We arranged a time to meet with Dr. Rampino and were invited to visit his office. He was a delight to talk with and explained his research very clearly. He also showed us different examples of geological materials. It was extremely helpful in our early idea forming process.
Below are some images from Dr. Rampino’s office:
Link to my notes.
We asked Dr. Rampino what he would suggest we focus on, which was really helpful in framing the important aspects of his research. One of my other big takeaways was that although mass extinction has a dark undertone it also allows for evolution and rebirth. Without the extinction of the dinosaurs, humans wouldn’t exist.
Aspects to possibly focus on:
Cycle connection between mass extinction & dark matter (the disturbance)
The ways mass extinction takes place (internal - volcanoes vs. external - asteroid impact)
Geological time scale (deep time, deep space)