New Mexico Bureau of Geology emerita director and state geologist Nelia Dunbar has been appointed by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to serve on a national committee to establish a nationwide volcano early warning system. As described in its charter, the National Volcano Early Warning System advisory committee, convened by the U.S. Geological Survey and authorized under legislation passed in 2019, is tasked with ensuring that all active and potentially active volcanoes in the U.S. are monitored at levels that match the threats they pose.

Dunbar, who will serve on the committee from 2024 to 2027, was invited because of her background in volcanology and interest in and concern for volcanic hazards and geohazards in the state of New Mexico and the intermountain west, as well as knowledge of the region’s geology.

Read more of the story on the Bureau’s website.