UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Set on pursuing a career in the music industry from a young age, Carl Fredrick Aquino never could have predicted that his career would lead him to follow the path to become a climate scientist at Penn State. But after six years of writing music for film, television and video games in Los Angeles, he decided to return to school, setting out on a mission to save the planet.
Despite his love for music, Aquino was struggling to find a sense of purpose in the industry. A conversation with a roommate, who had a role in a superhero movie, helped inspire Aquino to follow his passion for science, sustainability and social impact back home, ultimately leading him to Penn State.
“So what I’m really saying is that an Avenger sent me on a mission to save the planet,” said Aquino, now a graduate student in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. “And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
At Penn State, Aquino’s research focuses on climate risk management. Aquino received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Penn State Behrend before continuing his education at the University Park campus, where he received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geosciences studying global sea level rise from melting ice sheets under uncertain climate scenarios to help inform strategy for coastal risk management. His bachelor’s and master’s advisers were Richard Alley, Evan Pugh University Professor, and Klaus Keller, former professor of geosciences.
Now a doctoral candidate in geosciences and climate science, his current work involves probabilistic hazard assessment. Aquino’s doctoral adviser is Antonia Hadjimichael, assistant professor of geosciences.
“The project that I'm working on now is still coastal risk management, but it's scaled down to the Great Lakes coast,” he said. “We are looking at the impacts of uncertainty, farming decisions and hydroclimatic variables, like how uncertainty in the decisions farmers make and the weather will influence nutrient levels and algal blooms.”
Aquino said the chance to conduct research provided to him at Penn State has given him invaluable experience and has opened the door to opportunities he otherwise wouldn't have had.
“The key to my success was the versatility within the college and the Earth sciences major and the strong mentorship and advising,” he said. “My mentors really helped me at all stages, right now, back then, and everything in between.”
Graduate school at Penn State not only provided Aquino a chance to pursue his research, but to try to make a broader impact in sustainability.
“Graduate school was the first time that I was given an opportunity to apply myself in terms of leadership and innovation, make a difference in sustainability, and make a social impact in multiple ways,” he said. “These experiences in the extracurricular have made me realize that I want to make an impact outside of academia.”
As a graduate student, Aquino joined the Student Sustainability Advisory Council (SSAC), comprised of students with experience and interest in studying, advancing and promoting sustainability.
He also serves as a Graduate Fellow for Science Advocacy and Diversity for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, where he leads efforts to advocate for science and strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion across the University.
In June 2022, Aquino created the Penn State Sustainability Ambassadors, a team of graduate and undergraduate students who work to cultivate external relationships to advance sustainability and DEIB efforts.
“Our idea in creating this group was to create a culture of passion for sustainability,” Aquino said. “It would incite climate action and get people involved more intimately with our land grant mission while bringing together Penn Staters and everyday Pennsylvanians.”
Aquino said the group has collaborated with the Upward Bound Program at Penn State. Operating through the Penn State Equity Office, the Upward Bound Program is a federally funded program that aids low-income, first-generation high school students.
“Fostering that connection with these everyday Pennsylvanians and reaching these kids offers us a potential opportunity to create a pipeline of students into the sustainability sciences,” he said. “We hope to continue to strengthen our ties with the University and the surrounding communities from many different angles.”