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V.Y. Chow
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all about me

Paraty, Brazil
I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in Applied Mathematics with Professor Steven C. Wofsy at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University. Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, one of the most beautiful places in the world, I fell in love with the outdoors at an early age and begged my parents to take my siblings and me camping. During the summer after high school, a friend and I went camping in Clayoquot Sound to learn more about the protests and the logging, and to hike in the temperate old-growth rainforests.  That trip sparked my interest in the environment and led to my Bachelors of Science degree in Natural Resource Conservation from the University of British Columbia. 

For three summers and a fall, I worked for the Ministry of Forests in Squamish, BC. After graduating from UBC, I volunteered at the Caño Palma Biological Station in Costa Rica for four months and then matriculated at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies for a Master of Forest Science. After finishing Yale, I was a Quebec-Labrador Foundation fellow at the National Park Service in Boston, MA and then held research assistant positions at the Tufts University Institute for the Environment and the Centre for Conservation Medicine before landing at Steve Wofsy’s Atmospheric Sciences group at Harvard. 

In the 3 plus years as a research assistant with the Wofsy Group, I had the opportunity to work in some of the most stunning places in the world - ecological studies in the Brazilian Amazon (LBA); forestry collaboration in Bhutan; NASA aircraft measurements based in Costa Rica (CR-AVE mission); and even a trip to Ft. Sumner, New Mexico for a NASA ballooning mission. In the fall of 2005, I embarked on my Ph.D. in Applied Math doing fieldwork and building models to determine the regional carbon budgets of North America and Brazil. 

Outside of school, I play Ultimate Frisbee on a club team in Boston and have played on many Canadian National teams. I have been fortunate enough to play at three World Games (earning gold and bronze medals) and also at several World Championship (one gold and two bronze medals). Away from Ultimate and school, I try and spend as much time as I can exploring the backcountry and snuggling with my dog.
Picture
Sitting on Big Rock at Arc Pass
Skying grab over Brute Squad
Janet's Hut Colorado