The new scientist-in-charge at Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said Friday her promotion into the post represents “in many ways, a homecoming” for her.
The new scientist-in-charge at Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said Friday her promotion into the post represents “in many ways, a homecoming” for her.
Christina “Tina” Neal lived in Volcano and worked on the staff at HVO between 1983-89. She helped monitor Kilauea volcano during the early years of its ongoing east rift zone eruption, as well as Mauna Loa during its 1984 eruption.
Neal will assume the top spot at the observatory Sunday, taking over for Jim Kauahikaua, who’ll step aside after 11 years as scientist-in -charge of the U.S. Geological Survey facility.
Kauahikaua will remain on staff as a research geophysicist.
Neal returns to Hawaii from Alaska, where she spent almost 25 years working as a USGS geologist with the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
“In Alaska, our eruptions tend to produce explosive, ash-producing events,” she said. “… But I believe in many ways, the cumulative experience I have in many eruption responses will serve me well here, where we have a very different experience, … a long-lived chronic eruption that’s impacting people’s lives on, essentially, a daily basis. So I’m anxious to apply lessons I’ve learned and skills I developed in Alaska to this situation.”
Tom Murray, director of the USGS Volcano Science Center, which oversees all five U.S. volcano observatories, said in a written statement Neal’s qualifications include “the required breadth of scientific background, strong communication skills, and eruption response experience, including much work with various communities at risk.”
Neal said she’s not making major changes at HVO, “largely because Jim, his deputy, Steve Brantley, and others here at HVO have the organization on a really strong course, I think, providing key information and working very closely with the very critical partners such as Hawaii County Civil Defense.”
One priority, Neal said, is ”looking for additional resources and additional staff to help support the existing staff (and) looking to strengthen collaborations with outside academic scientists.”
On a personal note, Neal is “looking forward to reconnecting with a lot of the people that I knew … when I lived here in the 80s.”
“I love the state of Hawaii and I really enjoy all of the outdoor and cultural things that are offered here,” she added.
Coincidentally, Sunday, the day Neal takes the helm, is International Women’s Day, a day established to celebrate the achievements of women around the world.
“It’s not lost upon me that there are not very many women in science leadership positions, still,” she said. “So I’m happy to … serve as a role model, especially to young girls and young women to see that they can be whatever they want to be.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@ hawaiitribune-herald.com.