![]() They can travel kind of anywhere they want, moving in and out of different parts of the volcanic system. And I like to say that volcanic gases are like the messengers of a volcanic system. And what we did there was to look at the entire system of the volcano, and that means from the surface– even from the atmosphere– to the surface, all the way down, into the guts of the volcano, which sit miles beneath the surface.Īnd the way that I do that– and the way that I investigate volcanoes– is to look at the volcanic gases that come out at the top. The work I did there set the tone for a lot of the work that I’ve done throughout my career. KAYLA IACOVINO: Yeah, so that was during my PhD studies, when I was a PhD student. You mentioned 10 years ago– when you called into this show live from Antarctica, while you were in the middle of an expedition to Mount Erebus. IRA FLATOW: I do to, to tell you the truth. And I actually– I love hearing that other people can see that, as well. KAYLA IACOVINO: It’s funny, you know, because, for me, I feel that joy. ![]() I was watching you in the video that we have done here, in our “Breakthrough” series, lovingly touching the side of some sediment that you were collecting. ![]() IRA FLATOW: Not only that but volcanoes fascinate you themselves. In my studies, some of the most rewarding things about what I get to do is to meet people from all over the world, people who are living with volcanoes right on their doorsteps and really dealing with the actual hazards of them on a day-to-day basis.Īnd that’s the part of my job, really, that I love the most, is the human element. And I think what influenced me was the spirit of exploration, not only of the natural world– which started my interest in science in general– but also the study of the human condition. I’m a huge Star Trek fan, huge sci-fi fan to this day, and it takes up a lot of my free time. KAYLA IACOVINO: Yeah, I think it definitely did. IRA FLATOW: Did Star Trek– did it influence your career at all and what you’re studying? KAYLA IACOVINO: That’s right, yeah, born and raised. IRA FLATOW: Now I’ve heard from you, and from studying your biography, that you started out as a different kind of vulcan fan, a big Star Trek fan. KAYLA IACOVINO: Yeah, I think it was– the first time we talked was, what, 10 years ago? And I was on the flanks of Erebus Volcano down in Antarctica, speaking to you via sat-phone. You were out in the field staring at a gaping hole in a volcano, in previous discussions that we had. IRA FLATOW: Well, it’s nice to have you back. KAYLA IACOVINO: Hi Ira, great to be here. She’s featured in our second season of “Breakthrough: Portraits of Women in Science,” a video-series that profiles scientists and gets a closer look at how their lives and work intersect. Kayla Iacovino is an experimental petrologist for Jacobs at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. She’s studied volcanoes from Costa Rica to Antarctica and is even looking to other planets. My next guest is one of those scientists. And scientists are studying the gases and the rocks inside of volcanoes, to piece together answers to this question, “How will we know when they erupt?”Īnd they hope to understand what volcanoes can tell us about the impacts they have on the planet’s climate, atmosphere, and geology. Redoubt in Alaska, collected by researchers at the Alaska Volcano Observatory and the University of Washington.īut the geologic precursors of these giant eruptions, well, they are less obvious. Those volcanoes know how to make an entrance, don’t they? That was the sound of an eruption from inside of Mt. We notice volcanoes when they erupt– huge, dramatic plumes of ash, glowing lava, spewing high into the air.
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