Beneath the surface
Shramana Sarkar studies ultra-trace elements in Newfoundland’s stream waters to uncover critical mineral deposits, reflecting her belief that true strengths are often uncovered through patience and determination.
Where are you from?
I am from Kolkata, an incredibly busy city in West Bengal, India. My parents are also from Kolkata, and our mother tongue is Bengali. I grew up learning and communicating in English at a very young age, and at 18, I immigrated to St. John’s, Newfoundland, to pursue my post-secondary education.
What do you enjoy doing for fun?
I am very fond of playing video games, going for long walks, reading graphic novels, and painting. I also thoroughly enjoy volunteering in the community as it gives me the opportunity to meet new people.
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
Growing up, my parents have always maintained that education is a priority for not only improving my well-being, but also to instill that knowledge in others around me. I recognized very early on that, as a woman, education is a privilege and is still very inaccessible to many others like me. Therefore, I have always been very keen on progressing my education to share my experiences as a female academic to help combat the multitude of stigmas surrounding women pursuing education.
With my transition to St. John’s, my struggles as a woman in academia intersected with my racial identity and my mental health, but my determination to continue my education only grew stronger. A graduate degree is a great place to start for making a difference in the long run!
My undergraduate program was a joint degree in the fields of Geography and Earth Sciences. It involved research work and compiling a thesis project for Dr. Susan Ziegler at Memorial University. Throughout this project, I really enjoyed the collaboration, discussion and exchange of research ideas with everyone involved in the study, as well as implementing those ideas to answer the research question! This further provided me with the thrill of pursuing more academic research that could be fulfilled by undertaking graduate studies.
Why did you choose Memorial University for your graduate studies?
My undergraduate program at Memorial University was a lot of fun; I really enjoyed the field and fourth-year courses. Luckily, I had the opportunity to continue at Memorial through my MSc project, offered by Dr. Michael Babechuk in the Department of Earth Sciences. I was very intrigued by the novel geochemical insights that the research study had to offer, along with the ability to hone my laboratory skills in a very prestigious graduate program at the university. Additionally, I also had a terrific role model in my sister, Dr. Shreyasi Sarkar, who pursued her doctoral studies in Biochemistry at Memorial University and continually encouraged me to broaden my horizons by pursuing research here!
What is your research/thesis about? How do you describe your research to a general audience with no background in the field?
My research project sits at a fascinating intersection of environmental, analytical and exploration geochemistry. Exploration geochemistry perspective: With an increasing demand for “critical minerals” to develop green technology (e.g., Li-batteries), we need to be more creative and innovative in our strategies to explore for new deposits of these resources. One of these deposit types, called lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatites, is an important resource for these elements, but they are often buried or small and thus can be challenging to discover. In southern Newfoundland, there are two expressions of these deposits recently discovered near Burgeo, but there is a potential for more to be found based on our geological understanding of their formation. Many exploration strategies focus on the chemistry of surrounding ‘solids’ such as rocks, sediments, and soils to trace rocks that either host these deposits or the deposits themselves, but using the chemical composition dissolved in streams is a new approach that I am testing with my project! At present, I have been able to show that this approach is potentially useful in tracing upstream deposits by using a test location near the recent discoveries in southern Newfoundland.
Analytical geochemistry perspective: The dissolved concentrations of elements in stream waters draining these rocks are very low since weathering is limited in this region and the high precipitation flows rapidly over and through the topography. This creates an analytical challenge to detect the signatures in waters in order to avoid contamination of these signatures demands the use of very clean sampling protocols, analysis in clean laboratory facilities, and measurements with high-sensitivity instrumentation. ensure no contamination takes place. Through a collaboration with Trent University in Peterborough and the very first Atlantic Canadian ultra-trace element geochemistry centre at Memorial University, these ultra-low element concentrations can be determined!
Environmental geochemistry perspective: To understand how elements are transferred into waters from rocks, we can draw on almost the entire periodic table of elements measured in waters. There is an understanding of how specific element groups behave in the environment, such that by compiling data from multiple elements, we can place our data in a context of natural processes. Moreover, these waters, much like many others across the province, have never been measured for the full range of elements we can determine; as such, my project is establishing the very first baseline element concentrations in the streams of this watershed. Such data, and the methods that determine them, are useful in informing environmental monitoring efforts and setting the stage for understanding any changes that can occur to stream waters from climate or any future development.
How would you describe your experience as a graduate student at Memorial?
So far, graduate student life is comparatively easier than undergraduate life, but it comes with its own challenges. I do not miss taking midterms and the rigid schedule that undergraduate life had to offer, and I enjoy the flexibility of my reading and writing schedule throughout the graduate degree. That being said, it requires a lot of self-discipline and work-life balance to ensure you make the most out of your graduate program! It has been a great learning experience throughout in terms of acknowledging what system works best for you to ensure you are enjoying your research journey.
What scholarships or awards have you received?
I am extremely thankful to have been able to conduct this research through the Targeted Geosciences Initiative (TGI-6) program from Natural Resources Canada (NRC), which is aimed at better understanding and exploring Canada’s mineral resources, as well as the School of Graduate Studies Fellowship. Additionally, I was one of the awardees for the Chevron Canada Limited Rising Star Award and also received the Samit and Reshma Sharma in Geology and Geophysics Scholarship and the Dr. Allan R. Stein Graduate Scholarship in Science. These individual scholarships have really helped me realize that I am moving in the right direction throughout my academic career and have also helped with addressing economic challenges that come with being an international graduate student. It has kept my curiosity and yearning for knowledge alive by providing me with the ability to concentrate solely on my studies.
Have you faced any challenges in life that you’ve overcome to pursue graduate studies?
My academic journey, much like every individual in this world, has not been without challenges. As a person diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD), managing a work-life balance has been very tumultuous, especially when I go through periods of extreme burnout. Fortunately, I have a very understanding and supportive supervisor and peers within my department who have acknowledged my fluctuating mental health and have accommodated me throughout my degree. A healthy support system always makes a world of difference in your academic journey!
What career path are you interested in pursuing after graduation?
I am very interested in pursuing doctoral studies in the field of environmental and/or analytical geochemistry. However, I am also very open to gaining some work experience in laboratory work, whether it is in an academic or industry setting, prior to continuing my career in academia. Obtaining some experiences outside of an academic setting can always provide further perspective on the real-world applications of academic research!
What advice would you give to current or future graduate students?
If you are truly passionate about wanting a graduate degree, nothing can stop you from achieving your dreams. Research work is incredibly fulfilling, but it also involves a lot of hard work. There will be times when it feels like there is no hope—it is in those times that you have to keep asking questions, even the ‘stupid’ ones, and you will always find an answer. Always keep an open mind and be open to discussions with people from different backgrounds, both academically and socially. Embracing the diversity within your field will always promote your overall growth! I always abide by this quote from the show Bojack Horseman: “It gets easier. Every day it gets a little easier. But you gotta do it every day—that’s the hard part. But it does get easier.”