Tell us a little bit about yourself. I am a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Ecological and Evolutionary Biology at the University of South Florida. I have a big love for insects and a fascination with the story of evolution and the way that it has shaped everything that we see around us today.
Outside of academics, I really enjoy reading fantasy novels, hiking, collecting insects, playing tennis, and drawing different animals!
What kind of scientist are you and what do you do? In the past year, I’ve had incredible opportunities to explore two fascinating areas of science: virology and paleontology. My first research experience was working on annotating the genomes of four newly discovered bacteria viruses, called bacteriophages. Annotating genomes is a matter of cross-referencing online gene databases and reference genomes of other viruses to determine the functions of individual genes in an organism’s entire genetic sequence. A group of peers and I were then able to analyze a specific set of reproductive genes in one of our phages, called the lysis cassette. These are the genes that break down the cell wall of the host bacteria cell for reproduction. The order and quantity of these genes is wildly varied across bacteriophage genomes. We were testing the hypothesis that our bacteriophage would possess a unique composition of its lysis cassette as compared to other bacteriophages. We found that the specific order, quantity, and length of the genes in our bacteriophage’s lysis cassette was entirely unique compared to its relative viruses. The end goal of this bacteriophage genome project is to better understand why these lysis cassette genes diversified in such a way.
Me and my peers worked together to create this poster that we presented at our university’s undergraduate research conference.
I’ve also recently begun a project in a paleontology lab that will provide some insight into the regional diversity of marine animals during the Mississippian Period, around 359–323 million years ago. I’m currently working on the first step of the project, which is simply separating the grain sizes of the sediment collected from Mississippian-age rocks in southern Illinois, USA to begin to identify the fossils present.
What is your favorite part about being a scientist, and how did you get interested in science? I have always loved animals, and I always knew I wanted to go into an animal science field before I could comprehend what science was. When I got older and realized that people out there spent their whole careers studying animals and the ways they work and interact with the world, I knew that had to be me. I became interested in insects, in particular, when I read a book about them and realized just how underappreciated they are. We see so many insects every day, but most people tend not to regard them much. Even worse, we know so little about so many of them! I knew I wanted to go into the entomology field and contribute to knowing more about these animals. Every research experience I’ve had so far has broadened the way I now imagine one could study insects—from virology to paleontology, everything applies! My favorite part about science is the exciting feeling I get when I ask “why” and no one has an answer–it’s knowing that the story has yet to be finished, and all I want to do is figure out how it ends!
How does your work contribute to the betterment of society in general? I hope that the research I have contributed to thus far will better our understanding of the world around us and the evolutionary history that has led to it. Understanding the diversity in things as small as bacteriophage reproductive genes may help us to develop effective medical applications to treat bacterial infections and understanding the past diversity patterns of extinct fauna helps us better comprehend the changes that can impact our past and present climate and ecosystems.
What advice do you have for up-and-coming scientists? The best advice I can think of is to not let the fear of rejection or inadequacy hold you back. The absolute worst you can get back from asking about an opportunity is a ‘no’, which pales in comparison to the absolute best you could get back. You can’t let your own idea of how smart or capable a scientist should be hold you back from what you want to do. You are more than capable of pushing past those times that you mess up or feel unqualified.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. My name is Elizabeth, and I use she/her. I’m currently pursuing a Masters in Geosciences from the University of South Florida. I grew up in upstate New York, near Ithaca, and hold a B.A. in Geology from Oberlin College. My hobbies include arts and crafts of all kinds (most recently, I started glassblowing!), baking, and videogames. I love museums, libraries, and driving long distances for things I could get at home.
What kind of scientist are you and what do you do? I’m a paleontologist! My undergraduate research investigated the systematics of Turritella, a cone-shaped species of sea snail. Turritella is a very common fossil, and thus has been identified and reidentified many times. Our group set out to find which of these identifications were true and represented distinct groups of organisms, and which ones were the same species under separate names (or different species under the same name), not to mention if Turritella in the fossil record could even be identified to a species level. To answer these questions , I measured and described a lot of specimens from types, a distinction used for the first named and described specimen that provide the reference for all the ones of the same species discovered after, and published figures. I’ve also spent a significant amount of time in museums—most recently, I helped curate a collection of oysters from Louisiana belonging to the Paleontological Research Institution. Now, I’m in my first semester of my master’s degree, studying invertebrate paleontology at USF.
Two earthlings, Acrocanthasaurus and me.
What is your favorite part about being a scientist, and how did you get interested in science? Like many others in this field, I was a kid who loved dinosaurs who grew into an adult who loved fossils. I remember demanding that my kindergarten teacher spell paleontologist for me when we learned about careers. As a college freshman, I took an introductory geology class and was hooked. I was very lucky to be supported by a family to whom science is very important – in fact, inspired by my love of dinosaurs, my mother started working as a museum educator. I spent a few years after graduating from my undergraduate institution, serving with the AmeriCorps program City Year and working in a library, but I’m glad to be back. I love being a scientist! I love being able to think and ask questions and solve puzzles for a living.
How does your work contribute to the betterment of society in general? With an accurate understanding of their species, Turritella can be a great index fossil. Index fossils are used to identify and date the rock layers in which they are found, and, to be useful index fossils, they must be common, widespread, and have been around for a relatively short slice of history. If Turritella can be used to provide precise and accurate temporal information of the many, many rock layers they are in, we can use them to understand the history of an area more broadly. For example, finding Turritella of the same species in two distant rock outcrops shows us that they are the same layer and allows us to say with specificity how many millions of years ago that layer was formed. This, ultimately, helps fill in puzzle pieces of our knowledge of the earth. I think just being a scientist in the world helps society, too- being able to show people the complexity of the earth in little moments really matters.
What advice do you have for up and coming scientists? Two things: one, people want to help you. Many scientists remember when they were you, just starting out. Finding a mentor is worth it. Two, there is a place here for everyone. I remember being hesitant about geology because I’m not super outdoorsy and field camps can be inaccessible for me; when I learned could work predominantly in the lab or museums, it changed a lot for me. There are a lot of ways to be a paleontologist that are not the “traditional” way. The usual stuff sort of advice, too. Try new things. There is no time limit on this. Be enthusiastic. Be patient. Be kind. You got this.
Sometimes paleontology is moving a hundred boxes of oysters out of the back of a tractor trailer. Photo from Bridget Kelly.
Figure 1: The NAPC program schedule for the meeting.
The North American Paleontological Convention (NAPC) has been a cornerstone event in the paleontological community since 1969. Taking place every four to six years at various prestigious institutions across North America, it brings together scientists and researchers from all areas of paleontology. This inclusive format provides an excellent platform for developing new research directions and establishing connections with colleagues that you might not otherwise have met. This year, at the 12th NAPC at the University of Michigan, there were over 700 delegates and presentation abstracts making for a fun-filled week in Ann Arbor!
Prior to attending the convention, I was deeply impressed by the commitment of the Paleontology Society to creating a respectful and inclusive environment. I was able to complete the PS RISE (Paleo Society Respectful and Inclusive Scientific Event) training online and served as a RISE liaison during the meeting. As a PhD student who still finds conferences rather overwhelming and anxiety-inducing, having this support present at the event was immensely comforting to me.
The conference kicked off on Monday morning with a half-day plenary session titled “Paleontology for All,” that completely blew me away. The collection of talks in this session were incredibly thought-provoking, addressing critical issues of colonialism and systemic racism rooted within paleontology, as well as introducing the limits of “global” data, discussions of fossils as the key to understand our ever-changing planet, and the incredible work of paleo-artists. These talks really inspired me, and made me think about ways to reframe aspects of my paleobiology lectures and labs that I teach to undergraduate students here at the University of Victoria.
Figure 2: NAPC opened with a half-day plenary session, “Paleontology for All”, held in the Rackham Auditorium. This event was open to the public and live-streamed for remote access.
Throughout the week, I attended numerous sessions covering a wide range of topics, including:
A model system for evolution and environmental change: the marine communities of the Neogene western Atlantic
Integrated approaches to exploring coupled biotic, landscape and climate dynamics
Proxies, sedimentological indicators, and biotic effects of oceanic anoxic events in the geological record
Recent advances in computational paleobiology
The talks I attended were exceptional and really broadened the scope of my own research, providing several novel avenues to explore.
I presented my research in the session: “Answering big questions with small fossils: high-resolution biodiversity dynamics in deep time” with a talk titled ‘Investigating the responses of deep-sea sediments to Cenozoic paleoclimate and paleoceanographic events using data synthesis and the eODP project’. In this talk, I explained the preliminary results of the first chapter of my PhD, looking at using large databases of scientific ocean drilling data to address how and why sedimentation patterns have changed across significant climate transitions in the Cenozoic. Despite my talk being rather different compared to other talks in this session, I feel like it was well-received and sparked some intriguing questions. It also allowed me to practice speaking to people who were not necessarily familiar with my methodologies or overarching concepts, which really helped with my science communication skills.
Figure 3: Belle Isle Park, Detroit
Figure 4: The B2B trail in Ann Arbor.
In addition to the amazing science at the conference, I also got the time to run along the B2B trail in Ann Arbor, explore parts of Detroit, and even attend a concert at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival. Overall, attending NAPC was a wonderfully enriching experience. I am so grateful for the opportunity and for Time Scavengers for helping to make this possible. I look forward to participating in future conferences to discuss the results of this PhD chapter further. Thank you, NAPC, for an unforgettable week!
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Originally from the United Kingdom, I made the exciting move to Canada in 2021 to pursue my PhD. Since arriving here, I have become a keen runner both on the road and on the trails (dodging the bears and cougars!). I enjoy any activities outdoors including hiking, kayaking, and have even explored parts of British Columbia by canoe. I have also started truly immersing myself into Canadian culture by regularly watching hockey and I now avidly support the Vancouver Canucks! Living in Victoria on Vancouver Island has deepened my connection with the ocean, fostering a profound appreciation for this stunning place that I am lucky enough to call home. I am fortunate enough to be living on the traditional territories of the Lkwungen (Lekwungen) peoples whose historical relationships with the land still continue to this day.
Portaging around the Powell River Lake Circuit, British Columbia.
What kind of scientist are you and what do you do? As a PhD candidate at the University of Victoria, I specialize in utilizing extensive microfossil datasets from the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) to unravel the complex relationships between the world’s oceans and climate over the past 65 million years. I use these datasets to generate maps of how microfossils such as planktic foraminifera, diatoms, and radiolarians have influenced deep ocean sedimentation patterns and how this relationship has changed over time. I do this using well constrained models of the Earth’s tectonic movements through the Cenozoic (~66 million years ago to present day). Additionally, two of my PhD chapters focus on the Miocene (~23-5 million years ago) where I am conducting work in the laboratory. Here, I am processing IODP deep sea drilling cores from different ocean basins to investigate how climate and tectonic shifts during this dynamic period of time have impacted upon ocean sedimentation and plankton ecology. I do this primarily by looking at abundance counts of the different carbonate- and silica-producing organisms present in the samples.
Looking at an IODP sample under the microscope.
What is your favorite part about being a scientist, and how did you get interested in science? I have always had an interest in both geography and biology growing up, however, my first field trip to Iceland in 2012 was what really inspired me to study for my undergraduate degree at the University of Exeter, England, in physical geography. Here, I specialised in peatland ecosystems and reconstructing past environments over the last ~8000 years, tracking ash cloud movements across Europe. I achieved this by looking at crypto-tephra, which are microscopic fragments of volcanic ash that are incredibly well-preserved in peatland environments across the globe. During this degree, I fell in love with being able to get a snapshot of what the world would have looked like in the past, and I went on to get my Masters in Paleobiology at the University of Bristol. This is where I moved into deep-sea micropaleontology and studying the evolution of planktic organisms over much longer time periods. One of the most rewarding aspects of being a scientist is engaging with my peers and discussing our research together. As the first paleontology student in my department at the University of Victoria, I had a unique perspective of only being able to converse with colleagues about my work who were on the peripheries of my field. As a result, I gained incredible insight and learned so much from others that have allowed me to approach my work in a more holistic way.
This is me during my undergraduate research holding a peat core section on Dartmoor, England.
How does your work contribute to the betterment of society in general? Studying the impact of climate upon planktic evolution and sedimentation rates through periods of warming and cooling across our global oceans provides critical insights into how marine ecosystems and environments might respond to future warming scenarios. By studying these historic patterns, we can better anticipate and understand the potential impacts of climate change on our oceans. I have the privilege of sharing these findings and interests, not only at conferences but also through my teaching role. As an instructor for laboratory sections in Paleobiology and Geological Oceanography classes, I teach third year undergraduate students in exploring the profound importance and influence of extinction events, tectonic processes, and oceanographic changes on evolution—from the earliest life forms to those that persist to the present day.
What advice do you have for up and coming scientists? Everyone in academia is intelligent, stand out by being kind 😊
Interview with Glenn Barrett, Offshore Installation Manager of the JOIDES Resolution with SEA1 Offshore
The scientific ocean drilling (SciOD) community has relied on the riserless drilling capabilities of the research vessel JOIDES Resolution since 1985 to retrieve sediment and rock cores from below the seafloor to advance knowledge about our oceans and Earth. The loss of the JR and U.S.-led SciOD, even temporarily, has huge implications for the science community, which have been published on and written about elsewhere. Here, we discuss the loss of expertise and equipment with the non-renewal of the contract between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and SEA1 Offshore. Importantly, challenges to building a new U.S.-owned and operated riserless drillship are also discussed.
Special thank you to Tim Lyons, Chris Lyons, and Khyber Jones of Slingshot Pictures, LLC for technical support.
Double rainbow in the Fram Strait, in front of the research vessel JOIDES Resolution. Drone image by Chris Lyons.
I wake up with dread; the feeling of rocks in my stomach anchoring me to this day, churning of emotions like waves in a storm. This is surreal, this can’t be it. This entire experience has felt like a dream, but this day is hell. We knew the time was drawing nearer, and we knew years ago that this day would happen. Perhaps naively, I didn’t think it would come to fruition. I thought the program would be saved, the government and funding agencies would come to their senses and scramble to provide funding to keep the ship and program afloat. But that isn’t the case.
I go through my daily routine: wake up in my cabin at 22:00, take a shower, gather my things, drop off my bookbag and coat in the conference room. Meet my colleagues in the mess hall for our usual breakfast together (two eggs over medium, a bowl of fruit, a glass of water, toast with cream cheese for me). Around 22:35, head to Bridge Deck to start the French press of coffee for myself and colleagues. Head back down to the Core Lab at 22:45 for the crossover meeting with the sedimentology team. The routine is familiar, a comfort through the turmoil that is raging in my heart and stomach.
Friday July 25th, 2024
Today is the day that the research vessel JOIDES Resolution will deliver us her last sediment core. We lovingly call her ‘the JR’ for short. Since 1985, the ship has been drilling all over the world ocean, retrieving rocks and sediments from below the seafloor. The contributions this vessel has made to science are massive. The third expedition, sediments and the oceanic rocks below the sediments were drilled from the southwest Atlantic to prove the hypothesis of plate tectonics and seafloor spreading. Antarctic and Arctic ice sheet melting, and under what conditions the ice melts, has been quantified from expeditions taking place in the high latitudes of both poles. The microbial communities living within the seafloor sediments and rocks is one of the lesser-known biological communities on Earth; the JR has retrieved these rocks and sediments so scientists can study them. Viruses, bacteria, archaea, all living at depths in our ocean unattainable to humans without the help of the riserless drilling capabilities of the JR. Ancient DNA is a rather new and quickly advancing field. Scientists can attain DNA bits preserved in sediments to look at ancient ecosystems through time, and how they’ve shifted and changed in response to past warming and cooling events. The reason we know how warm the Earth was in the more recent past, and how our oceans, atmosphere, ice sheets have responded to these warming events is because of the JR. This 46-year-old ship and her skilled crew are paving the way for scientists to ask more complex and compelling questions about our Earth and how it works, who lives here, how we can harness this information for the betterment of the planet and humanity. All of these amazing discoveries, pushing the boundaries of what we know about our Earth through the geologic past, and pushing the boundaries of science, it comes to an end today.
Drone image of the JOIDES Resolution facing a double rainbow while drilling in the Arctic. Photo by Chris Lyons.
The crew and drill team need to stop drilling at approximately noon today. By the time my team and I are on shift, it is midnight. Twelve hours until the last core, twelve hours until the program ends. We keep busy describing the sediments contained in each core section, its color, any rocks that we see, and other features that might indicate the ancient environments under which these sediments accumulated. The dread is still there, but being around the people I’ve come to love the most on the ship helps. When you’re at sea for two months, it is amazing how close you become with your colleagues. You rely on each other not just to get the scientific work done, but for laughs, for comfort, for staying in touch with your humanity. We are human first, scientists second. That’s important to keep in mind while sailing on the JR, working twelve hours a day for two months straight.
The night shift scientists, who work 12 am to 12 pm, around one of the Sedimentology Lab tables, with the last core drilled aboard the JOIDES Resolution.
Lunch always marks the half-way point of the day. This too has become a treasured routine. 5:15 am, go downstairs to the mess hall with Kat, sometimes Nicole comes too. Glenn comes down usually a few minutes after us, we eat. Glenn and I have a commitment: one waffle a day for the entire expedition. Syrup and chocolate sauce are both necessities, and now we’ve become accustomed to including a dusting of cinnamon to really jazz up the waffles. If we’re feeling wild, ice cream too. The mood at lunch today is more sober than usual, the dread still there regardless of the laughs we have despite the day. The time is 6:00 am. Six more hours until the last core, six more hours until the program ends.
Lucinda, Nicole, and Glenn check out where everyone is from on a map after lunch waffles.
The rest of the day goes by too quickly. Process the cores, work on reports, take a break to eat sweets, back to work. I watch the time tick by on the round black and white clock that hangs on the back wall of the sedimentology lab. Watching the hands move, marking the passage of time is hell. Finally, we get word that we only have 3-4 more cores to be drilled. I decide to make the best of it and rally up the sedimentology team to help the marine science technicians (techs) bring one of the cores onto the ship. This is the first time we’ve done this as a team, and it is a blessed distraction. Pictures are taken, the techs are super accommodating of us, a grand time all around. Every expedition is a success because of the skills and expertise of the techs. They are the ones who ensure the cores make it from the drill deck into the labs safely, who curate the cores and ensure they are labeled and stored properly. Maintenance of the equipment and computer programs is up to them. More than that, they are a critical part of a well-oiled human machine synchronized to deliver the sediments to the scientists. They are the ones without whom none of these expeditions would be possible. In return, they have traveled the world together, made priceless memories, and become each other’s home away from home. The scientists leave the ship and go back to our jobs and research; most of the techs will walk off the ship jobless after this expedition. The time is approximately 8:00 am. Four more hours until the last core, four more hours until the program ends.
The Marine Science Technicians processing the second to last core on the catwalk.
Hours later, one of the toolpushers comes into the Core Lab. There will only be two more cores, these are the last two that we will drill. The anxiety is full-blown at this time, there’s no way I can work in this state. I decide to do what I can, but when the third and second to last cores come up, I’m out on the core deck with the techs. Through art is comfort, and that’s what I seek. I play photographer, capturing the last moments the techs have to work together and perform a critical part of their job. Watching them do their tasks so effortlessly and in sync through my phone eases the dread. Are they feeling this dread and anxiety too? Are they okay? The techs joke with the drill floor roughnecks, who, despite working the hardest on the ship with heavy equipment 12 hours a day in all kinds of weather, keep up a positive attitude. The roughnecks are also part of the well-oiled machine: they care for the drilling equipment, build the drill strings at each new site, hoist the drilled sediment cores onto the deck. Two months on, two months off, they have made a huge sacrifice for the drilling program by being away from their homes and families for half of the year. Just last week, they were notified by the JR’s owner, SEA1, their positions will be terminated after this expedition. And it’s not just the roughnecks, it is everyone on this ship that works for SEA1: the captain, the offshore installation manager, all the way across the board. Everyone. The time is approximately 10:00 am. Two more hours until the last core, two more hours until the program ends.
The toolpushers and roughnecks on the drill floor. Photo by Chris Lyons.
It’s now 11:30 am, and I can’t work. My brain isn’t into doing the work, and neither is my heart. I can’t focus. It feels as if we’re all living through a murder, we’re all witnesses to the atrocity that is happening. And we can’t stop it. Shortly after, the expedition project manager, Thomas, comes into the sedimentology lab. ‘A few folks asked if the scientists are going to bring in the last core, but the techs should do it’. We agree heartily; this moment should be for them and we, the scientists, should stand by in solidarity and support. At 11:45, the techs and scientists each have their own crossover meetings, with the scientists assembling in the core lab, and the techs assembling near their workstations across from us. But today is different; the scientists are with the techs, we stand with them as we all await the last core to ever be drilled by the JR. TV screens in the labs show the drill floor, and a number at the top of the screen counts down, indicating the depth at which the core is. The core is coming up fast, it will be here soon. The techs are blasting ‘Whiskey in the Barrel’ by Metallica, waiting for the last ‘Core on deck!’ to be called.
The techs and scientists lined up by the door that leads out to the catwalk, awaiting the last core on deck.
The call comes at 12:20 pm. The normal ‘core on deck’ call, announced by the driller, is replaced by the voices of our expedition’s two co-chief scientists, Renata and Kristen. In the early days of scientific ocean drilling, the science parties were dominated by mid- to later-career men. The expedition we are on not only has two women co-chiefs, but it also contains a higher number of early career scientists than normal (PhD students, postdocs, those who have recently graduated from their graduate program and are a few years into their new jobs and careers). The science party contains 25 scientists, 15 of which are women. The average percentage of women from the last decade of expeditions has been about 52%; the average percent of early career scientists has averaged 33%. Career foundations have been built on this ship, scientific collaborations forged that have led to huge contributions to geology and the Earth sciences. I first learned about sailing on the JR while a naive undergraduate student. I went on to become one of those scientists who built a large foundation of my career upon scientific ocean drilling. As an Assistant Professor with four PhD students, I think of them and mourn the loss of the opportunities they will miss out on, and other graduate students, postdocs, professors, career professionals that will never get to experience this.
A stream of technicians come onto the catwalk and line up at the end, waiting for the roughnecks to pull the last core out of the core barrel and hand it off to them. I feel that I have to witness this; I can’t stand idly by in the Core Lab. Despite the chaos of the moment and the two film cameras pointed at the action, I sneak to the end of the catwalk to watch this moment, to be within it. The techs do their jobs, pulling the core onto the core deck, laying the long plastic tube containing precious seafloor sediments on the core holders. Wipe them down, measure them, cut them, cap the ends, take them into the Core Lab for labeling and to warm up to room temperature before being processed further. I sneak back inside through the Paleontology Lab side door so as not to disturb the flow of the work on the catwalk. Walking through the Core Lab, the scientists are gathered at the other end of the lab, lined up near the door where the techs bring in core sections. As the techs bring in the cut sections of the core, we cheer and clap for them.
The technicians on the catwalk bringing in the last core to be drilled on the JOIDES Resolution.
As the last core section is put in the racks in the Core Lab, it is approximately 12:40 pm. The roughnecks will now begin to disassemble the drill string, pulling up pipe that is dangling to the bottom of the ocean. Last minute tasks will be done, and we’ll set sail back to port in a few hours. In about six days, we’ll pull into port in Amsterdam, and for the last time, the crew, techs, and scientists will disembark from the JOIDES Resolution.
I go down to the mess hall for dinner, as it’s now close to the time dinner will stop being served. Oddly, I feel some relief; the anticipation of the last core is over. The heavy sadness remains, but this will dissipate in the coming days as I decide to enjoy the last remaining time on the ship with my new science family, absorbing all the good moments that I can. I walk back up the stairs after dinner, heading past the Core Deck on my way to Bridge Deck. The door to the Core Deck has a large window, and through it is the whiteboard for which the techs write the site we are currently drilling, the cores that we’ve drilled, the time they’ve come up, and the recovered length. It is customary at the end of every expedition to write ‘EOH’, ‘EOS’, EOX’ at the base of the board. But this time, there is a different three letter acronym written in blue: ‘EOP’.
End of Hole, End of Site, End of Expedition, End of Program.
The Core Lab board as seen through the Core Deck door.
On fieldwork in Texas sampling an outcrop of Cretaceous sediment to understand local conditions prior to the extinction event. Photo credit Chris Lowery.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. I am from the Northwest of the UK so was incredibly fortunate to grow up surrounded by national parks such as Eryri National Park (Snowdonia) and the UK coast. Thanks to this upbringing I am passionate about the outdoors and enjoy walking, cycling, bird watching and paddleboarding. I also enjoy travelling and have been lucky enough to visit some amazing places through my research. When I am at home, I enjoy cooking and exploring new cuisines.
What kind of scientist are you and what do you do? I find it quite hard to define what I do but broadly I am a palaeoecologist. My research focuses on understanding ecosystem responses and recovery from environmental stress using single celled marine organisms called foraminifera. Using a combination of techniques including geochemistry, statistical analyses and more recently micro-CT scanning I can understand how these marine organisms were growing, living, and evolving over millions of years and how that relates to the climate through geological time. I love learning new techniques and combining them with traditional methods to view ecosystems from a new perspective. One of the great things about my research is I get to wander through geological time and investigate interesting periods for example my current research focuses on ocean recovery following the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event (the one that killed the dinosaurs) but I am now also working on projects related to the Messinian Salinity Crisis when the Mediterranean Sea dried up.
What is your favorite part about being a scientist, and how did you get interested in science? I have always been interested in science, even as a small child I loved reading books about volcanoes and marine life. I really enjoyed science in school but really struggled with the pure science aspects, especially anything involving math, which I always felt would hold me back from being a scientist. Luckily, I had a great support network, and I was able to overcome a lot of these struggles and gain a place at the University of Leeds to study geology, a subject I was always curious about but never saw myself doing as a career. 14 years later and I’m still studying geology, so it was definitely a good choice! Geology turned out to be the ideal subject as it combine all the sciences to understand the world we live in. I am still intimidated by maths but try to push through that so much so that most of my research involves statistics and coding something I would never have though possible even five years ago. One of my favorite things about being a scientist, and a geologist, is the opportunity to travel. I have been able to visit at least six different countries including Chile and New Zealand and have participated in research expeditions to the South Atlantic and currently the Tyrrhenian Sea.
This is me on-board RRS Discovery in the South Atlantic standing next to the sediment cores we had just collected from the Falkland Plateau.
How does your work contribute to the betterment of society in general? A lot of my research focuses on understanding how ecosystems respond to climatic events which is really important and fundamental to understanding how ecosystems will respond to current and future human induced warming events. There is a lot of focus on ecosystem restoration in current scientific policy, particularly in the marine environment, yet there are still a lot of gaps in our understanding of recovery processes. My research works to address these gaps by using various events in geological time and uncovering the patterns and processes of ecosystem recovery. By filling in these gaps policy makers can make more informed decisions about marine restoration projects and marine monitoring.
What advice do you have for prospective scientists? I have been extremely fortunate to have had amazing mentors in my career and have therefore been given a lot of useful advice. The best piece of advice I’ve been given was to be patient. There is a pressure to continuously get results and keep moving on to bigger and better things and it’s very easy to get caught up in that mentality. But science takes time and sometimes in your career it can be much more beneficial to maybe take a sidestep and learn something new rather than pushing forward all the time. I still struggle with this advice but now try and take a step back before making big decisions. Another great piece of advice that is applicable for everyone is to write everything down. You might think you will remember, but you won’t! Even now I refer to notebooks from 8-10 years ago to get information or to go back to ideas I had but never had time to explore.
Victoria’s shipboard role is being a paleomagnetist.
Field work summer of ’22, Central Mongolia. The research team discusses structural geology problems. Victoria joined as a member of the Utah Paleomagnetic Center at the University of Utah.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Describe your hobbies and interests outside of science. I spend a lot of time outdoors; skiing, hiking, rollerblading or skateboarding. I also read lots of fantasy books and enjoy listening to live music. I try to travel as often as I can and immerse myself in different cultures.
What kind of scientist are you and what do you do? I am a graduate student and I identify as a Rock Magnetist. I analyze the magnetic properties of rocks and minerals to learn more about geological processes, environmental conditions, and the history of Earth’s magnetic field. I am passionate about early geoscience education. I spent a year working with a local middle school, bringing hands-on experiments and facilitating field trips revolving around earth science and geology. I volunteer at outreach events as often as I can.
Field work summer of ’22, Central Mongolia. Another image of the research team discussing geology.Field work summer of ’22, Central Mongolia. I am using a Brunton to take an oriented hand sample for paleomag (to interpret the magnetic signal of the Earth from deep time).
What is your favorite part about being a scientist, and how did you get interested in science? I have a very non-linear path. I took a few years off between high school and college, working at a local bar with no thought about higher education. I decided to go back to school and entered college as an anthropology major, took one geology course and fell in love. Our Geoclub held field trips every long weekend, where I was able to spend time camping outside with friends and learning about rocks. It is those moments that made me want to become a geologist. I also have an undergraduate degree in anthropology. I try to use it as often as possible, with my senior thesis being an archeo-magnetic study on Floridan potsherds. I am also currently involved in geoarchaeology research on roman concrete. I am president of Energy Club (an adaption of AAPG) at the University of Utah. With this club, I coordinate monthly seminars with industry professionals with the aim of teaching undergraduate student’s transferable skills (importance of machine learning in geoscience, adobe Illustrator for figure making, etc) and sharing career trajectories (hosting career panels filled with government, industry, and academics). We also hold a yearly department poster session with monetary awards for both graduate and undergraduate students. This coming year, we hope to hold an “earth science art exhibit” where students and professors can show off their artistic side with paintings of field sites, ‘beautiful’ data sets, and even a ‘bake your thesis’ category.
Field work in the Tetons in Wyoming, we had to get helicoptered in and we camped on the ice!
How did you learn about scientific ocean drilling? I told my advisor I would love to be on a research vessel and he shared with me the call for a paleomagnetist for this expedition.
How does your work contribute to the betterment of society in general? Magneto stratigraphy helps us date sediments. Rock magnetism can tell us about the strength and direction of the magnetic field at a certain time and location. It is also used to better understand tectonic processes.
More field photos from the ice after we helicoptered in. ! I assisted a friend with their work, acting as a geotech as they cored lake sediments for paleoclimate studies.
What advice do you have for prospective scientists? It truly is for anyone! People from all different backgrounds find their way into geoscience.
Have you received a piece of advice from your friends/mentors/advisors that has helped you navigate your career? Don’t be in a rush. Do what makes you excited, doing it fast while stressed out helps no one.
I’m on board a research vessel. We carried out a gravity core during an oceanographic cruise and I’m cutting the core into 1-meter-long subsections.
I’m a marine geologist thus interested in studying of solid Earth. Particularly, my research activity is focused in studying the evolution over time of our submerged Earth system, in this case taking attention on how deep basins, forming at the rear of a mountain chains and named back-arc basins, forms and their relationships with volcanoes or magma upwelling. Over this my interest are toward the various geological risks that can affect our life and that are earthquakes
and related tsunamis, landslides and tectonically- or climate change-controlled sea level changes. I realize these studies integrating the geophysical methods with geological information coming from sampled sediments. Geophysical methods are based on instruments (multibeam swath bathymetry, high-resolution sub-bottom profiles, single and multichannel seismic data) that allow to investigate the seafloor and the sub-seafloor rocks. The seafloor morphology in back-arc basins is more complex than one might imagine: here seafloor can reach depth over 4000 m below seafloor, and there are numerous submerged mountains that can be of volcanic- or tectonic-origin and can have dimensions sometimes huge. Between these mountains several canyons, sometimes hundred km long, flow from the coast to the oceanic deep moving enormous quantities of sediments. Deep basins or back-arc basins are formed as a consequence of the convergence between two plates or block of continents. The force generated by the convergence push the denser and heavier, even if thinner, oceanic crust to sink under the other oceanic crust (see the Mariana system) or continental crust (see the Apennine system) which, being less dense, floats. The subducting oceanic crust, called a slab, retreats as it sinks, forcing the upper continental or oceanic crust to follow it. This means that a block of crust breaks away from the continent and drifts, creating the conditions for magma to rise. The break is realized throughout the formation of discontinuities or faults generating earthquakes and, being
submerged, the energy released is able to trigger tsunamis. Sometimes the fragmentation of rocks creates conditions of gravitational instability that trigger landslides and gas emissions. Furthermore, seismic images of the rocks have revealed particular events associated with the lowering of the sea floor during past ice eras. Identifying and analyzing the frequency, recurrence, intensity of these events in the past, and how the Earth system reacts to these thermal changes will help better constrain modeling of future global changes. All these events and phenomena are recorded within sediments, thus by drilling and sampling it we are able to identify them and date. Combining these information with the seismic images of the subseafloor and with the seabed we can reconstruct the history of submerged continental margins and of deep basins, and also do paleo-climate reconstruction. All these studies improve risk analysis and make the lives of people and animals safer. Knowing our earth system allows us to adequately protect it.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and describe your hobbies and interests outside of science. Outside of science I have a passion for dance. In my life I have practiced different types of dance: modern and jazz dance, southern dance, african dance and recently I started pole dancing. This also inspired me to create a performance that combines pole dancing with science, which speaks to the health of the sea. The pole dancer moves in a volume of air as fishes move in a volume of water. I also like fashion and art.I love cats, I love them like children and I cried a lot and I still cry for the loss of my cat named Tiger. Two years after his death I got another cat, she is female, and I am in love again.
What kind of scientist are you and what do you do?Describe what your role is and your title; this can be on the ship and/or in your current career. I am a first level researcher at the Institute of Marine Sciences – National Research Council. I carry out all the activities ranging from writing a proposal, to participating in the oceanographic cruise in order to collect data, processing, analysis and finally writing an article or presentations of results. On board I often play the role of head of mission, but I also take part in technical operations, such as deployment and recovery of the seismic system, core sampling, morphobathymetric acquisition.
Do you use proxy data for research? What are those proxy data? The paleo-morphology of the seafloor to have evidence for climate change. Foramnifera to date sediment layers and turbidites to date earthquakes. Chemism of magmatic rocks to have information on processes that occur in the earth interior.
I’m working in my office. I am analyzing the high-resolution image of the seabed looking for structures capable of generating earthquakes or evidence of climate changes that occurred in the past (paleoclimatic study).
Do you conduct outreach, and if so, who do you communicate science to? Not systematically. Occasionally, I take part to events and with my dance and science performance, or a geophysical lab we have created (bathymetric maps, map of submerged risks, seismic method)
What is your favorite part about being a scientist, and how did you get interested in science? My favorite part is the beginning. When I was young, before university, I read popular magazines and one day I read about a large oceanographic ship that went out to sea collecting data to explore the depths of the ocean in order to understand the processes that allowed its evolution. I was so fascinated by it that I decided to enroll in the faculty of geology with the idea of going to sea. But I was at the university of a small city in central southern Italy, where the main studies were aimed at the tectonics of mountain systems and the seismogenic faults that had generated large earthquakes destroying several villages in the region. Towards the end of my fourth year of university I had lost hope of going to sea, but one day a professor said “there might be a possibility for some students to join a group on an oceanographic cruise. Are any of you interested?” I immediately said “I’m interested!”. A few months later I was on a ship and that was the beginning of my scientific life. But I had to leave my family and many of my friends and move from south to north Italy.
Discuss other scientific interests. I am interested in astrophysics, knowing how the Universe evolves and whether there are other life forms beyond us. This is just a curiosity and when I have the opportunity, I go to listen seminars or read some more informative articles. My legend is Margherita Hack, a great astrophysicist who loves cats.
How did you learn about scientific ocean drilling? During my work, I used data acquired during the old ODP program and thus I know of this huge and important program.
This figure is a summary of my work. I integrated the analysis of geological data derived from wells drilling with seismic images of the sub-seafloor and the morphology of the seabed.
How does your work contribute to the betterment of society in general? Through the analysis of how the mantle rises, how faults control the exhumation of the mantle, how fluids circulate along fault planes influencing block movements, how faults can rupture generating earthquakes, the recurrence and the sliding of blocks. All this helps us to better understand the evolution of the Earth and evaluate its geological risks.
Are you training the next generation of scientists? I train students through curricular internships, graduate thesis and doctoral students.
What advice do you have for prospective scientists? Be passionate, courageous, opened, positive, build good relations and try to fly to go where your scientific imagination tells you to go, but at the same time be rigorous.
Have you received a piece of advice from your friends/mentors/advisors that has helped you navigate your career? Become an expert in an area and build your skills so that you become strong in your research area.
Tell us a little bit about yourself, describe your hobbies and interests outside of science. I like to hike with friends, mountain bike, climb, football, basically all kind of sports that imply being outdoor in the mountains. In Germany, I trained a football team of international students and we played a European tournament in Athens (Greece).
What kind of scientist are you and what do you do? I am a PostDoc researcher in Marine Geology, especially focusing on i) mud volcanoes, gas- and mud-spewing structures similar to magmatic volcanoes; and ii) paleoseismology, studying the effect of extreme events related to earthquakes on the sedimentary archive of the ocean seafloor. In a sense, I am using i) mud volcanoes as deep boreholes to explore the interior of subduction zones (unreachable through scientific drilling), by analyzing their sediments’ / fluids’ geochemical and mineralogical composition; and ii) event deposits to reconstruct the paleoseismic history of a certain region.
Trying on a thermal immersion suit during a safety drill onboard a research vessel.
Do you conduct outreach, and if so, who do you communicate science to? I am trying to convey my science to the general public through diverse media (radio podcasts, news magazines, conferences/talks), in order to explain the societal application (and relevance) of what can be seen as quite abstract such as scientific research.
What is your favorite part about being a scientist, and how did you get interested in science? I started as and onland geologist as a university student due to my love for the outdoors and evolved into a marine geologist. I did not know anything related to marine geology until my PhD. I like basically everything that has to do with scientific innovation and green-energy, plus I am fascinated by biology.
How did you learn about scientific ocean drilling? If you are a marine geologist you should know the history of DSDP-ODP-IODP by heart 😉 I also participated in a previous IODP expedition.
How does your work contribute to the betterment of society in general? Subduction zones are where all the most destructive earthquakes (Mw>8) happen on earth. Nonetheless, several aspects of these complex geotectonic settings still remain obscure. Through the study of mud volcanism and paleoseismology I am trying to understand fluid and solid cycles in subduction zones, which play a role in their evolution and record past earthquakes. Understanding the seismic hazard coming from subduction zones and informing the population and the stakeholders on the risk implicated is key for an effective risk management.
Securing a gravity corer on the deck of a research vessel after retrieval.
Are you training the next generation of scientists? I am advising several PhD/MSc/BSc students, and I taught university courses/gave seminars to future scientists in the past.
Do you engage in community science? Whenever I discover something new on the seafloor I try to involve the local population in taking part with the naming process of the features.
What advice do you have for prospective scientists? It is above all a vocational path, in particular marine geoscience. I was born in the Italian Alps and could never have imagined that I would love being on a research vessel so much. Nothing will forge you better as a scientist then your motivation and drive for knowledge.
