Dr. Katerina Dietrich (kˌatəɹˈiːnə diːtʁɪç)
Dr. Katerina Dietrich was a highly-respected xenobiologist that lead the first Earth Empire expedition to the surface of Arcadia, being the first person to step foot on the planet and therefore name it, according to tradition. Born in the industrial capital of Ulanburg, on the planet of New Hanover, she came from a working-class family of Earth-German heritage with no academic pedigree, and so the scholarship she earned to attend the prestigious University of Central Oldenstein to study Xenobiology was a hard-won achievement, despite her intelligence. She graduated with honours and stayed to complete her doctorate in Botany. Prior to the Arcadia expedition, Dr. Dietrich was considered a well-travelled scientist, widely recognised for her groundbreaking research into xeno algaes and their roles in the ecology of freshwater habitats on garden worlds, as well as properties they possessed that could be utilised in medicine. However, during the expedition and - most especially - post-Collapse, when Arcadia fell into chaos, Dr. Dietrich became known more for her strong leadership and forthright, no-nonsense attitude. She is credited as being one of the founders of the Commonwealth Front of Arcadian Science, as well as the author of The Isolationist Charter, which outlaid the first laws and organisational foundations of the faction. She served for a long term of 15 years as Chief Scientist of the Commonwealth during its first, formative years. Her research into the plant life of Arcadia, especially that which was aquatic, continued throughout her life until her health began to deteriate. Dr. Dietrich died at her home in Endeavour at the age of 102 from age-related causes. To this day, she is celebrated throughout Isolationist societies and the Commonwealth in particular for her role in bringing peace to the chaos of the planet post-Collapse, and contributing a huge amount of time and effort into better governing practices that focused on community, science, and the environment.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
See Personal History of Dr. Katerina Dietrich for a condensed history of Dr. Katerina Dietrich's life.
Early Life
Katerina Dietrich was born on the 3rd August 2415 to chemical refinery workers in Ulanburg, New Hanover. Her family was of Earth-German heritage and working-class. She was the youngest of three children, quickly setting herself apart from her siblings by doing exceedingly well in her schooling at Unterbecken Grundschule; well enough, in fact, to spare her the worst of living in the grimy industrial city for too long. At age 11, Katerina was sent to a private boarding school on the outskirts of the city, paid for by a scholarship sponsored by the Earth Empire for children who showed intellectual promise. The terms of this scholarship were harsh, however, with even a slight slip in grades meaning that she would be sent back into state education. Not wanting to return home to the squalor of the city, even if it did mean she wouldn't be able to see her parents very often, Katerina threw everything into her studies and ended up graduating from the school with top marks in all her subjects. It was the escape she needed from the industrial nightmare. She earned a further scholarship to the University of Central Oldenstein, a prestigious institution on-world that was situated in the heart of the agricultural region. Keen on pursuing science, Katerina studied Xenobiology from the age of 18 to 22, receiving a bachelors and masters in the subject with full honours. Although the opportunity was there for her to start work immediately after graduation, Katerina had fallen in love with the rolling fields and many lakes of Central Oldenstein. She was reluctant to return to Ulanburg, where the laboratories and research centres of large corporations awaited her. Instead, she decided to continue her studies, racking up a large amount of student debt to pursue a research doctorate in Botany.Scientific Research and Career
During her time at Oldenstein, Katerina largely focused her studies on marine flora, using the vast lakes scattered across the region as a starting point for her research. In particular, she was fascinated with the wide array of algaes evident from the shoreline to the bottom of the lakes, and how they were involved in purifying the water quality to support other marine life. She gained her doctorate in Botany after successfully defending her thesis on algae as a food source for marine crustaceans of New Hanover lakes, and the delicate relationship they had with maintaining the freshwater environment. Her realisation throughout her studies at how delicate this environment actually was led her to organise a campaign to protect the lakes from pollutants dumped by farming and waste disposal into the lake waters. In this time, she had also discovered a few new species of algae and been awarded the Young Scientist of the Year Award by the Earth Empire Scientific Institution (EESI). Deemed 'too problematic', however, due to her fierce campaigning against marine pollution, Katerina was turned down for a teaching role at the University of Central Oldenstein and employed off-world by EESI, who needed her headstrong and inquisitive personality put to use in scientific expeditions across the Empire.
Sexuality
Dr. Dietrich was widely considered to be asexual. She never married or had children, but was known to be in a few relationships with biological men. Despite this, she never confirmed to anyone but her closest friends how she felt about relationships and sexuality, preferring to keep such matters private.
Ethnicity
Date of Birth
3rd August 2415
Date of Death
19th September 2517
Life
2415 AD
2517 AD
102 years old
Circumstances of Death
Age-related causes
Birthplace
Ulanburg, New Hanover
Children
Pronouns
She/her
Sex
Female
Eyes
Brown
Hair
Black
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
White
Height
1.77m (5' 8")
Aligned Organization
-PLEASE NOTE: This archive entry is still a work in progress and some of the information within may be missing or incomplete. Only verified information is permitted to be entered into the archive. Thank you for your understanding.-:VI-0679 'Alexandria': (CFAS Archiving Virtual Intelligence)
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So far, while this article doesn't seem to be finished, I like the work you've put into it. Dr. Dietrich seems to be a really impressive character and I'm really looking forward to the rest of the article. But the best thing about this person is that she is (a New) German ;-).
Many thanks for your comment! :) It definitely isn't finished but I was pushed for time during summer camp so I got the base details down. I'm glad you like her, she's probably one of the most important characters in the history of my world.