of educational activities. The fact that almost everyone loves volcanoes also helps!I have lectured in public forums such as museums and worked with teachers who came to the lab or attended Lamont’s “Earth2Class” program Make lesson plans about volcanoes, earth, or physics. I often attend career days at school to talk about my work.We also enjoyed the hands-on and rather messy demo at Lamont’s open the door Events and similar events in cities, we use wax to simulate lava flows.
Why do students take your class? What will they get out of it?
The course distills the often vague concepts of hazard, risk, and disaster into actionable items related to preparedness and response, both of which are critical to reducing the negative impact of disasters. We do this by investigating different types of hazards and introducing monitoring and modeling methods as well as coping strategies. We discussed and learned from many cases. We also feature guest speakers who are experts working “on the front line” in preparing for and responding to various hazards. It’s a very diverse course with lots of different themes, activities and learning modes, so I think everyone involved in the course will find it interesting and useful.
Frederique Fyhr is an intern MSc in Sustainability Management Columbia University courses.
