Fairuz Ishraque ’22 Receives UCAR Next Generation Fellowship

Fairuz Ishraque '22 has been named a UCAR Next Generation Fellow. The fellowship, funded by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), supports engaged, motivated next-generation students as they progress through graduate school, exploring the intersections among earth system science, diversity and inclusion, and public policy - on the way to becoming changemakers in the field of atmospheric and earth system sciences.

"The Next Generation Fellowship will give me access to crucial educational, research, and networking opportunities at the National Center for Atmospheric Research [NCAR]," Ishraque says. "I will be able to collaborate with NCAR scientists at the climate science and computational science research labs, and their guidance will help me hone my research targets, both during and after my PhD."

Ishraque, originally from Chattogram, Bangladesh, was a double major in astrogeophysics and applied mathematics at Colgate, receiving high honors in astrogeophysics. He worked as a tutor for the physics and astronomy department. Under the mentorship of Professor Joe Levy, he investigated boulder banding across Martian glaciers and their potential as Martian paleoclimate records. Ishraque and Levy's research resulted in a publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Ishraque served as the president of the South Asian Cultural Club and the Colgate Data Science Society. He was a founding member of the Colgate Student Coalition and a presenter at the Colgate Ho Tung Visualization Lab. His contributions to Colgate's community were recognized through various honors, including the Phi Beta Kappa Daniel H. Saracino Prize for exceptional scholarship, Allen First-Year Mathematics Prize, Sigma Pi Sigma (physics) National Honor Society, and the Class of 1997 Award. He was also an Alumni Memorial Scholar.

After graduation, Ishraque started his PhD in geosciences at Princeton University with a focus in ice core paleoclimatology, under the supervision of Professor John Higgins in the Department of Geosciences and as a part of the NSF Science and Technology Center, COLDEX (Center for Oldest Ice Exploration). COLDEX has recently discovered and drilled ice cores up to 6 million years old from the Allan Hills blue ice area in Antarctica.

The noncontinuous chronology of these ice cores has presented challenges in interpreting the climate signals they contain. To address these challenges, Ishraque is developing a high-resolution analysis technique known as laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). This method aims to provide clearer insights into the ancient terrestrial climate records preserved in the Allan Hills ice cores.

As a UCAR Next Generation Fellow, Ishraque will collaborate with William Lipscomb, PhD, and Dan Amrhein, PhD, from the Climate and Global Dynamics Lab at NCAR. Their work will focus on modeling the history of ice flow at Allan Hills to better understand the dynamics affecting the ice core chronology. This collaboration will also involve engaging with other fellows in professional development and outreach activities, bridging science, diversity, equity, and public policy.

Ishraque's formula for success is one he encourages other Colgate students to follow. "Pursue what makes you happy," he says. "Take classes that excite you. Participate in activities that challenge you. Your goals and progress are unique to you and only have to make sense to you."

For more information on the Office of National Fellowships and Scholarships, visit colgate.edu/onfs.