★   GWIS EMPOWER — MEMBER SPOTLIGHT   ★

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As high-achieving women, it’s common to develop a perfectionist complex. Allow yourself to make mistakes without feeling ashamed and foster environments where your future students have that same grace.

Madison Betts  ·  Advice to Early-Career Women in Science

Background & Journey

From Nevada Deserts to Mid-Ocean Ridges

Madison’s scientific journey began at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she earned a BS in Geology with a 3.83 GPA. Her undergraduate years were defined by initiative — she joined Dr. Elizabeth Hausrath’s geochemistry lab as a junior, synthesizing ferrous and magnesium smectites under anoxic conditions. That foundation launched her into a prestigious Jacob internship at NASA Johnson Space Center, where she developed novel synthesis protocols for serpentine and talc minerals and became an independent user of XRD and SEM-EDS analysis, producing mineral analogues for comparison against CHEMIN data from Gale Crater on Mars.

In Summer 2022, Madison joined Dr. Gokce Ustunisik’s research group at SDSMT as a full-time RA. Her MS thesis tackled the petrogenesis of plagioclase ultraphyric basalts (PUBs) from Gorda Ridge, Blanco Fracture Zone, and the Endeavor Segment of Juan de Fuca, combining major and trace element measurements to illuminate mid-ocean ridge processes. She defended successfully in April 2024 and published her thesis manuscript as first author in Lithos.

Doctoral Research

Unlocking Low-Ca Pyroxene Secrets — Earth & Mars

Madison’s PhD dissertation focuses on “Quantifying the impact of the structural state of low-Ca pyroxenes on trace element partitioning between orthopyroxene, pigeonite, and silicate melt.” The three-chapter project includes an analysis of the existing experimental database, piston cylinder phase equilibria and partitioning experiments, and the application of new predictive models to improve understanding of magma evolution on both Earth and Mars.

During her MS, Madison discovered that prior experimental investigations failed to identify the specific low-Ca pyroxene present in run products, a significant source of error in modeling magma evolution on two planets. In Fall 2025, she defended her dissertation proposal, passed her comprehensive exam, and published the first chapter as first author in Frontiers in Geochemistry, documenting how mischaracterization of low-Ca pyroxene systematically biases existing partition coefficient datasets.

What GWIS Means to Madison

Being part of GWIS has provided Madison with friendships with women from different departments and backgrounds, giving her a greater understanding of the multitude of challenges that other women in science have faced, and a community to face them together.

Advice for Early-Career Women in Science

“As high-achieving women, it’s common for us to develop a perfectionist complex. The truth is, we don’t know the correct answers to every question, and an important part of learning is getting things wrong. Allow yourself to make mistakes without feeling ashamed or getting discouraged, and foster environments where your future students have that same grace.”

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President   Brooke Long-Fox  ·  Media Editor   Veena Prasad  ·  Empower Editor   Faizah Alabi