Michele Ochs |
If you have heard Michele Ochs speak in public, it has probably had something to do with geology. This might not be surprising if you know her. What you may not know is that she is the only female licensed professional geologist in Imperial County. That might be impressive to some, but not to Ochs.
“I do not picture myself as a hard core geologist,” she says. “It does not define my life. I love photography. I love to travel. I love to cook. I play piano. I like to ride quads in the desert.”
Ochs’ life may not be defined by geology, but geology plays a big part. Geology is the scientific study of the earth and the rocks that compose it. There are more and more females entering the scientific fields; however, in a way, Ochs is still a pioneer. “I was one of three girls in my geology program,” she says, “but there were 60 guys. At the school I attended it was not common to find females in the sciences.”
Her infatuation with studying the earth began at a very early age. “I was lucky as a kid. My parents did a lot of camping and traveling. We went to a lot of National Parks,” relates Ochs. “Yellowstone was not far from my family’s roots. I was mesmerized by Old Faithful and all the landforms. I was always interested in why there were so many shapes in the land. I was enamored by pretty rocks. I asked questions like, ‘Why is that rock that color?’ In my child brain I thought these questions were really important. I can really remember, as small child, being interested in that.”
Read more about Michele Ochs in the January/February 2012 edition of Valley Women Magazine in print or our online E-Edition.
“I do not picture myself as a hard core geologist,” she says. “It does not define my life. I love photography. I love to travel. I love to cook. I play piano. I like to ride quads in the desert.”
Ochs’ life may not be defined by geology, but geology plays a big part. Geology is the scientific study of the earth and the rocks that compose it. There are more and more females entering the scientific fields; however, in a way, Ochs is still a pioneer. “I was one of three girls in my geology program,” she says, “but there were 60 guys. At the school I attended it was not common to find females in the sciences.”
Her infatuation with studying the earth began at a very early age. “I was lucky as a kid. My parents did a lot of camping and traveling. We went to a lot of National Parks,” relates Ochs. “Yellowstone was not far from my family’s roots. I was mesmerized by Old Faithful and all the landforms. I was always interested in why there were so many shapes in the land. I was enamored by pretty rocks. I asked questions like, ‘Why is that rock that color?’ In my child brain I thought these questions were really important. I can really remember, as small child, being interested in that.”
Read more about Michele Ochs in the January/February 2012 edition of Valley Women Magazine in print or our online E-Edition.
