2. Am I allowed "what the fuck even"? ;) Mostly, the thing I'm proper enjoying is that I'm working with mantle convection dynamics from a chemical perspective - I'm using the chemistry of lavas to trace some of the workings of plate tectonics and specifically the origins/sources/character of mantle plumes, which are the proposed (and generally accepted!) major cause of intraplate volcanism. (I can make this bit in more lay-people-friendly words once I have showered - everyone, please do feel encouraged to ask me to clarify if you'd like!) It's a field that still involves a lot of argument, and because I'm me I'm kind of delighted that my data has the potential to really piss people off in fascinating and conversation-stimulating ways. Pleased! Basically, what material exactly mantle plumes are composed of - whether they're lower mantle, or incorporate subducted material, and if so how much; or whether they include material from the core-mantle boundary - is an open question and one that attracts a lot of research, and my work will hopefully provide significant information on the are-sediments-included part of that question.
3. I describe above some of how I got here and how long I've been focussed: isotope geochemistry only really became The Thing I Was Definitely Doing about eighteen months ago. The learning curve was much less bad than it could have been, precisely because I've got a strong background in chemistry. I've talked a little before about identifying chemists by how they use their hands: that these habits were already ingrained has been helpful. The thing I still struggle most with is memory and self-directed reading, unsurprisingly; the self-directed reading is obviously autism-related, but memory is unfortunately a side-effect of the citalopram -- it used to be much much better before I was on the stuff. It's an occasionally frustrating trade-off to have made, but fundamentally I am way more functional with a fucked memory than I am unmedicated, so.
(More? I kind of feel like I need to put more fluid into my face to answer your questions competently - gonna put a pot of tea on - but does that start to answer?)
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regna
(no subject)
Date: 2014-06-21 02:47 pm (UTC)2. Am I allowed "what the fuck even"? ;) Mostly, the thing I'm proper enjoying is that I'm working with mantle convection dynamics from a chemical perspective - I'm using the chemistry of lavas to trace some of the workings of plate tectonics and specifically the origins/sources/character of mantle plumes, which are the proposed (and generally accepted!) major cause of intraplate volcanism. (I can make this bit in more lay-people-friendly words once I have showered - everyone, please do feel encouraged to ask me to clarify if you'd like!) It's a field that still involves a lot of argument, and because I'm me I'm kind of delighted that my data has the potential to really piss people off in fascinating and conversation-stimulating ways. Pleased! Basically, what material exactly mantle plumes are composed of - whether they're lower mantle, or incorporate subducted material, and if so how much; or whether they include material from the core-mantle boundary - is an open question and one that attracts a lot of research, and my work will hopefully provide significant information on the are-sediments-included part of that question.
3. I describe above some of how I got here and how long I've been focussed: isotope geochemistry only really became The Thing I Was Definitely Doing about eighteen months ago. The learning curve was much less bad than it could have been, precisely because I've got a strong background in chemistry. I've talked a little before about identifying chemists by how they use their hands: that these habits were already ingrained has been helpful. The thing I still struggle most with is memory and self-directed reading, unsurprisingly; the self-directed reading is obviously autism-related, but memory is unfortunately a side-effect of the citalopram -- it used to be much much better before I was on the stuff. It's an occasionally frustrating trade-off to have made, but fundamentally I am way more functional with a fucked memory than I am unmedicated, so.
(More? I kind of feel like I need to put more fluid into my face to answer your questions competently - gonna put a pot of tea on - but does that start to answer?)