“(Clockwise) Erica, Natalya, Laura, Kripa, B. and Sabrina gathering together for a tasty meal.” Hi there! I'm Laura, an undergraduate student at McGill. This summer, I had the pleasure of completing my first research experience in the Gomez Geodynamics Group, and I’d love to tell you a bit about it.
Though I study computer science, I’m also very passionate about planetary science – whether exoplanets, astrobiology, or Earth itself! I even majored briefly in the Planetary Sciences program. Furthermore, after a few years of editing manuscripts for the McGill Science Undergraduate Research Journal, I knew I wanted to experience research firsthand. I decided to follow my interests and applied for a
project in Natalya’s lab.
My work aimed to quantify the Antarctic Ice Sheet’s contribution to future sea level rise. This ice sheet is currently the largest source of uncertainty in sea level projections, with much of its impact predicted for after 2100. Due to computational limits, most models only run up to that year, but recent models have now extended projections of the ice sheet up to 2300. My task was to translate this new data into corresponding global sea level change projections.
Beyond the research, my summer was peppered with activities like weekly group paper discussions or the Trottier Space Institute’s summer program, which featured weekly workshops and culminated in an undergraduate research showcase. Sharing my work with my peers and other labs in the Institute was one of the highlights of my time here! Of course, this post would be incomplete if I didn't also mention our many ice cream or other food outings
For students interested in this lab but studying a different field: trust in your versatility. When I was applying for the SURA award and reaching out to Earth science professors, I felt considerable self-doubt, especially with the Gomez group. Here was a lab rooted in physics, a subject I hadn't studied in over two years and never past the freshman level. I worried I didn’t have the background to contribute. Thankfully, I was wrong! My work resembled a data science project: working with large datasets, identifying, cleaning and transforming subsets of the data to achieve various goals, and writing well-documented programs for a reusable workflow. For these tasks, my background was actually an asset. Of course, I was paired with a project that fit my skills, but the point is that you shouldn't make assumptions about where you do and don't belong.
The more I explore research, the more I notice how interdisciplinary it is. This project used data from ISMIP6 (Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project for CMIP6), an initiative that bridges the gap between ice sheet and global climate modeling. The collaboration between these distinct research communities is crucial because it allows for more accurate predictions of sea level rise. Furthermore, these results don’t just stay within academia -- they reach policymakers and stakeholders who rely on these projections for climate resilience and adaptation planning. Hopefully, you're starting to see the very wide range of fields and specialists that contribute somewhere along the process.
So if you’re hesitating to do research in a field different from your major, go for it! Most likely, you will be pleasantly surprised in your abilities even as you learn completely new topics and skills. Personally, I’m leaving this experience with a deep interest in global sea level dynamics, and some newfound confidence.
Laura
Though I study computer science, I’m also very passionate about planetary science – whether exoplanets, astrobiology, or Earth itself! I even majored briefly in the Planetary Sciences program. Furthermore, after a few years of editing manuscripts for the McGill Science Undergraduate Research Journal, I knew I wanted to experience research firsthand. I decided to follow my interests and applied for a
project in Natalya’s lab.
My work aimed to quantify the Antarctic Ice Sheet’s contribution to future sea level rise. This ice sheet is currently the largest source of uncertainty in sea level projections, with much of its impact predicted for after 2100. Due to computational limits, most models only run up to that year, but recent models have now extended projections of the ice sheet up to 2300. My task was to translate this new data into corresponding global sea level change projections.
Beyond the research, my summer was peppered with activities like weekly group paper discussions or the Trottier Space Institute’s summer program, which featured weekly workshops and culminated in an undergraduate research showcase. Sharing my work with my peers and other labs in the Institute was one of the highlights of my time here! Of course, this post would be incomplete if I didn't also mention our many ice cream or other food outings
For students interested in this lab but studying a different field: trust in your versatility. When I was applying for the SURA award and reaching out to Earth science professors, I felt considerable self-doubt, especially with the Gomez group. Here was a lab rooted in physics, a subject I hadn't studied in over two years and never past the freshman level. I worried I didn’t have the background to contribute. Thankfully, I was wrong! My work resembled a data science project: working with large datasets, identifying, cleaning and transforming subsets of the data to achieve various goals, and writing well-documented programs for a reusable workflow. For these tasks, my background was actually an asset. Of course, I was paired with a project that fit my skills, but the point is that you shouldn't make assumptions about where you do and don't belong.
The more I explore research, the more I notice how interdisciplinary it is. This project used data from ISMIP6 (Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project for CMIP6), an initiative that bridges the gap between ice sheet and global climate modeling. The collaboration between these distinct research communities is crucial because it allows for more accurate predictions of sea level rise. Furthermore, these results don’t just stay within academia -- they reach policymakers and stakeholders who rely on these projections for climate resilience and adaptation planning. Hopefully, you're starting to see the very wide range of fields and specialists that contribute somewhere along the process.
So if you’re hesitating to do research in a field different from your major, go for it! Most likely, you will be pleasantly surprised in your abilities even as you learn completely new topics and skills. Personally, I’m leaving this experience with a deep interest in global sea level dynamics, and some newfound confidence.
Laura
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