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Analytical Chemistry

Maria Fernanda Mora looks for life on other planets

Graduate student Alejandra Rodríguez Abaunza talks with this analytical chemist about her work at NASA and how her personal experiences have shaped her career

by Alejandra Rodríguez Abaunza, special to C&EN
September 20, 2024 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 102, Issue 29
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Maria Fernanda Mora is an Argentinian chemist working at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). She is developing miniaturized techniques to look for signs of extraterrestrial life on space missions. Alejandra Rodríguez Abaunza spoke with Mora about the quirks of working at NASA and about what it means to be a Latina in science.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

Vitals

MarIa Fernanda Mora

▸ Hometown: Saldán, Argentina

▸ Education: BS, chemistry, National University of Cordoba, 2002; PhD, analytical chemistry, University of Texas at San Antonio, 2009

▸ Current position: Scientist, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

▸ Best professional advice I’ve received:“Shamelessly promote yourself.” In my culture, it’s sometimes seen as being arrogant, but I have learned that it is very important to advocate for yourself.

▸ What reminds me of home:“Food, especially when I cook for people in the US. I learned to cook from my mom, my dad, and my grandma. This is how we show love in our family, through food.”

▸ I am: Latina

Photo of Maria Fernanda Mora.
Maria Fernanda Mora

HOMETOWN: Saldán, Argentina

EDUCATION: BS, chemistry, National University of Cordoba, 2002; PhD, analytical chemistry, University of Texas at San Antonio, 2009

CURRENT POSITION: Scientist, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

BEST PROFESSIONAL ADVICE I'VE RECEIVED: "Shamelessly promote yourself." In my culture, it’s sometimes seen as being arrogant, but I have learned that it is very important to advocate for yourself.

WHAT REMINDS ME OF HOME: Food, especially when I cook for people in the US. I learned to cook from my mom, my dad, and my grandma. This is how we show love in our family, through food.

I AM: Latina

Image Credit: The Light Committee

Alejandra Rodríguez Abaunza: How is NASA different from other labs you’ve worked in?

Maria Fernanda Mora: The best part is that JPL is more interdisciplinary than academic life. I did my undergrad and PhD in chemistry labs, and we would have weekly seminars for the students. Even if it was in a different field of chemistry, you still understood most of the stuff they were talking about.

But when I came here, I didn’t understand the things that they were talking about in the seminars. It was a learning experience, and it took me out of my comfort zone.

ARA: I can relate to that. I’m doing my PhD in applied earth sciences, but my bachelor’s is in biology. It’s interesting, but sometimes I feel lost.

MFM: It’s overwhelming. But you must accept that there are many things that you don’t know. Sometimes you have the feeling that you don’t belong in the room, right? That was very real for me. But at some point, you understand that you have unique things to bring to the table. This is the value of having a team.

ARA: Definitely. Tell me about your current research at JPL. How does your work help find signatures of life on other planets?

MFM: We develop instruments that allow us to identify molecules that could indicate the presence of life.

At some point, you understand that you have unique things to bring to the table.

In our lab, we focus on analyzing liquids using capillary electrophoresis. We use fluorescence detection for amino acids, which are very well-accepted biosignatures, and mass spectrometry to identify other molecules that we find on Earth.

We also use a conductivity detector to see the inorganic composition of our samples, which is related to a place’s habitability. This is a relatively new technology for NASA exploration because liquid analysis hasn’t been done on space missions.

ARA: Our research has some points in common. I also use spectrometry when I’m determining geochemistry signatures that help us to reconstruct the climate of the past.

MFM: Yeah, that’s also connected to the search for life. A lot of the instruments that we have sent to Mars basically do spectrometry and try to understand what happened to the planet’s surface and whether or not you can have organics underneath. It’s important to do all of that before you send the chemistry instrument that is actually going to take a sample and do a chemical analysis.

ARA: What do you think is the unique challenge of designing your chemical experiments? In my work, we often have to adapt to unexpected conditions in the field.

MFM: It’s planning for things that could go wrong and how to mitigate them. When we were designing the instrument, one of the main things that I struggled with was to make it small. In the lab, I have all the time in the world, and I can take many steps to get a precise measurement, but on flight, I have limited resources. For an analytical chemist, that’s hard to accept because “I need to measure it three times!” You must change your mindset. You still want to do valuable science, but you must work with what you have.

Another challenge is that you must adapt to something that you don’t expect. We don’t know the composition of the samples that will be analyzed. We have some ideas depending on where we’re going, but there could be something in your sample that could affect your measurement. That’s challenging, but it’s fun to work on those problems.

ARA: Such a big challenge! What has been your favorite project or mission to work on?

MFM: When I first came to JPL, we developed an instrument called Chemical Laptop to analyze solid samples on Mars. Now we are interested in Europa and Enceladus, which have oceans covered by ice.

Another interesting place is Titan, the only moon with organic lakes on its surface. Instead of water, those lakes are made of methane. So the theory is that if life is evolving on Titan, it would probably be different from life on Earth. These are super interesting places, and I would like to send my instrument to all of them.

ARA: What sparked your interest in science while growing up in Argentina?

MFM: My dad gave me a science book called How Things Work. I loved that book, and I remember it like it was yesterday. I think that’s how it started, although I was naturally very curious.

ARA: When I was a child also, my parents gave me an encyclopedia called El Mundo de los Niños. I remember trying to learn the names of the animals from different parts of the world, like a biologist.

Vitals

Alejandra Rodríguez Abaunza

▸ Hometown: Moniquira, Colombia

▸ Education: BSc, biology, Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia, 2016; MSc, marine biology and limnology, National Autonomous University of Mexico, 2021

▸ Current position: PhD student, earth and environmental sciences, Broxton Bird’s laboratory, Indiana University Indianapolis

▸ Best professional advice I’ve received:“In academia, always be curious, and be brave,” from my undergraduate adviser, Javier Luque.

▸ Favorite element, and why: Carbon. Radiocarbon dating is my favorite and most reliable type of “dating.”

▸ I am: Boyacense

MFM: I remember being so immersed in the story of the book the Journey to the Center of the Earth. It’s funny because it’s about exploration, and now I work on space exploration. Maybe everything started with a science fiction book.

ARA: Funny how that happens! You moved from Argentina to pursue your PhD at the University of Texas at San Antonio. What was your experience moving to the US in the 2000s like?

MFM: I think the hardest part is leaving your family and friends. You know how it is, moving to a different country with a different language and culture.

At the beginning, I idealized my country, thinking everything was perfect in Argentina. Later, you start having a more realistic view of your country, because nothing is perfect.

At the same time, getting the chance to live in another country is extremely valuable because you grow as a person. You meet people from all over the world. But, my English wasn’t great when I came to the US; I was very shy about speaking. If I could go back in time, I wish I wasn’t so embarrassed by my English.

ARA: Indeed. For me, the language barrier was the biggest challenge during the first year. How else do you think being a Latina scientist influences your career?

Photo of Alejandra Rodríguez Abaunza.
Alejandra Rodríguez Abaunza

HOMETOWN: Moniquira, Colombia

EDUCATION: BSc, biology, Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia, 2016; MSc, marine biology and limnology, National Autonomous University of Mexico, 2021

CURRENT POSITION: PhD student, earth and environmental sciences, Broxton Bird's laboratory, Indiana University Indianapolis

BEST PROFESSIONAL ADVICE I'VE EVER RECEIVED: "In academia, always be curious, and be brave," from my undergraduate adviser, Javier Luque.

Favorite element, and why: Carbon. Radiocarbon dating is my favorite and most reliable type of "dating."

I AM: Boyacense

Alejandra Rodríguez Abaunza’s current work focuses on reconstructing the climate of the past using geochemistry in lake sediments. When she is not in the lab separating microscopic charcoal by hand, she enjoys spending time in the garden, picking strawberries.
Image Credit: Katie Dawson/IUPUI School of Science

MFM: I only started thinking about it later in my career. When I came to JPL, I noticed that most of the time, I was the only woman and the only Latina in the room. I became more aware that I’m a minority. Now I’m more interested in helping to increase the diversity in our field.

I talked to students in Argentina, and recently I participated as a speaker during the workshop “Latinas Shaping the Future of STEM+” for high school students at the annual Latina History Day Conference in Los Angeles. But I feel more the effect of being a woman than of being Latina.

Probably you have been through many situations in which people interrupt you, don’t trust you, or even take your ideas and make them sound like theirs, just because you’re a woman. I’ve been through situations like that all my career. That’s also something that I am very interested in changing. In our group at JPL, we have conversations about the biases that we have. The bias against women, as some people don’t realize, is very real and still happens.

ARA: What advice would you give to young Latin American scientists who are just starting their careers?

MFM: Don’t be afraid of taking opportunities that maybe you didn’t plan for or expect. Be open minded, look at all the opportunities out there, and don’t be afraid to do something that maybe you’re not so comfortable with. It might be the right place for you.

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Read this article in Español | Português.

Chemical & Engineering News
ISSN 0009-2347
Copyright © 2024 American Chemical Society

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