SMS graduate student co-author on Science research article after 2-month JOIDES sea expedition

Jordyn Robare, a PhD student with SMS researcher Everett Shock, is a co-author on an article in the highly competitive journal, Science. The article, A long section of serpentinized depleted mantle peridotite | Science, presents results from a two-month scientific expedition aboard the JOIDES Resolution, a research vessel that drills into the ocean floor to collect and study core samples. These samples are used to study geology, biology, climate change, and Earth’s history.

The rock samples for this study were recovered from 1268 meters deep in a hydrothermally altered region of the mid-Atlantic ridge to provide insight into the uplifted mantle rocks and potential prebiotic chemistry therein. 

Robare submitted a proposal to the International Ocean Discovery Program to be part of this expedition. Her research, which is ongoing, focuses on studying cell-membrane lipids extracted from rock and sediment samples to better understand variations in lipid composition as they relate to their environmental context, such as beneath the oceanic crust or Yellowstone hot springs.

“Being on the JOIDES Resolution was a great experience,” Robare commented. “Living at sea for two months was challenging at times but an invaluable experience. Working with scientists from around the world with a range of disciplines from microbiology to petrology to geochemistry gave me scientific perspectives that I will carry with me throughout my career.”