Seventy percent of the Earth’s surface is below the ocean, yet 95 % remains unexplored. Beneath the vast expanse of the world’s oceans lies an enigmatic realm – a hidden landscape of geological wonders that has remained mysterious until recent decades. Marine seismology, a dynamic branch of geophysics, has allowed scientists to peer beneath the ocean waves. Taylor Tracey Kyryliuk is a PhD candidate in the Earth and Environmental Sciences department working with fellow geoscientists and supervisor Professor Pascal Audet to explore the Earth’s subsurface and hidden resources. Taylor’s research experience has been substantially enhanced by participating in the NSERC iMAGE-CREATE training program.
iMAGE-CREATE is a novel Marine Geodynamics and Georesources platform under NSERC’s Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program, which brings together land-based geoscientists and marine scientists to unveil the mystery of Earth’s subsurface. The program offers training and mentorship to highly qualified students and postdoctoral fellows from Canada and abroad. iMAGE-CREATE participants engage in a wide range of experimental research, along with team projects, competitions, field schools, workshops, and other activities focussed on exploring the continental and oceanic lithosphere (the solid outer part of Earth).
Taylor benefited from field schools in Northern Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland, acquiring practical knowledge relevant to their research. An international competition held by the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) for the Frank Arnott – Next Generation Explorer’s Award left a lasting impression on Taylor. Teams of students were tasked with selecting a prospective international data set and developing a method to interpret subsurface geology and determine mining targets in their chosen area.
Taylor’s team, employing a combination of methods and datatypes such as old drill core data, 3-dimensional modelling from magnetic data, machine learning and geochemistry knowledge, stood out from their peers and won the Data Integration Award. Taylor expressed, “If it weren’t for my participation in the CREATE program, I wouldn’t have achieved these milestones. I am truly grateful for the additional training I received, which goes beyond the traditional academic experience.”
Taylor’s exciting journey continued in New Zealand in November 2023, where they participated in deploying ocean-bottom seismometers on the sea floor with the National Facility for Seismological Investigations (NFSI).
In addition to conducting seismology research and participating in the iMAGE-CREATE program, Taylor is a graduate student representative for the American Geophysical Union's seismology section and treasurer of the uOttawa Graduate Earth Science Student Association. They cherish the exciting opportunities offered by their supervisor, Professor Audet, and the leader of the iMAGE-CREATE program, Professor Mark Hannington.
By connecting and helping peers in their field, Taylor is actively passing on the support received from their mentors to the next generation of Earth Science researchers.
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