WILNELLY VENTURA-VALENTIN
My name is Wilnelly, I'm a Ph.D. Candidate at Miami University from Puerto Rico. I'm currently working on earthquake swarms and template-matching strategies in southern Mexico. When I'm not working with research I like to focus on DEI work in my department and University. Creating and sustaining a welcoming and inclusive community is one of my top priorities.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Roles & Responsibilities
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Department of Geology
Miami University
August 2019 - Present
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Instructor of record for the introductory-level course GLG 115 Understanding the Earth taught to majors and non-majors.
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Assist in teaching the laboratory portion of the upper-level undergraduate course GLG 408/508 Introduction to Hydrogeology.
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Assist in teaching the laboratory portion of the upper-level undergraduate course GLG 332 Structural Geology.
January 2021 - April 2022
Graduate Writing Consultant
HOWE Writing Center
Miami University
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To ensure that undergraduate and graduate student writers at Miami receive helpful feedback and support on their writing projects.
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Assist in developing ideas as effective writers in different contexts and genres.
October 2013 – May 2019
Student Geophysical Data Analyst
Puerto Rico Seismic Network
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Locate and analyze seismic activity in the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Region.
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Assist in the composition of the Operation Manual of the Data Analyst Area. Update protocols for earthquake and tsunami emergency response.
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Assist in communicating earthquake data parameters, tsunami alert and other pertinent information to emergency management agencies to the Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands Region.
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Perform emergency and operations duties during hurricanes Irma and Maria. Duties included relaying weather information from EMWIN to local emergency management agencies.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Expected May 2025
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
in Geology
Miami University
Dissertation title: Investigating Time-Varying Relationships between Swarms, MS-AS, Slow Slip,
and Seismicity Along the Mexican Megathrust and Sliver Fault
Advisor: Dr. Mike Brudzinski
PhD Research Aims:
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Investigating temporal variations of interseismic coupling along the Mexican megathrust using waveform template matching to improve the detection of microseismic earthquake sequences.
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Use enhanced catalog to look at seismic rates over time and frequency-magnitude distributions to investigate patterns that could characterize spatial and temporal variations in strain accumulation.
December 2021
Master of Science (MS.) in Geology
Miami University
Thesis: Characterization of Swarm and Aftershock behavior in Puerto Rico
Advisor: Dr. Mike Brudzinski
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We investigated the existence of earthquake swarms and mainshock-aftershock sequences recorded by the Puerto Rico Seismic Network (PRSN) from 1987-2020 to constrain the earthquake and tsunami potential for the Puerto Rico megathrust.
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Developed an algorithm to identify seismic rate increase when compared to background seismicity with the goal to characterize mainshock-aftershock and swarm sequences.
July 2019
B.S. in Geology
University of Puerto Rico
Undergraduate Thesis: Analysis of travel time curves for Puerto Rico Seismic Network Stations
Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Vanacore
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Analysis of travel time curve and ray tracing highlight a high velocity anomaly within the Mona block (west of the Mona Rift canyon). One possible interpretation is that the rifting has generated a thinned crust beneath the Mona block.
