VM: Hello everyone. My name is Viridis Miranda, I’m a Science Communication intern at EarthScope, and I’ll be interviewing here Nini Markhvashvili. How are you, Nini?

NM: I’m good. How are you doing? 

VM: Good and excited to beinterviewing you today. So Nini, could you tell us a little bit about what your internship position is, and what you like most about it. 

NM: So right now, I’m at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. So my work is definitely more on the geophysics side, specifically seismology, and it’s all computer based.

So I’ve been working with earthquake and station data, focusing on the Alaska region. And the goal is to understand how crust behaves beneath Alaska and how crust affects seismic waves, and to figure out how those crustal structures might be distorting our measurements of deeper parts of the earth. So it’s a lot of coding. I use Python and I use Shell scripting. I meet with my mentor bi-weekly, and those meetings are very helpful, because he walks me through the theory behind what we’re doing, and then he helps me to, like, plot diagrams. I didn’t really have any coding background going into this, so the first couple of weeks, we’re just like catching up with the most basic geophysical concepts, and like slowly getting comfortable with coding. Because I did take an Intro to Geophysics class in school, but I pretty much did not remember anything from it, and

I always wanted to get into coding, but I never really had the chance before. So I used to think that I would start learning through like free courses online or like YouTube during my last semester of university, but I was just too overwhelmed with classwork. So this summer has been like very, very cool and new experience, because I finally have a chance to dive into something like a computer world, like writing code, debugging and seeing how things come together. And it’s such a serotonin boost and a very rewarding experience, because you just work on a code and then suddenly there’s this, like, beautiful, visually appealing diagram sitting in front of you. So very rewarding. Also, I’m planning to submit my AGU abstract today, and I’ve never been to a conference before, so I’m excited to visit New Orleans this fall and see how people present their work, and also I will get a chance to share mine as well.

VM: Would you be presenting in a poster or in an oral presentation? 

NM: Poster. 

VM: Oh, that’s amazing. Posters are interactive and that’s very good to break the ice amongst other researchers and other students as well. And quick question, what other seismic instruments are you using in order to retrieve this data and then complement it with coding?

NM: So I don’t have hands-on experience with any seismic equipment. We just get our data downloaded from IRIS and process that through Python. I’m using a Jupyter notebook to do that so I don’t have hands-on experience with any equipment.

VM: Oh, no need to worry. For my graduate research. I deal with Apollo seismic data. So the Apollo lunar data was from 1969 to 1977 and I also download the seismic data from IRIS, which is pretty amazing. And what would you say is the most fun out of, like learning from Python, learning in a Jupyter notebook?

NM: I would say, like, as I said before, I think, just that you write a bunch of words, and then you just see this beautiful diagram in front of you, and it makes you understand, like theoretical concepts behind it much easier. I’m a visual learner. So then I, like, when I see the diagram, I know actually what’s going on. Yeah.

VM: That’s awesome. And you mentioned that you were doing a lot of classwork under your last undergraduate year. So are you a recent undergraduate?

NM: So I actually graduated this past winter from Binghamton University with a degree in Environmental Geology. I actually started off as a chemistry major, but I had no idea what I actually wanted to do with it. So I took an intro geology course to fill a requirement at Binghamton. It was called Earthquakes and Volcanoes. I talked to my professor after class one day, and he explained how many different directions you could go in with a geology degree. So I just spontaneously changed my major to geology.

VM: Geology is one of those degrees that’s pretty interdisciplinary, you can do a lot with it, especially right now with machine learning, Python, and programming being so relevant. It’s really cool that you’re picking up programming alongside geoscience. So, any plans for grad school?

NM: Yeah! Seismology is a lot of fun, but in school, my favorite classes were hydrology and geochemistry.
This internship definitely made me realize that I need to work on grasping computer languages, because if I end up doing hydrology, hydrologists use a lot of Python and GIS for modeling.
So this internship helped me realize I want to go to grad school. I want to do a degree in hydroinformatics and water management, basically study hydrology with a lot of computer modeling. That way I can build a stronger foundation in Python and GIS, then get into the workforce after.

VM: Awesome. That’s a very strong plan, hydrogeology and GIS. And the skills you’ve learned from Jupyter Notebook and Python can transfer into that graduate degree as well. So everything you’re doing now, you can carry into water management and water resources. That’s pretty cool.

NM: Yeah, definitely. This is the first step I had to take to inspire myself to go to grad school.
I was too intimidated to do any degree, especially a master’s, that involved coding. So this was my first step, and I’m really happy and grateful that I did it. I was really intimidated to use any kind of coding language before this. That was setting me back from applying to grad school and even considering it. But taking this first step, I’m very confident now that I want to continue with a master’s degree.

VM: That’s awesome. What advice would you give to other students who want to pursue a graduate degree similar to yours?

NM: Don’t be afraid to ask questions, even if they feel repetitive or stupid.
I’ve asked the same things multiple times, whether it was with my mentor during this internship or my professors in school. Most people I’ve interacted with are just happy to help and very patient.
Also, be open to stepping outside your comfort zone. Before I switched to geology, I wasn’t very outgoing or spontaneous. But I’d stay after class to ask my favorite professors questions, just out of curiosity, because I genuinely enjoyed chatting with them, they were such interesting people.
Those small things led me to experiences I never imagined, like spending a summer in Puerto Rico for field camp. I hiked through the entire island, tropical areas, mountains, mapping rocks.
When I first changed my major to geology, I had no idea what I was doing. I just followed what felt exciting in the moment, and I ended up here. I have no regrets.

VM: That’s amazing. So you did field camp in Puerto Rico?

NM: Yes, for six weeks. It was in Mayagüez, that’s where my campus was. I went there every morning.

VM: Oh my god, that’s super amazing! I have so many friends from there.

NM: It was one of the hardest experiences, but also one of the best.
One time I was hiking through a tropical area, I think it was Fajardo Beach, and I got bitten by mosquitoes. I had a bad allergic reaction, and my entire body was covered in bites.
I also camped in Fajardo for seven days. That was a cool experience too. I did things way outside my comfort zone.

VM: Oh my god. I’m overjoyed, I’m currently doing my master’s there, and I work as a geophysical analyst at the Puerto Rico Seismic Network. We monitor earthquakes across the island and a bit in the British Virgin Islands.
That’s so cool that you got to do field camp at my campus!

NM: Yeah, I had no idea what to expect. Also, I’ve learned I need to carry tons of mosquito repellent and Benadryl now because of my allergic reactions.

VM: I feel that! I’ve learned to always carry mosquito repellent. Also, did you know that mosquitoes are attracted to dark colors? Black leggings are a magnet.

NM: I didn’t know that!
Also, do you know Stephen Hughes?

VM: Yes!

NM: He was my undergrad advisor. I don’t know how it works in New York, but in Puerto Rico, undergrads are required to do two research projects before graduating. One of mine was with Stephen.

VM: That’s so cool! He does a lot of landslide monitoring. He took us to a site, I forget the name, that had completely collapsed. Houses were just falling. We did 3D drone modeling there.

NM: Oh my god, amazing. After Hurricane Maria, his landslide work really ramped up. Puerto Rico has a lot of landslide risk due to construction.
He and some students have been mapping the island piece by piece to build a sustainable landslide risk map.
He mainly uses drones since a lot of areas are too dangerous to explore on foot.

VM: That’s so cool. And geologically, Puerto Rico is such a diverse place. If you want sedimentary rocks, go north or south. Igneous and metamorphic? Go southwest or east. There are even batholiths and intrusions out there.
You don’t have to travel far, it’s five hours across the whole island!

NM: Exactly. I’m so glad I did it. I got exposed to every kind of environment. Geologically, Puerto Rico is perfect.

VM: Thank you. It’s my home, and I truly love it. I’m so happy someone like you got to study here. You seem like a really cool person.

NM: It’s such a coincidence!

VM: I’m so surprised!

NM: My first semester, I couldn’t wait to tell people. I actually went back this summer right before this internship. I stayed with a friend, Mia, from Puerto Rico.

VM: Oh! Mia works with Steven. She’s one of the newer students. Since I’m in grad school, I don’t know all the new undergrads by name, but yes, she’s one of his students.

NM: You probably know Kyle, too. He was very involved. I think he did an internship with NASA?

VM: Yes, I remember Kyle. He just got into grad school in Canada.
He and I worked on a rover project, collecting soil samples in Puerto Rico for analog environments. The engineering students need to do stratigraphic columns and soil analysis for competition.
We worked together for a year. Since he graduated, he wrapped up recently, but he’s a very cool guy.

NM: Oh, he was! We were grouped together for one of the field exercises. Very smart person.

VM: He really is. I told him, “You have a bright future. Keep doing what you love.” He’s so nice, smart, young, and passionate, exactly what this field needs.

NM: You really do have to be passionate. There will be hard days, experiments or code that don’t work. But you have to remind yourself, “This is what I love. This is what I want to do.”

VM: Exactly. Now you have another contact here in Puerto Rico!

NM: I think I’ll be back next summer. Puerto Rico is calling me every year.
My fiancé and I go snorkeling to see turtles. I’d never done that before.

VM: You already have my email! When you come back, let me know, we’ll take you to the best beaches.

NM: It’s happening!

VM: Yes! So, one of my last questions: what other hobbies or extracurriculars do you have?

NM: I’m really into weightlifting, been doing it for 3 to 4 years.
But I’m in Columbia right now, and it’s not very walkable. I don’t drive, so I had to take a break this summer.
I also play classical piano, but haven’t been able to do that either. So I picked up reading.

VM: Nice! I prefer movies myself.

NM: This summer, my apartment complex has a pool, so I’ve been reading by the pool in the evenings. Just trying to enjoy a slower pace. It’s been very therapeutic.

VM: That’s awesome. Finding ways to destress after a long day is important. Always remember to give yourself some grace.

Thank you Nini for your time!