Associate Professor Cara Santelli receives GSA's 2022 Award for Outstanding Geobiologists
Associate Professor Cara Santelli is one of three scientists to receive the 2022 Award for Outstanding Geobiologists. The Geological Society of America’s Division of Geobiology, and Geomicrobiology states that, “Every year the GBGM executive committee selects exceptional scholars to receive awards for their accomplishments in research, education/mentoring, and service in geobiology.” Cara was the mid-career scientist honored.
"When I think about what I can do here at the University of Minnesota–I am actually supported to do research that crosses disciplines in all ways. I can work on projects that really speak to me in terms of their impact."- Dr. Cara Santelli
Santelli graduated from the MIT/WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography with a PhD in Marine Geomicrobiology, and went on to be a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard University where she started working on environmental issues like coal mine drainage in Appalachia. She started her professional career outside of academia, working as both the Curator of Minerals and Gems and a researcher for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. She valued the opportunity to grow her research in areas that examined the role of microbes in environmental health and how these processes can be directly applied to clean up contaminants, and she found that connecting with the public about these important environmental issues was one of the most exciting and rewarding aspects of her career. When the University of Minnesota announced they were hiring a faculty in the area of “geomicrobiology and bioremediation”, Santelli knew she wanted to apply. Minnesota was already leading academia in interdisciplinary and applied scientific research, particularly around environmental quality. “When I think about what I can do here at the University of Minnesota–I am actually supported to do research that crosses disciplines in all ways. I can work on projects that really speak to me in terms of their impact.”
"For me, it's great collaborating with Cara, because she is not only pushing forward advancements within geomicrobiology...but she is also innovatively connecting geomicrobiology with other subdisciplines...and often for complex problems with great societal implications." -Dr. Crystal Ng
Santelli was hired as a tenure-track faculty member with the department of Earth & Environmental Sciences in 2015. Her current research considers the role of microbial activity on geological and environmental processes such as mineral formation, mineral alteration and weathering, metal(loid) redox transformations, nutrient biogeochemical cycling, and the remediation of polluted environments. Much of her work is interdisciplinary, combining not just biology, chemistry, and geology, but also social impact, applied sciences, and community relationships. Dr. Crystal Ng, Santelli’s colleague and collaborator enjoys this style of scholarship, noting “for me, it's great collaborating with Cara, because she is not only pushing forward advancements within geomicrobiology, which is a highly dynamic field with fast-changing methods and findings, but she is also innovatively connecting geomicrobiology with other subdisciplines, like hydrogeology and geochemistry, and often for complex problems with great societal implications.”
First we must consider Manoomin / Psiη (wild rice).
The work of Santelli and those she collaborates with is pushing the boundaries of multiple disciplines. “One of the things that attracts me to this university is that I can do really great research, with a lot of experts right here. And community-engaged scholarship is fully supported, from funding to development of partnerships to promotion and tenure” Santelli stated. This style of research does not come without its challenges. “It can move at a slower pace and the outcomes might look different than a typical research project…but I feel I have shown that I can be successful in doing this [work] and that there’s more than one way to be an academic and have an impact.”
Students who apply to work with Santelli often also hold values that are not traditional in the academic sphere. “Whether they seem committed to community engaged science, committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, committed to science communication, which is also another big passion of mine, I really like taking on those students. They want to do impactful science, but they also want to have other impacts on society.” Students who are interested in these other opportunities are now seeking out advisors such as Santelli and those she works with. “Students, as well as other colleagues, are now actively seeking to work with people like me, and Crystal, who are showing that we are doing science a little differently and pushing the boundaries of our fields.”
"receiving this award also makes me realize how fortunate I have been to have worked with some amazing colleagues, students, and mentors along the way. Their contributions to our shared science, my career, and the ways in which I approach being a scientist, educator, and contributor to society are reflected in this award. Much gratitude!" -Dr. Cara Santelli
It is clear that incoming students are not the only ones who are seeing value in Santelli’s work. Ng, Santelli’s colleague explains, “GSA is one of the main professional organizations for geomicrobiologists, and so winning this award from GSA's Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division is a tremendous distinction for Cara. I know she is a committed mentor and generous colleague - so all around very deserving of this award!” In explaining what receiving the 2022 Award for Outstanding Geobiologists meant to her, Santelli states, “receiving this award also makes me realize how fortunate I have been to have worked with some amazing colleagues, students, and mentors along the way. Their contributions to our shared science, my career, and the ways in which I approach being a scientist, educator, and contributor to society are reflected in this award. Much gratitude!”