Salut à tous! (Hi everyone!) My name is Kim Thompson and I look forward to sharing my journey with you! This year I am living in Paris, France and conducting research at Sorbonne Université on winter ecosystems in the Pyrénées mountain range. I grew up in a small town outside of New York City, but moved to the city soon after I graduated college because, even though I love nature and being outdoors, I also enjoy living in big cities. In college I studied philosophy and women’s studies, and then spent several years working in business before returning to school to pursue ecology. I find working in ecology very exciting because I love solving puzzles and understanding how different things are related.
For the past four years I have been in working on my Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I research the effects of climate change on snow and species that depend on the snow for winter survival. Since I was a teenager, I have dreamed of living in France, so I was ecstatic when I learned that I had received a U.S. Fulbright Research Grant to apply my studies of winter ecosystems to the Pyrénées mountain range. This year I will be exploring urban Paris, as well as the remote Pyrénées mountains, and cannot wait to take you along with me!
