Rex Sanders, science communicator and scientist
​Motto: "It's not wrong."
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U.S. Geological Survey, since 1978
USGS Ask-A-Geologist project, since 1994
UCSC Science Communication Program, 2014-2015
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rex.sanders@usa.net
Featured Work
Giant Grooves Discovered on an Earthquake Fault Offshore Costa Rica, Sound Waves, February 2018

Imagine dragging your outstretched fingers through wet beach sand, leaving long grooves behind. Scientists recently discovered similar but enormous grooves buried under the seafloor near Costa Rica. The detailed three-dimensional data they used to uncover these corrugations can help them better understand large subduction zone earthquakes and related tsunamis worldwide.
Backpacking Scissors (Reviews and Test Results), Backpacking Light, February 2018

Backpackers use many kinds of cutting gadgets, including survival knives, multi-tools, and razor blades. For many years, I’ve carried the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Classic, but most of the time, I just use the scissors on that little multi-tool. So why carry the rest of the knife? After asking on BPL, I found several others using "backpacking scissors."

I’ll compare ten pairs of scissors to the Classic, using a baker’s dozen of backpacking-based scenarios and tests. The Classic was tough to beat. But you can save half an ounce (15 grams) by switching to a very familiar pair of scissors with a couple of tradeoffs.
USGS Science in Point Reyes National Seashore, USGS, December 2016, video

The park also uses USGS science to manage this iconic but complex setting. For example, local ranchers lease 28,000 acres of National Park land for dairy and beef cattle. To monitor ranch lands, the park uses maps, air photos and other databases from USGS.
Condors in Purgatory, Science Notes, August 2015

Swooping low across a canyon inside Pinnacles National Park, California condor #444 appeared to be in fine health. “Ventana” hatched in 2007 from a nest in Big Sur, and she paired five years later with #340. The next year they fed their first chick regurgitated food scavenged from miles away. That food came from a dead animal—rotting, stinking and crawling with maggots.

But one of the condor’s favorite meals, the gut pile left behind after a hunter kills a deer or wild pig, threatens the survival of this critically endangered species. 
Tweets for USGS
Recent Work
Giant Grooves Discovered on an Earthquake Fault Offshore Costa Rica, Sound Waves, February 2018

Pacific Missile Tracking Site Could Be Unusable in 20 Years Due to Climate Change, Sound Waves, February 2018

A Tale of Two Tsunamis—Why Weren’t They Bigger? Mexico 2017 and Alaska 2018, Sound Waves, February 2018

News Briefs, Sound Waves, February 2018

Recent Fieldwork, Sound Waves, February 2018

​Backpacking Scissors (Reviews and Test Results), Backpacking Light, February 2018

Polar Bears Film Their Own Sea Ice World, USGS, February 2018, video
  Interview videographer

Open House Welcomes Enthusiastic Visitors to Santa Cruz Office, Sound Waves, January 2018

Highlights from the 2017 AGU Fall Meeting, Sound Waves, January 2018

News Briefs, Sound Waves, January 2018

​Recent Fieldwork, Sound Waves, January 2018

News Briefs, Sound Waves, December 2017

Recent Fieldwork, Sound Waves, December 2017

News Briefs, Sound Waves, October 2017

Recent Fieldwork, Sound Waves, October 2017

News Briefs, Sound Waves, July 2017

​Recent Fieldwork, Sound Waves, July 2017

Busy Day in the Sed lab, USGS, July 2017, video

Scientists Inspiring Students, Sound Waves, May 2017

News Briefs, Sound Waves, May 2017

Recent Fieldwork, Sound Waves, May 2017

New Director of Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Sound Waves, April 2017

Bob Rosenbauer Retires as Science Center Director, Sound Waves, April 2017

News Briefs, Sound Waves, April 2017

Recent Fieldwork, Sound Waves, April 2017

Core and Sediment Processing Labs, USGS, April 2017

New Director of Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Sound Waves, March 2017

News Briefs, Sound Waves, March 2017

Recent Fieldwork, Sound Waves, March 2017

Mystery Gap: Connecting Earthquake Faults near San Francisco, California, Requires Many Approaches, Sound Waves, February 2017

News Briefs, Sound Waves, February 2017

Recent Fieldwork, Sound Waves, February 2017
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Long days, fresh ideas, and new connections: USGS scientists sharing science at the 2016 AGU Fall Meeting, USGS Featured Stories, December 2016

Coastal and Marine Scientists Talk About the AGU Fall Meeting, Sound Waves, December 2016

​News Briefs, Sound Waves, December 2016

Recent Fieldwork, Sound Waves, December 2016

Looking for causes of underwater landslides near Santa Barbara, USGS, November 2016

B-roll Sampling and Coring in San Pablo Bay, USGS, November 2016, video

Coral Reefs, El Niño, and Climate Change: An Interview with Lauren Toth, Sound Waves, May 2016

Preparing for El Niño Using Climate Change Forecasts, Sound Waves, May 2016

Local Research with Global Effects: Coastal Scientists Study El Niño in Northern California, Sound Waves, March 2016

Hurricane Sandy: Three Years Later, Sound Waves, January 2016

Coastal Dune Restoration Project FAQs, Point Reyes National Seashore, October 2015

​Condors in Purgatory, Science Notes, August 2015

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Older work

My research publications and interests on researchgate.net

The story behind "If the data you need still exists ..."
​SciCom 2015 classmates
Chris Cesare, www.chriscesare.com
Leigh Cooper, www.leighacooper.com
Kerry Klein, www.kerryklein.com
Lisa Marie Potter, lisamariepotter.com
Nala Rogers, nalarogers.com
Kim Smuga-Otto, kim.smuga-otto.com
James Urton, www.jamesurton.com
Nicholas Weiler, www.nicholasweiler.com
Leslie Willoughby, www.willoughbywriter.com

My Internships: Stanford News Service, The Salinas Californian,
KUSP (RIP), Point Reyes National Seashore
rexsanders.com
2018 March 27