We’re excited to share the winning entries from this year’s ASPIRE Image Contest, highlighting the creativity and scientific perspectives of our students.

Md. Zayed Abdur Razzak (EPS PhD student)
Zayed’s winning photo captures an eroded cliff in the Teknaf region of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh—its exposed layers preserving evidence of past geologic events. The image was taken during a 2021 field expedition with geology students from the University of Dhaka and BAPEX professionals, where the team applied sequence and seismic stratigraphy to reconstruct the region’s stratigraphic framework.

David Giovannetti-Nazario (EPS PhD student)
David’s cathodoluminescence image showcases calcite pseudomorphs after ikaite from Miers Valley, Antarctica. These minerals, once hydrated calcium carbonate formed in the paleolake Lake Trowbridge during the Last Glacial Maximum, record changes in fluid chemistry as the lake receded. Variations in luminescence reveal chemical zoning, while blue and green hues highlight detrital sediment components.

Congratulations to our winners, and thank you to everyone who submitted their work this year!