Even at a young age, Benjamin Tutolo was interested in the cosmos.
It’s a curiosity that never waned. In fact, it led to the 36-year-old taking a deep dive into all things Mars for the past three years.
Tutolo, a Lower Burrell native, was a participating scientist studying NASA’s Curiosity rover mission to Mars. He led a paper published in April that describes the landmark discovery of evidence of a carbon cycle on ancient Mars.
Essentially, it helps researchers and scientists finally explain why Mars used to be warm and wet but is now cold and dry, said Tutolo, now of Calgary, Alberta.
It brings scientists closer to an answer of whether Mars was ever capable of supporting life — something researchers have studied since the launch of NASA’s Curiosity rover in 2011.
“I was just a kid growing up in Western Pennsylvania, not really knowing what I wanted to do with my life, and I ended up here because I was curious,” he said.
Tutolo’s journey
The middle son of Michael and Jeri Tutolo, Benjamin graduated from Burrell High School in 2006.
He earned an environmental systems engineering degree from Penn State. He went on to earn his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and performed postdoctoral work at the University of Oxford.
He’s been a professor at the University of Calgary since 2017.
“A big driver for me was the environment and how to protect the environment and keep the pristine areas of our planet beautiful,” Tutolo said of wanting to study science.
Growing up, Tutolo always looked and thought things through a bit differently, said his mother, Jeri, of Lower Burrell. He had a fascination with the environment and nature, she said, and he was able to figure things out his own way.
“He had a mind of his own, and when he pursued something, he would let us know,” she said. “We encouraged him to pursue whatever he put his mind to.”
Tutolo’s father remembers taking his three children — Nicholas, Benjamin and Christopher — on hikes at young ages. Benjamin stood out because he always picked up rocks and asked a lot of questions, his father said.
“He definitely questions things and tries to figure them out,” Michael Tutolo said. “We always try to see why something happened and why something was the way it was.”
In fall 2021, Tutolo applied to be part of the research team investigating climate transitions and habitability on ancient Mars through NASA’s Curiosity rover exploring the Gale Crater. Unanswered and interesting questions about Mars made Tutolo want to study the planet.
“In general, I’m the type of person who gets real curious and always looks for more questions to ask in science,” he said.
The paper, published in the prestigious journal Science, found data from three of Curiosity’s drill sites had siderite, an iron carbonate material.
The discovery of carbonate suggests the atmosphere contained enough carbon dioxide to support water existing on Mars’ surface. The carbon dioxide transformed into rocks as Mars’ atmosphere thinned.
So was Mars ever capable of supporting life? Tutolo said the research shows Mars was habitable at some point. But as the carbon dioxide warmed, the planet started to precipitate and impacted Mars’ ability to stay warm.
It was a rewarding experience to be able to do “the best science with the best scientists,” Tutolo said.
Tutolo’s latest research into the Red Planet fits into his ongoing work on our blue planet, trying to turn anthropogenic carbon dioxide — or carbon dioxide emitted as a direct result from human activities — into carbonates as a solution to climate change.
Hometown hero
Cassandra Artman, Tutolo’s mother-in-law, said she’s amazed at how knowledgeable and low-key he is.
“Some of the things you can understand; other things you listen and try to put together,” said Artman of Lower Burrell. “He’s very humble in trying to explain everything he does.”
Tutolo has paid it back by sharing his story with astronomy clubs and students.
“The questions that elementary kids ask me are intellectually challenging and interesting,” he said.
Jeri Tutolo said she and her husband had offered to send Benjamin to a private school, but he wanted to stay in the Burrell School District with his friends.
Tutolo’s wife, Julia Artman, is his high school sweetheart, and they have two children, Carlotta, 10, and Alden, 4.
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The couple complement each other well, Cassandra Artman said.
“A lot of his free time is spent with family,” she said. “They enjoy doing things together.”
Tutolo points to a high school English teacher, Julie Ondako, as having had a positive impact on him and his career. She demonstrated the importance and usefulness of writing.
Like Tutolo’s family, Ondako is proud of Tutolo’s accomplishments inside and outside of the science lab.
“This is a whole person, and that’s what Ben is and always was,” said Ondako, who retired from Burrell in 2006.
Ondako remembered Tutolo in an honors English class his junior year and how he connected to “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau. The 1854 work is about the author’s two years on his own in the Massachusetts woods.
“When we read that, Ben really related to the concept of getting off the grid and being in nature and having solace and solitude in the world,” Ondako said.
Tutolo was eager to learn and listen as a student, she said. She’s not surprised at his success.
“He was a student who was ‘present,’ ” she said. “You get that kind of student, and you know he’ll be a lifelong learner.
“I think he’s on his way to be a real rising star in science. I look forward to reading many more things.”
Jeri Tutolo advised parents to encourage their children to try new things, even if they might not be successful at first.
“I am most proud of the way he persevered to get what he wanted,” she said. “These are his dreams, and he is accomplishing his dreams. He’s accomplished everything he’s put his mind to doing.”
Tutolo tells children to dream big when it comes to science.
“Science can be anything,” he said. “You don’t have to be a person who loves math or loves going outside or the typical things people think about science.
“You can be a scientist like me … as long as they’re curious, they can be a scientist.”