Tagged with geochemical

Professor, Paleoceanography, Haydon Mort @_Geologize: A Day in the GeoLife Series

Geologize

Haydon Mort and his morning filming “assistants” – Photo copyright Haydon Mort

NAME:  Haydon Mort

CURRENT TITLE:  Visiting Professor

AREA OF EXPERTISE:  Geochemical paleoceanography and a few other things.

YEARS OF EXPERIENCE:  10 years of experience, post-PhD, including post-doc, teaching, consultancy, freelance and web design.

EDUCATION:
BSc (Hons) Earth Sciences. Plymouth University, UK; MRes. Global Change. Plymouth University, UK; PhD. “Biogeochemical changes at the Cenomanian-Turonian Oceanic Anoxic Event.” University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland; Post-doc. “Phosphorus cycling in Baltic Sea sediments.”

TWITTER: @_Geologize

WEBSITE:  http://bit.ly/_geologize

What’s your job like?

I’m responsible for teaching a few modules, most notable paleoclimatology. I have also taught “Stratigraphic Methods,” “Petroleum Geochemistry,” and “Analytical Geochemistry.”

I currently supervise three students: one bachelor’s, one master’s and one doctorate. In one way, the job is cool. As a visiting professor, I don’t have to deal with all the administrative work that a typical faculty member normally has to deal with. On the other hand, Brazil is going through a financial crisis, so there is no certainly as to whether my contract will be renewed after next year, which isn’t great when you have a family.

More recently, I have taken to making YouTube videos on my channel “Geologize.” The reasons for this initiative were two-fold: 1) As anyone who knows me will tell you, I love communicating science to anyone who will listen; and 2) Levi, our 6 month old son, gets up at 4:30 a.m. every day (even when the room is dark). So, instead of twiddling my thumbs, I find stuff to do until it’s time to go to university. I go downstairs (we live in an apartment) and walk around…mostly thinking about how I can make a cool geoscience story and sometimes doing some filming. This explains why Levi and Raphael occasionally appear in my videos. This was necessary rather than intentional. However, I can now see that people often like my videos precisely because I mix family with science. And in a way that goes well with the central narrative of the channel, which is that the geosciences are all around us and are something that everyone can participate in.

Geologize

Haydon Mort presenting a bit about the geology of mining in SW England. Photo copyright Haydon Mort

What’s a typical day like?

I’ll typically get up between 4-5 a.m. with Levi and Raphael (6 months and 3 years). My wife, Carla, frequently gets insomnia and sleeps late, so I have the morning shift. With Levi in his pushchair, I make a beeline for the coffee percolator, and in a few minutes, a glorious aroma of freshly brewed coffee fills the kitchen and living room. After some cereal, I put Levi in his baby kangaroo, head downstairs for a walk, and bring Raphael along if he’s awake.

I’ll head back upstairs at about 7.30 a.m. Hopefully Levi will have dropped off to sleep and Raphael will watch an episode of “Mickey Mouse’s Club House” whilst I jump in the shower and get ready to go to university [the Universidad Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE)]. I’ll then hand over the reins to Carla.

I normally arrive at UFPE at around 8-9 a.m. The day will consist of classes (I teach Paleoclimatology, Instrumental English and Geocommunication this semester), meetings, chasing up things with e-mails and phone calls, and editing (occasionally filming my videos).

I’ll go back home at about 11.30 a.m. (our place is a 20-30 drive from UFPE) for lunch to help out with the kids and help get Raphael ready for school (in Brazil, kids go to school either in the morning or the afternoon). I go back to UFPE at 2 p.m. for more of the same. Then I will try to come home by 5.30 p.m. to help with dinner and getting ready for bed.

With two kids, routine is important, and I try to be as flexible as possible at work in order to preserve this. Occasionally I have to travel for fieldwork or conferences, which throws things out of whack…but that’s the nature of the job.

What’s fun?

Going downstairs at 5-6 a.m. was a chore but has become fun. At university: teaching, discussions, debates and doing research (most recently with some fascinating stuff on the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum).

Hayden Mort

Descending through a Miocene-Turonian unconformity in Tarfaya, Morocco…attempting to sample the late Cenomanian Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE 2)..which turned out to be a success! Mort et al (2008). dos:10.1016/j.cretres.2008.05.026. Photo copyright Haydon Mort

What’s challenging?

Brazilian bureaucracy is suffocating. I once had to send a £1 million project to a different university because our financial department couldn’t handle the bilingual contract. A lack of functioning high-quality internal and available infrastructure means generating the quality and quantity of interdisciplinary data necessary to make it into a high-impact journal extremely difficult. In Europe, I was used to publishing in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (GCA), Geology and Nature Geosciences. In Brazil, if you get into Cretaceous Research, you’ve achieved something big.

The university faculty, many of whom are excellent, do their best with a system which is stacked against them. If they had the infrastructure available to them that scientists in the developed world take for granted, I have no doubt they would do outstanding research.

What’s your advice to students?

  • Do what interests you and if you don’t know what that is, find out. Be curious and ask obvious questions.
  • Don’t go to a lecturer/professor asking for ideas for a research project. Make your own and choose the appropriate faculty member. They will be far more impressed that you have come with your own interests.
  • Always remember to undertake interdisciplinary research. We live in a world where academics have become high-specialised. This is not healthy. Make a habit of chatting with geoscientists outside your research area. You might be surprised at the overlaps you have and thus create some highly novel ways to tackle old and unresolved questions. Interdisciplinary research gets you into high-impact journals.
  • Learn to communicate with the public. This will also help you communicate with other geoscientists in academia who are not from your area. It’s a skill that can and should be learned by any scientist, and it will be your ethical duty to correct misinformation put out by vested interests and the media. We live in a world of high information liquidity. Being heard is difficult. Finding your voice is the first step.
paleoceanography

Some anoxic glove box work (to protect the chemistry of sediments deposited under anoxic conditions from reoxydation), 2009. Photo copyright Haydon Mort

Research Fellow, Socio-Hydrogeology, Viviana Re @biralnas: A Day in the GeoLife Series

NAME: Viviana Re @biralnas

CURRENT TITLE:  Marie Curie Research Fellow at National Engineering School of Sfax (ENIS) – Laboratory of Radio-Analysis and Environment (LRAE) Sfax, Tunisia & Ca’ Foscari University of Venice – Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems, Venice, Italy.

AREA OF EXPERTISE: Groundwater science, socio-hydrogeology

EDUCATION:  PhD in Analysis and Governance of Sustainable Development (2011), Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (Italy); MSc. in Environmental Sciences (2007), Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (Italy); BSc. in Natural Sciences (2003), University of Pavia (Italy).

WEBSITE:   https://biralnas.wordpress.com/

VIDEO:  A Day in the Field

 

What’s your job like?

My current research concerns the development of a new approach to groundwater investigation called “socio-hydrogeology,” whose aim is to study the mutual relations between people and groundwater and to foster the inclusion of the social dimension in hydrogeological investigations. This means ensuring that the results of scientific investigations are not only based on real needs and local knowledge but are also adequately disseminated to end users (and polluters).

Since October 2013, I have been working as a Marie Curie Research Fellow on the Bir Al-Nas (Bottom-up IntegRated Approach for sustainable grouNdwater mAnagement in rural areaS) in Tunisia. This approach provides a practical example of the concept of socio-hydrogeology, as reinforced by the translation of the Arabic bir al-nas: “the people’s well.”

socio-hydrogeology

Socio-hydrogeology in practice: in situ measurements and farmers interviews (Cap Bon, Tunisia; Viviana Re, 2014)

socio-hydrogeology

Discussing about water issues with the farmers near Grombalia (Viviana Re, 2014)

What’s a typical day like?

One of the nice things about my job is that every day is different from the others. The part that I love most is indeed field work. This is because I can see my case study with my eyes, learning things I won’t find in any paper. Secondly, because I can work while enjoying the beautiful landscapes of Cap Bon, Tunisia instead of staring at my pc screen. Last, but not least, during the field work I am in close contact with local people. I can have a discussion with them, discover their culture, and have a better understanding of the implication of my research on water end-users.

socio-hydrogeology

Working in the field in Grombalia (Chiara Tringali, 2014)

If I’m not in the field I am working at my computer on geochemical and hydrogeological data analysis, writing papers or preparing outreach and dissemination activities.

Since September 2013, I have also been the director of the Early Career Hydrogeologists’ Network (ECHN) of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) (https://echn.iah.org/). Part of my spare time is dedicated to the coordination of different activities aimed at supporting hydrogeologists at the start of their professional careers.

What’s fun?

–The discussions with local farmers, as I can reach a better understanding of the issues at stake while also learning a lot of new things about a different (and very interesting) culture. In addition, this is a very precious moment for awareness raising and to build trust between farmers and scientists. As a side note, farmers and land owners are generally so nice that they even give us all sorts of citrus fruits (freshly picked from the tree), lightening our days with a kind of crash course on fruit tasting.

–The in situ measurement, especially when kids are around. With them I always have the impression of being like a circus clown, with my white gloves and some odd tools in the case, ready to do some funny things for them (and sometimes it also happens that they sit down with us and offer to help).

socio-hydrogeology

Kids curious about our work (Cap Bon, Tunisia; Chiara Tringali, 2014) Copyright Viviana Re

–Data interpretation, because I really enjoy finding possible solutions for the problem that I am studying, especially because this can be used to support new strategies for groundwater management and protection.

What’s challenging?

Data interpretation can be the most challenging part, as it requires time, dedication and knowledge. Besides that, it is really stimulating, as it pushes you to always learn new things. When I am a bit bored or tired about that, I remind myself why I am doing it and the ideals behind my research. This generally helps to find the energy and motivation I need!

Reaching managers and policy makers is another challenge, especially if you work in a foreign country. In this case, the close collaboration with local colleagues as cultural mediators is fundamental.

What’s your advice to students?

Follow your passions, work hard, be curious and never give up!

Only if you really like what you are doing you can overcome the (few) downs and really enjoy the (many) ups of your student/professional career.

Also, never hesitate to ask for advice from professors and senior scientists. They might be really happy to support you and to share their experience.

socio-hydrogeology

Groundwater and Oranges from Cap Bon, the result of a hard week of work! (Copyright Viviana Re, 2015)

PhD Student, Igneous Geochemistry, Rebecca Paisley @BeckyPaisley: A Day in the GeoLife Series

NAME:  Rebecca Paisley

CURRENT TITLE: PhD Student

AREA OF EXPERTISE:  Igneous Geochemistry, Volcanic Degassing, Isotope Disequilibria

YEARS EXPERIENCE:  4

EDUCATION:  PhD Student at McGill University, Canada since September 2014. MEarthSci in Earth Sciences (University of Oxford, United Kingdom).

WEBSITE:  https://paisleyabroad.wordpress.com/

Myself (centre) and friends Victoria and Ruth on a field trip looking at volcanic processes in Santorini, Greece. Photo credit: Ruth Amey

Myself (centre) and friends Victoria and Ruth on a field trip looking at volcanic processes in Santorini, Greece. Photo credit: Ruth Amey

What’s your job like?

It’s a combination of researching, studying and being a teaching assistant. During my PhD, I will be looking into the geochemical evidence for open-system degassing in rhyolitic systems, constraining the timescales involved and looking into how these processes affect the concentrations of metals from depth to the surface. To achieve this, I need to do fieldwork (to collect samples) and lab work (to obtain data), and most importantly, interpret my results. As my PhD develops, I will write up my research in papers and present it at conferences. So far, I have been reading to get up to speed with the background literature, see what has been done before and determine what I could work on. I’ve also had training days to learn lab techniques and how to use different instruments. Furthermore, I am a teaching assistant and this involves demonstrating in labs, marking papers and helping students with questions. It is a lot of fun but challenging at times!

What’s a typical day like?

The great thing about being a PhD student is that every day is different and you can plan what you want to do. I find I read best in the morning and then I try to use the afternoon to do other things. This can be lab work, preparing for classes I’m taking or classes I’m demonstrating in, writing an abstract or conference poster and ploughing through my emails. It all depends on what deadlines are approaching. Trying to stay on top of everything that needs to be done is quite a challenge, and the key is to be flexible with your time.

What’s fun?

I enjoy the fact that I’m getting to learn many different techniques for my PhD research but with that comes a lot of thinking, effort and the odd setback! It is great when you’ve completed an experiment, it has been successful and you get to play with the data you’ve collected. Furthermore, I’ve relocated from the UK to Canada for my PhD, and I have really enjoyed tackling the challenges that have come with the move. It means I’m getting to experience a whole new culture (and climate!) which, although daunting at times, has been great so far. I’ve even decided to blog about my PhD and time in Canada so people can read about my research and travels (see link above under “WEBSITE”).

What’s challenging?

Being a geochemist takes a lot of time, effort and preparation to get data. It can be frustrating to be months into a project and not have a lot of data to show for it. Also, there is always the risk that experiments fail and often you can’t reuse your samples again. But if research was easy it wouldn’t be as rewarding!

geochemistry

‘Cordon Caulle’ – the cone of Puyehue stratovolcano, part of the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle Volcanic Complex in Chile, and a steaming obsidian flow at sunset. This volcanic system is where my research is currently focused. Photo Credit: Hugh Tuffen.

What’s your advice to students?

My advice to students would be always choose to follow the thing you enjoy, as people always tend to succeed when they undertake something they find interesting and appealing. This applies to students looking to decide what degree to take or to undergraduates looking into their future careers. I found that I really enjoyed my research project during my undergraduate degree, so I looked into PhD applications. Applications for PhDs and graduate work are always stressful. The trick is to try not to get disheartened or too worried about them (although this is easier said than done) and always keep a look out for the right project or job, because they do come along!

 

Geoscientist, Geochemical Analysis, Dr. Chuck Magee @cwmagee: A Day in the GeoLife Series

Dr. Chuck Magee, Geosience Applications Specialist

Dr. Chuck Magee, Geosience Applications Specialist

NAME:  Dr. Chuck Magee

CURRENT TITLE:  Geoscience Applications Specialist

AREA OF EXPERTISE:  Geochemical analysis

YEARS EXPERIENCE:  Five years in this job, and 6 years in previous analytical positions

EDUCATION: Ph.D. in geology

WEBSITE:  http://www.asi-pl.com.au/

What’s your job like?

I’m a geologist working for an engineering firm that makes the Sensitive High-Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP), an instrument used to for geochemical analysis.  As a result, my job is varied.  Once the engineers assemble the instruments, I help troubleshoot them and get them operational.  I then train the customers to use their instrumentation.  As most of our customers are international, the job involves a fair amount of travel, often to countries with different languages, alphabets, cultures, etc.

In addition to the website above, information on SHRIMP can be found at the following link:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensitive_high-resolution_ion_microprobe

What’s a typical day like?

Currently, I am doing a field installation in Tokyo.  I get to the customer site a bit before 9 a.m., greet the customer, and work on getting the SHRIMP operational and training the users.  Today, for example, this has included making sure that the ion beam is aligned with the detectors, and getting the electron gun up and running. Usually we do operations and training in the morning and after lunch, then do any work necessary in the vacuum chamber in the late afternoon, so that the instrument can pump out overnight.

What’s fun?

Seeing new places and things that I never even imagined is fun.  Actually dialing up isotopes and driving the instruments to teach the users is fantastic once everything comes together. And meeting people from all over the world who love fancy instrumentation and appreciate deep time is always enjoyable. And coming up with new ideas and making the instruments measure things that have never been measured before is pretty cool.

What’s challenging?

Making things actually work the way they are supposed to can sometimes be difficult, especially if we have to do them on a tight timescale, or if bits have been dropped in transit. Sometimes the culture shock can be isolating, especially on long deployments.

What’s your advice to students?

There are a lot of transferable skills in geology that I didn’t appreciate as useful when I was studying.  The ability to think in 3D and to handle arbitrary projections of the sort we learn in petrology is great for thinking like an ion beam, or assembling machined parts.  The travel and deprivation of field work, and the sense of humility engendered by deep time are very useful when navigating cultures in far corners of the globe. And familiarity with multiple working hypotheses is advantageous in any type of troubleshooting.