Art of Science: Science at Sea: Searching for Signs of Salt

PRESENTATION BEGINS AT 8 PM.

In this science outreach series, scientists present different scientific topics to the general public in a laid-back atmosphere in an art gallery.

Please mark your calendar for the upcoming fall 2026 events: 11/19/26 – Molecular engineering 12/10/26 - Cell biology More information will be given closer to each event.

The October 2026 event: Science at Sea: Searching for Signs of Salt Presented by Prof. Clara Blattler University of Chicago

Introduction to the art at Parlour & Ramp Gallery by Dawn Kramlich

Presentation abstract and presenter bios are below.

PRESENTATION BEGINS AT 8 PM.

Exciting science, art and socializing. Donation bar. Vegan snacks.

Events are always free and open to all, so feel free to invite others. Hope to see you there!

Parlour & Ramp Gallery is at 2130 W. 21st St. Easily accessible by the pink line (Damen stop) and the Damen Ave. (#50) bus. Some street parking available. https://parlourandramp.com/

Facebook event page, https://www.facebook.com/events/2102924883947886/.

You are invited to join the Art of Science Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/308458645920283/.

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Science at Sea: Searching for Signs of Salt

In the 1970s, scientific ocean drilling discovered salt buried beneath the Mediterranean Sea. The salt was deposited during an event known as the Messinian Salinity Crisis which occurred from 5.97 to 5.33 million years ago and documents a period of extreme environmental change for the region.

For two months during the winter of 2023–2024, Prof. Blattler sailed aboard the research vessel JOIDES Resolution on Expedition 401 of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) to investigate this event further. With collaborators, she sailed to the gateway region of the Mediterranean and drilled into the seafloor to obtain sediment cores that record this event. These cores will be used to resolve some of the outstanding questions about the Messinian Salinity Crisis, and Prof. Blattler will share some preliminary results from the expedition.

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Prof. Clara Blattler --------------------- Originally from Boston, Prof. Blattler received her undergraduate education in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Harvard University and her doctoral degree in Earth Sciences from Oxford University (UK). Her dissertation focused on the geochemical cycling of calcium.

Prof. Blattler started a faculty position at the University of Chicago in 2018, where she leads a research group focused on questions in geochemistry, Earth history, and paleoceanography. She has done field work both on land and at sea, and in the course of three oceanographic research expeditions, has spent a total of 5 months at sea.

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Dawn Kramlich ----------------- Dawn Kramlich (she/her, b. 1987, Houston, TX) is a queer artist from Philadelphia who currently lives and works in Chicago. Her work has always been language-based, using visual and verbal language on a level playing field to create synergy among their different communicative modes.

Kramlich earned her BA magna cum laude with honors in both majors (English and Art) from Muhlenberg College (2009) and her MFA summa cum laude in Studio Art from Moore College of Art & Design (2013). While working toward her BA at Muhlenberg College, Kramlich produced the first cross-major creative honors thesis (paintings + poems) in the history of Muhlenberg’s English and Art departments; she was then inducted into the national honors society Phi Beta Kappa.

Kramlich has given lectures at institutions including PAFA and Main Line Art Center (Philadelphia), attended artist residencies at Burren College of Art (Ireland) and Vermont Studio Center, and exhibited widely across the USA and internationally (Spain, France, England, Ireland). Her first…