GD
Geodynamics

Katherine Villavicencio

Katherine Villavicencio is a geologist and an astrophysicist who has worked as a geophysicist performing modelling, interpretation and field work. Currently, she is doing a PhD in planetary sciences where she is carrying out a research on the hyperspectral analysis of the surface of Ganymede linked to a geodynamic model of the melt migration within the outer ice shell. Katherine is part of the GD blog team as an editor.

Silent voices, trapped minds.

Silent voices, trapped minds.

In this week’s blog post, Katherine Villavicencio (University of Chieti – Pescara) looks into the world of the mind and the mental-health issues that can result by the pressure behind a research project, such as a doctoral thesis. Here, through a personal reflexion ,she explores the main reasons that can lead candidates to suicidal thoughts, and even to the execution of them, finally a ...[Read More]

Dirty Poppy and the Research Tournament of Arcane Mysteries.

Representative Cup for the winner of the Research Tournament of Arcane Mysteries. Figure generated by PromeAI.

In this week’s post, Dr. Katherine Villavicencio (University G. d’Annunzio, Italy) looks into the flaws of the academic system that enables abusive supervisors to hold excessive power.  In the form of a wizardly tale, she sheds light on the negative experiences of students subjected to the oppressive control of this kind of supervisors. In an alternate universe, the magical world is governed by ac ...[Read More]

Ice Ice Baby! Modelling the thermal evolution within the ice shell of Ganymede, Jupiter’s moon.

Ice Ice Baby! Modelling the thermal evolution within the ice shell of Ganymede, Jupiter’s moon.

Ganymede, one of the Galilean moons of Jupiter and the largest in the Solar System, has caught the scientists’ attention due to its potential for hosting life. The JUICE mission, launched from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana on 14 April 2023, is on its way to orbit and conduct experiments on the Galilean moons (Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto), with  particular emphasis on characterizing G ...[Read More]

Summer of ‘23: Chronicles of a summer school on meteorite and comet impacts.

Summer of ‘23: Chronicles of a summer school on meteorite and comet impacts.

One of the best-researched and preserved impact craters on Earth is the Ries Crater (Germany). Hikers, bikers, school groups,  and geo-tourists from all over the world come here in search for the evidence of the cosmic catastrophe. In this week’s blog post, PhD student Katherine Villavicencio from University G. d’Annunzio (Italy) shares her experience when attending the Summer School “Impacts and ...[Read More]