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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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  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. Archived from the original on 2014-01-26. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
  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.
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