Summary: People find science for all kinds of reasons. Some are born to it, but usually not. Most people find science by bumping into it at a bar, getting help from it while fixing a flat tire, seeing it alight on a leaf, iridescent, or watching it pass by on a subway car going the other way.<br> For <a href="https://www.kaustubh.info/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kaustubh Thirumalai</a> (Kau), the stage was set with burnout on chemical engineering in India coupled with a side job reviewing comics and black metal for a friend’s website. Then, almost randomly searching for an interesting internship, he hooked up with Prosenjit Ghosh, for whom he worked as a local fixer, helping to procure parts for the construction of a mass spec. After that, it was geosciences, full-on: a move to the US, interests in the techniques and concepts of paleoclimate, and an ever-expanding network of collaborators. But still comics and metal! Just now with a splash of trace metals — little bundles of strontium and company, waiting to be discovered.<br> <br> <br> Intro music is from the album Terminal Redux by <a href="https://vektor.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vektor</a>, ranked by Kau as the <a href="https://www.kaustubh.info/paleowave/2017/3/2/year-in-review-2016-metal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#1 metal album of 2016</a>. Extro music is Quartz, by Kau himself. All music used by permission — thanks Dave and Kau! Photos are by Kau, used by permission.<br> <br> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fforecastpod.org%2Findex.php%2F2017%2F06%2F13%2Ftrace-metals-thrash-metal-kaustubh-thirumalai%2F&via=MWClimateSci" class="twitter-share-button">Tweet</a><br>
