Kristin Morrell of the University of California, San Francisco will present an award to help open the Earth sciences to others | UCSB

The National Science Foundation has honored UCSD Associate Professor Christine Morell as one of the winners of the 2021 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award.

The CAREER Award is the institution’s most prestigious honor to support early-career faculty, recognizing young faculty who have the potential to become role models in research and education.

“I am very honored to receive this award, and I am really looking forward to encouraging more students to be passionate about earth sciences and enjoy fieldwork,” Morrell said.

She plans to take advantage of discrimination and funding to support her research on plate tectonics and provide opportunities for underrepresented students to engage in Earth sciences.

“The department cannot be proud that the National Science Foundation awarded its most prestigious award to early-career faculty members to Professor Morrell,” said Andy Weiss, chair of the Earth Sciences Department. “This Himalayan-wide distinction widely advertises a rising star in our specialty.

“It will take her into a more impactful position as a research and educational model, and help our department achieve many of its most pressing goals. We look forward to the outstanding leadership role that Kristen will play as she enters the next phase of her career.”

Morell specializes in studying subduction zones, where one tectonic plate sinks beneath another. Due to the amount of contact this provides between the two plates, this boundary is capable of generating the largest earthquakes.

Our current understanding of subduction zones is that a sinking plate pulls the upper plate with it as it slides under it. This increases pressure, which leads to stress on the rocks.

An earthquake occurs when the plates finally slide, and the movement of the lower plate and the emergence of the upper plate both contribute to the shaking that occurs during the earthquake.

However, scientists don’t know much about how the upper plate rebounds during this process. The conventional model assumes that most of the deformation in the rock is temporary, and that the rocks return to their initial shape once pressure is released by earthquake.

The theory is simple and intuitive, but scientists have noticed a distortion in the top panel that is not explained in our current understanding. Recent field and seismic observations show that earthquakes can also occur within the rocks above, and this rock may also not return to its initial shape and location afterwards.

Sorting the mechanisms in action will advance knowledge of the important aspect of plate tectonics as well as the thing that influences earthquake preparedness.

Morell loves what she studies, but as a Latina in Earth sciences, she said she also faced challenges entering a field as part of an underrepresented group.

Desiring to have the opportunity for more people to consider a career in Earth sciences, she plans to apply recognition and funding from the CAREER Award to reach underrepresented students.

With a portion of the $6,009 funding that came with the award, Morrell intends to create one-year research internships for four undergraduates to accompany her in the field on Kodiak Island, Alaska, and the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica.

The internship will be coordinated through the Center for Science and Engineering Partnerships (CSEP), providing two sites for UCSD students and two sites for Santa Barbara Community College students. The funds will also enable Morell to expand her research by placing two graduate students in the Geosciences Department.

It also works with the campus group MAPAS (Adventure Access for All Students), which is designed to promote outdoor comfort for students who may have reservations about outdoor activities.

Morell plans to lead field trips to local sites, like Lizard’s Mouth, as well as longer trips to places like Yosemite and Joshua Tree National Parks.

“Fear of the outdoors can be one of the biggest barriers to entry for students in earth sciences,” Morrell said. “The field component of our major can be either a plus or a minus for students.

“This initiative is designed to break down some of these barriers so students can enjoy the excitement of being in the field instead of feeling neglected or uncomfortable in the great outdoors.”

Morell also plans to lead smaller workshops, such as the one that demystifies the backpacking experience. “Because we were limited to having only a few internships, I wanted a way to attract a larger audience of students to become interested in fieldwork and earth sciences in general,” she said.

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