Kelly Carroll, geologist with POLENET Courtesy of Kelly Carroll

Kelly Carroll is a geologist for The Polar Earth Observing Network (POLENET).

Kelly grew up backpacking and hiking in the Appalachian Mountains. Interested in the outdoors, he was curious how the great vistas he was seeing were created. Kelly decided to change from a successful career in the corporate world to pursue an undergraduate degree in environmental geology.

After years with the US Geological Survey, Kelly decided to pursue a graduate degree in hydrogeology at The Ohio State University, where his interest in polar research began. He studied lake ice in Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Then Kelly discovered an interest in teaching and sharing science with the public and decided to change his career from doing science research to educating students and the public about the polar regions.

Kelly has worked for the National Park Service as a park ranger in the largest national park in the United States - Wrangell-St. Elias. His experience with educating visitors on the parks geology and glaciers solidified his interest in polar education.