Emelia Chamberlain
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego (USA)
Emelia, decked out in a red polar suit, is sampling meltwater in the central Arctic Ocean as a member of the MOSAiC International Arctic Drift Expedition (July 2020).
What’s the work that you do?
Though invisible to the naked eye, I am fascinated by the diverse roles that microbes (microscopic organisms such as bacteria or ice-algae) play within the polar ecosystem. My current research as a PhD student in the Bowman Lab (SIO UCSD) focuses on how microbial diversity mediates the biogeochemical cycles of oxygen and carbon in the rapidly changing Arctic Ocean, using a combination of field observations and modeling approaches.
What keeps you going?
There is so much that we don’t understand about the polar regions, and this greatly inhibits our power to protect. Even though my research questions may sometimes seem insignificant, or only represent a tiny piece of a greater scientific puzzle – you never know what information may hold the key to greater truths. Only by exploring all types of knowledge, can we pursue a greater understanding of our interconnected environment.
What’s your message to the world?
Stay curious! We all start our lives with an innate childhood curiosity about the world around us. By remaining open-minded into adulthood, we stand to learn so much – not only about the natural world, but our fellow human inhabitants as well. Knowledge and open-hearted understanding can only bring good.
Organisation: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego (USA)
Nationality:
United States
Disciplines: