Department of Political Science
228 B Waters Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
The daughter of a wildlife biologist and elementary school teacher, my younger brother and I grew up on National Wildlife Refuges in South Dakota (Karl Mundt National Wildlife Refuge in Lake Andes, SD and Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Columbia, SD) and Kansas (Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Stafford, KS). I can think of no better environment for a budding political scientist - I got to participate in lots of data gathering projects, listened to dignitaries talk about wildlife, and saw how NGOs can help the environment first hand. I also learned how to skin a deer, fish in the rain, vaccinate cattle, and estimate the size of geese flocks in the sky (seriously, these skills really come in handy in political science!)
After graduating from a high school of less than 100, I went to Kansas State University on a Kassebaum and Putnam Scholarship. During my first week in the Little Apple, my fuchsia Dodge Neon broke down and I was rescued by the most interesting person in the whole world, Avery Murdie. Four months later, we were engaged and, always one to be a statistical outlier, we married the following August. I'm constantly asked whether getting married at 19 seemed odd to me - I can honestly answer that it didn't seem odd then and it hasn't seemed strange in the years since.
During my senior year at K-State, I managed two impossible feats: (1) I completed an honors thesis on the impact of US AID Women in Development Programs on women's rights in the Middle East and (2) I had our first daughter, Tenacity Marie. Because I liked K-State so much, I stayed on and received a Masters in political science before applying to Ph.D. programs. I think having my Masters helped my Ph.D. process go smoothly.
After the birth of our second daughter, Serenity Noel, during my last year at K-State, we sold all our possessions, loaded up in a beat-up Blazer, and headed for Emory University with goals of a Ph.D. Along the way, we've loaded up all our possessions two additional times and trekked to the University of Michigan for summer stat camp. In our spare time, we enjoy hiking, even taking our kids on an extended trip on the Appalachian Trial.
When I finished my Ph.D. in the summer 2009, we loaded up our possessions and trekked back to Kansas State, a great place where I teach, research, and explore with the family.