Ilaria Mazzini (CNR-IGAG) visited the US Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia, thanks to a CNR Short Term Mobility Grant, to collaborate with Thomas M. Cronin on the research project Understanding the Corinth Active Rift Development through micropaleontology as part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP expedition 381). Mazzini and Cronin are both invited shore-based participants in the IODP Leg 381 and their role is to analyse microfossils (ostracodes in particular) from the sediment cores to investigate climatic and sea level cycles during the last million years.

In core M80, ostracods are present in all examined samples, the foram-barren samples are characterised by common, freshwater stracods (glacials), the foram rich zones contain marine ostracodes (interglacials). The palaeo environmental interpretation based on species' ecology confirms alternating deep marine and large deep lake environments.