Ms. Barnum graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 2012 with a B.S. in Environmental Science through the Jackson School of Geosciences. Her senior thesis was a study of the possible causes for variations of minor trace elements in cave drip waters. Taylor worked as a research assistant,conducting multi-step mineral separations including density, magnetic, and visual separations for the purposes of concentrating apatite and zircon minerals for the assessment of rock ages. Taylor wants to put her environmental and geological science knowledge to use in a professional setting and is pursuing a Master of Science in Environmental Analysis and Decision Making at Rice University. Taylor secured an internship with the City of Houston's Environmental Department. After graduation she has secured full-time employment with the City of Houston.