Susan Schwartz received a BS in geophysics from Brown University and a Ph.D. in seismology from the University of Michigan. After graduation in 1988, she was awarded a University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship that brought her to The University of California, Santa Cruz where she is presently a Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences. Her research interest in the mechanical behavior of the plate interface at subduction zones and in how glaciers slide along their bed has taken her to many interesting places including northern Costa Rica, New Zealand and Antarctica. Prof. Schwartz teaches introductory classes for non-science majors, classes designed for undergraduate Earth and Planetary Science majors, and graduate classes in seismology and geophysics. She is married and has a son and really enjoys living in Santa Cruz with its wonderful terrain, weather and people.