We continue recording from IPA-IAL 2025 in Aix-les-Bains for the fourth episode of Into the Core. This time, we are joined by Liseth Pérez Alvarado, a senior scientist originally from Guatemala and currently based in Kiel, Germany.

Liseth investigates the clues that ostracods — small crustaceans living in the water column — leave behind in lacustrine and marine sediments. She has been involved in several ICDP projects, including MexiDrill Chalco in Mexico, Lake Petén Itzá in Guatemala, and the upcoming Lake Izabal drilling project.

In this episode, we talk about her field experiences, her scientific journey, and some unforgettable stories from her student days — including the time she lost a boat engine during fieldwork.

Host: Rodrigo Martínez-Abarca
Edition: Romina Achaga
Starring: Liseth Pérez Alvarado

"Into the Core" is supported by the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) and an initiative of the Early Career Researchers Network. Original idea by Marta Marchegiano.

Copyright-free background music, 2026.

In this third episode of Into the Core, the team records live from the IPA-IAL 2025 conference in Aix-les-Bains, France, where we ask scientists to share their funniest field stories.

Our first guest at the conference comes all the way from Spain: Blas Valero, researcher at the Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología in Zaragoza. A sedimentologist, paleoclimatologist, and passionate science communicator, Blas shares some of the unusual traditions he and his team carry out after completing a lake-drilling campaign.

Host: Rodrigo Martínez-Abarca
Starring: Blas Valero

"Into the Core" is supported by the International Continental Drilling Program (ICDP) and an initiative of the Early Career Researchers Network. Original idea by Marta Marchegiano.

Copyright-free background music, 2026.

In the second episode of Into the Core, we are joined by someone very special — the driving force behind this podcast and a scientist pushing the boundaries of proxy development in paleolimnology.
Dr. Marta Marchegiano, researcher at the University of Granada, shares unforgettable moments from the field, including a "malediction" on a lake which produced an unexpected explosion during a campaign. Join us for a conversation full of science, stories, and inspiration.

Hosts: Rodrigo Martinez-Abarca and Romina Achaga

Starring: Marta Marchegiano

"Into the Core" is supported by the International Continental Drilling Program (ICDP) and an initiative of the Early Career Researchers Network.

Copyright-free background music, 2026.

To kick off this podcast, we have a very special guest. Professor Dr. Mark Brenner is a researcher with many years of experience in paleoclimatology and paleolimnology, and is involved in various ICDP projects. While many of us know him for his career, in this episode, we will delve into his experiences in the field, in science, and hear about his learnings in a long academic life.

Hosts: Rodrigo Martínez-Abarca and Romina Achaga

Starring: Mark Brenner

"Into the Core" is an initiative of the International Continental Drilling Program (ICDP) network of young researchers. Original idea by Marta Marchegiano.

Copyright-free background music, 2026.

Welcome to Into the Core, a podcast by the Early Career Researchers Network of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP). Throughout its first season, we talk with ten extraordinary scientists involved in ICDP projects who share funny stories from the field, as well as the lessons and experiences that have shaped their scientific careers. Would you join us?