{"id":61,"date":"2022-01-24T22:48:34","date_gmt":"2022-01-24T22:48:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2022-volume-3-issue-1\/globetrotting-alumna-reaches-destination-thanks-to-curiosity-and-time\/"},"modified":"2022-02-09T17:52:57","modified_gmt":"2022-02-09T17:52:57","slug":"globetrotting-alumna-reaches-destination-thanks-to-curiosity-and-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2022-volume-3-issue-1\/globetrotting-alumna-reaches-destination-thanks-to-curiosity-and-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Globetrotting alumna reaches destination thanks to curiosity and time"},"content":{"rendered":"

At negative 40 degrees, the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales line up.<\/span><\/p>\n

Standing on the deck of a research boat in Antarctica, glaciers looming in the distance, Laura Taylor Barnett experienced this phenomenon herself. And beneath the balaclava shielding her nose and mouth, the San Jacinto College alumna was beaming.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

In January 2020, the undergraduate student cruised from Chile to Antarctica for the Thwaites Glacier Offshore Research Project. The team of 26 geologists, geophysicists, and oceanographers were collecting sediment cores, water samples, and seismic and multibeam data to understand what drove ancient and modern glacial retreat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eight years earlier, Barnett would have pictured herself far from the southernmost continent. Back then, she was pursuing criminal justice at San Jac to become a correctional officer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was young and wanted to change the world,\u201d she said. \u201cThen I got disheartened by the correctional system.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While figuring out her new path, Barnett wound up in physical geology to fill her science credit. The course content and \u201cyoung, hip\u201d professor Dr. Liana Boop triggered her \u201cof course\u201d moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had always asked a bunch of questions but didn\u2019t connect that curiosity to a research mindset,\u201d Barnett said.<\/span><\/p>\n

She finished as a physical science major, then enrolled in the University of Houston\u2019s geology program. While pursuing her bachelor\u2019s degree, she took graduate-level classes from a professor who sidelined as chief scientist for expeditions to analyze the Thwaites Glacier. This \u201cDoomsday Glacier\u201d is predicted to raise sea level 2 feet worldwide when it melts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Spying her interest in climate change, this professor invited Barnett to be an alternate for an upcoming trip. Two weeks before departure, she was tapped to join the team.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was the alternate that got lucky,\u201d she said.\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Barnett\u2019s team not only collected sediment cores off glaciers but also discovered a newly exposed island, which they named Sif after the Greek goddess and wife of Thor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAntarctica was beautiful beyond words \u2014 spectacular,\u201d she said. \u201cThe sun never set while we were there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond Antarctica, Barnett has studied the North American monsoon ancient record in Mexico, collected geophysical data of the Walvis Ridge offshore from Namibia, and investigated the Grand Canyon\u2019s age of formation.<\/span><\/p>\n

While some students earn their associate degrees alongside high school diplomas, Barnett took the opposite route \u2014 \u201cnot feeling a lot of pressure to graduate at a young age.\u201d She started at San Jac at 19, then completed her bachelor\u2019s degree at 28. Most semesters, she took fewer than 12 hours, focusing on exploring her interests and asking questions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now 29, the former undecided major is pursuing a doctorate in marine geology and geophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m studying ancient hurricanes in the North Atlantic and the ancient oceanographic conditions that impacted their frequency \u2014 to better understand how future hurricanes will develop under rising sea-level and warming oceans,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Boop, her former professor, isn\u2019t surprised about her path.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOnly 5 percent of the oceans are explored, so I think this curiosity will serve Laura well in the field of marine geology,\u201d she said. \u201cThe wonderful thing about research is you can let your questions and curiosities guide you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Time, it turns out, was the best gift Barnett could give herself.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI never had the mindset \u2018I didn\u2019t graduate at 22 \u2014 I\u2019m a failure!\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cMy Ph.D. is so specific. I don\u2019t think I would have gotten there if I hadn\u2019t given myself time.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Houston ranks among the top 10 cities nationwide for science, technology, engineering, and math careers. Explore your STEM education options at San Jac: sanjac.edu\/stem<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

By Courtney Morris<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At negative 40 degrees, the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales line up. Standing on the deck of a research boat in Antarctica, glaciers looming in the distance, Laura Taylor Barnett experienced this phenomenon herself. And beneath the balaclava shielding her nose and mouth, the San Jacinto College alumna was beaming. In January 2020, the undergraduate student… read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":60,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,5,1],"tags":[],"article_type":[],"class_list":["post-61","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-physical-sciences","category-success-story","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nGlobetrotting alumna reaches destination thanks to curiosity and time - Spring 2022, Volume 3 \u2013 Issue 1<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/spring-2022-volume-3-issue-1\/globetrotting-alumna-reaches-destination-thanks-to-curiosity-and-time\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Globetrotting alumna reaches destination thanks to curiosity and time\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At negative 40 degrees, the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales line up. 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