Spirit of Adventure Award

Caitlyn Florentine '07 is a recipient of the 2024 Spirit of Adventure Award.

A CC Geology major, Caitlyn went on to earn an M.S. in Earth Sciences from Montana State and a Ph.D. in Geosciences from the University of Montana. Since 2019, she has been a Research Physical Scientist with the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). She has been intellectually adventurous, acquiring broad scientific expertise in glacier physics, avalanche science, geology, geomorphology, ecology, hydrology, and quantitative glaciology. Her studies of glaciers have included numerous physical and social adventures, including hauling heavy packs of equipment through desolate stretches of wilderness, being the sole woman on a team of scientists that dropped out of helicopters to ski around a mountain, and camping for weeks on the Greenland ice sheet. Caitlyn’s sense of adventure also involves encouraging and enabling others to join her, in both formal group settings such as teaching snowboarding, or in individual cases such as helping a friend overcome their fear of mountain biking. Caitlyn is known for her relentless optimism, willingness to take emotional as well as physical risks, and her thoughtful advocacy for women and other underrepresented individuals in her field. We honor Caitlyn for her intellectual prowess, curiosity, enthusiasm, and openness to wonder that exemplify the unique CC experience.