Lisa D Olsen
Lisa Olsen is a Water-Quality Specialist for the USGS Water Resources Mission Area in the Laboratory & Analytical Services Division.
Lisa Olsen serves as a Water-Quality Specialist in the USGS WMA Laboratory & Analytical Services Division, where she supports the USGS Quality Management System for Laboratories, fostering improvements in laboratory processes, documentation, and quality assurance of results.
Lisa joined the USGS in 1993 as a Volunteer for Science investigating fate and transport of agricultural chemicals under different tillage practices and analyzing samples by HPLC. In 1995, she moved to the MD-DE-DC Water Science Center, where she worked on water-quality studies on Aberdeen Proving Ground. She operated a laboratory for analysis of water, headspace, and sediment for VOCs by GC-MS, dissolved gases by GC-ECD, and bromide by ion-selective electrode. In 1999-2002, Lisa led a team studying groundwater contamination and natural attenuation of VOCs in a tidal wetland, sampling a network of piezometers, delineating contaminant plumes, evaluating redox processes, and executing a small-scale tracer test of contaminants over 6-inch intervals. As part this work, she developed quality-assurance practices in study design, laboratory analysis, and reporting of results. During 2002-2005, she accepted positions in acting management, developed projects with the DOD, USEPA, and other cooperators, and performed data verification for many water-quality projects.
In 2005, Lisa became a Water-Quality Specialist for the California Water Science Center, where she reviewed many proposals, datasets, and interpretive publications for technical quality. Lisa also represented the USGS in USEPA stakeholder groups (ETV and TTEP) for water monitoring and water security. In 2009–2011, she worked on the NAWQA Program's National Target Analyte Strategy work group to prioritize chemical constituents for regional or national-scale ambient monitoring in water and sediment, and she authored the USGS report documenting that effort.
In 2014, Lisa joined the Water Science Field Team as a Water-Quality Specialist, where she provided technical support and reviews of water-quality programs, publications, and proposals. In 2018, she joined the WMA Laboratory & Analytical Services Division, with the goal of supporting the LASD in increasing the quality and consistency of operations.