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What started with an interaction on X (formally Twitter) soon led to an opportunity of a lifetime—a chance to conduct oceanographic research alongside some of the industry’s most seasoned scientists and scholars.

Originally from Puerto Rico, Tatiana Fernandez-Perez is a third-year ������ Ph.D. candidate in applied geology researching paleoceanography and biogeochemistry. After completing her bachelor’s degree from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Fernandez-Perez was seeking out a variety of different programs and advisors to advance her studies. Then, she connected with Allyson Tessin, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at ������.

“I ended up finding Allie through X (formally Twitter), which was very funny,” Fernandez-Perez said. “She had tweeted that she had funding and was looking for students.”

"The first time that I talked to Tati was on a Zoom call...she was so engaged and excited,” Tessin said. “It was truly infectious the passion that she had about a future in research and teaching. From that first conversation, I was determined to have her join us here at ������.”

Expedition 398
Initially, Fernadez-Perez’s research was primarily focused on carbon cycles and how nutrient cycles affect carbon cycles. But, when she was invited to the highly competitive IODP (International Ocean Discovery Program) Expedition 398—Hellenic Arc Volcanic Field (near Greece) as their onboard organic geochemist, she quickly grew interested in studying the volcanically-derived nutrients’ role within the carbon cycle as well. The expedition's purpose was to drill and study one of the most active volcanic regions in Europe to further understand volcanic patterns and history. Expedition 398 was open to a variety of scholars and scientists varying in seniority and experience, so Tatiana was able to both earn and seize the opportunity of invitation to this excursion with both her skill and unparalleled passion.

“Understanding the volcanic history of this area is very important to understand what could possibly happen in the future,” Fernandez-Perez said. “The Minoan eruption, which was the last big eruption for the Santorini Caldera, was possibly one of the reasons for the demise of the Minoan civilization in the Bronze Age.”

“On the ship, I took headspace gas samples from cores to monitor hydrocarbon content for safety and environmental concerns,” Fernandez-Perez said. “My other main responsibility was to analyze sediment samples for total carbon and carbonate content.”

This opportunity allowed Fernandez-Perez to collaborate with a variety of scholars and professionals in her field. She says that this diversity of collaboration was one of her favorite parts of the excursion.

“The people who make up the science party, (a lot of them) are PhD students, but a lot of them are early career researchers or maybe they've been working in this area their entire career, or are close to retirement,” Fernandez-Perez said. “But once you step onto the ship, you're all peers.”

After returning from her expedition with IODP, Fernandez-Perez received word that the National Science Foundation (NSF) would no longer be funding IODP’s JOIDES Resolution, one of the scientific drilling ships used in expeditions like Fernadez-Perez's excursion. This news meant that the International Ocean Discovery Program would be set to end in 2024, making less opportunities and discoveries via ocean drilling accessible for scholars like Fernadez-Perez.

“It was really sad,” Fernadez-Perez said. “Ocean drilling science has delivered a lot of important discoveries to different fields besides geology.”

Looking to the Future
Fernadez-Perez plans to use part of the data collected on the ship in her Ph.D. project regarding the Aegean Sea’s role in possibly fertilizing seawater and the formation of Mediterranean sapropel deposits.

“These deposits contain a wealth of information about paleoclimatic patterns over the Mediterranean and help inform us about bigger trends of the carbon cycle,” Fernandez-Perez said.

Fernadez-Perez, who plans to complete her studies by 2026, is currently a teacher’s assistant (TA) while she conducts her primary research. Mentoring the undergrads in labs is one of many things that she finds gratifying and enjoys within her program of study.

“In the future, ideally, I would love to go back to Puerto Rico because I love Puerto Rico. I would love to be a professor there and help other students find opportunities,” Ferandez-Perez said.

“Tati is hard working and determined, especially when she puts her mind to something,” Tessin said. “Whether it is with her fellow graduate students or the undergraduate students that she works with, she is excellent at making others feel included. It is invigorating to work with someone who has that level of engagement in what they are doing.”

“Students looking into any Ph.D. studies should reach out to all the people that they can and apply for it even if they don't think that they have the experience...because the worst thing that others can say is no,” Fernadez-Perez said. “And, even if other people might be ready to count you out, you shouldn't be the first person to count yourself out.”

Media Contact:
Jim Maxwell, 330-672-8028, JMAXWEL2@kent.edu