When we think about expanding our horizons, we might envision trying a new cuisine or exploring a new hobby. But, rarely do we think about expanding our horizons all the way to the icy plains of Antarctica.
For IU Northwest alumna Ryan Venturelli, Antarctica is precisely where her educational journey has taken her. Since we last caught up with Venturelli in 2013, she has gone on to earn her master’s degree and doctorate, focusing on earth science and geochemistry.
A highlight of her postgraduate career has been working on the Subglacial Antarctic Lakes Scientific Access Project, or SALSA for short. (Ironic name for an assignment lacking heat!)
“My role was looking to subglacial lake sediments [that can] be used as a reservoir of information,” Venturelli said. “We’re really trying to understand how much the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has changed in this past, so that we may better constrain how much it will respond to modern and future global warming.”
While Venturelli’s work certainly has daunting implications for the world’s future, she hasn’t lost her sense of amazement at just what one can learn by doing science.
“I think Antarctic research is really cool because it brings you to a state of childlike wonder,” she said. In a particularly intriguing example, Venturelli said that subglacial research provides an idea of what life might be like on icy planets.
Even though today Venturelli is preoccupied with topics as far-reaching as Antarctic ice sheets and life elsewhere in the solar system, she hasn’t forgotten the profound impact of her IU Northwest education.
“I can’t imagine what would have happened if I went to a bigger campus where I wouldn’t have taken a geology course so early,” Venturelli said. “I feel very, very lucky to have had IU Northwest and my professors steer me in the right direction.”
She cites the geosciences department’s well-rounded curriculum, early introduction to research, and supportive faculty members as contributors to her success. In fact, she still maintains mentorships with some of her undergraduate professors. Four of her IU Northwest professors came to her recent dissertation defense.
“I’ve kept in contact with Dr. Argyilan the most; I would say she’s one of my biggest mentors, both personally and professionally,” Venturelli said. As a female scientist herself, Venturelli stresses the importance of having a female mentor in a male-dominated field.
With so many fascinating projects already under her belt, what’s next for Ryan Venturelli? In the near future, she will be heading to Tulane University to complete her postdoctoral work. During that time, she plans to continue her research on Antarctica, focusing on the Thwaites Glacier, in particular.
“Then my long-term career goal is to seek an academic tenure-track faculty position,” she said. “I’m interested in continuing to tell Antarctica’s subglacial secrets.”
Venturelli’s success is a much-needed reminder of what’s possible when we dedicate ourselves to something, even when it seems too far reaching, daunting, or challenging.
“I think people can be afraid of science—for whatever reason, we view science as being scary and hard,” Venturelli said. “I just want everyone to know that we can all be scientists.”