NEW EXPRIENCE-BASED APPLIED GEOLOGY DEGREE
Spectroscopy) capabilities. We are also one of the few colleges in the nation that teaches undergraduate students how to make thin sections and how to use PLM (Polarized Light Microscopy). Students gain hands-on experience in operating a variety of research instru- mentation and interpreting the results they generate. In addition, collaboration with our neighboring Colorado School of Mines and the United States Geological Survey in Denver has contributed to the expansion of our undergraduate student research capabilities.
ate research projects have included the discovery of a new kimberlite, geoscience field studies in Ireland and Germany, subsurface assessments of oil and gas field potentials, impact of acid fracking fluids in well maintenance, investiga- tions of rare earth element mineraliza- tion, GIS-linked studies of rock glacier distribution, and much more. Many of our students have won undergraduate research awards by presenting their findings at national conferences, such as the AIPG national meetings in Alaska (2015) and Santa Fe (2016) and the GSA Annual Meeting in Vancouver, B.C., Canada (2014).
2012 Alps Field Trip. Matterhorn
Every geology student at MSU Denver is required to undertake an internship to gain practical geoscientific experi- ence. We partner with local institutions such as the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the U.S. Geological Survey, local parks and open space agencies, municipal water boards, and the pri- vate sector to provide students with real-world, hands-on experience. As a component of their coursework, students also visit active industrial operations, including mines, processing plants and drill-sites.
Geology students also undertake at least one (and often more) undergradu- ate research projects. These projects are often student-driven and require one-on- one instruction and supervision from the sponsoring faculty. Our undergraduate research projects are comparable to senior courses at European universi- ties titled “Instructions for independent scientific work”. Our past undergradu-
Having a two-person full-time geol- ogy faculty is a challenge in developing diversity in the geology curriculum. Each of the two tenure-line faculty teaches three 4-credit introductory and advanced courses per semester, in addi- tion to “Maymester”, summer, and/or individual research-based courses. Part- time affiliate or adjunct faculty also teach introductory courses. One of the tenure-line faculty specializes in hard- rock geology, the other in soft-rock geology. Between them, they have work experience in a range of specialties, including hydrogeology, petroleum and minerals exploration, and engineering geology. Both of the tenure-line fac- ulty, in different years, received the MSU Denver university-wide Teaching Excellence Award, attesting to the excel- lent instruction students are receiving in the Applied Geology degree program.
Many of our graduates have found meaningful employment with “only” a Bachelor’s Degree in the geosciences. Past employment opportunities have ranged from work with the USGS, the Henderson, Climax, and Cripple Creek- Victor mining operations in Colorado, the EPA, and various public and private entities including water treatment and field work. One of our graduates now owns a successful business built on the skills attained in the geology program at MSU Denver by providing expert thin- section services in geology, forensics and planetary geology. Another graduate is now a senior lab coordinator at a neigh- boring R1 institution thanks to our geol- ogy education. Many geoscience alumni have landed fully paid graduate school admissions and continue to pursue their “dream”.
To see some of our MSU Denver students in action in the field and lab, please visit us at: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=v_oMTwwpNNg
Dr. Uwe Richard Kackstaetter, a German native, received his B.A. in Geology from the University of Northern Colorado, his M.S. in Geology from BYU, Provo and his Ph.D. in applied geology and mineralogy “magna cum laude” from the University of Würzburg, Germany. His professional expertise on two conti- nents ranges from environmental test- ing and geohydrologic investigations to minerals and igneous research. As an educator he has taught not only in college and secondary classrooms, he has also conducted numerous national and international geological field cours- es. Dr. Kackstaetter’s current inter- ests are in developing various practical approaches as advanced tools for the geosciences, such as field specific grav- ity testing, automated percolation tes- ters, new wavelength dependent night prospecting tools, improved processes of rock and mineral thin sectioning, field portable cation chromatography and clay mineral analytical process- ing and computations. He currently works as Associate Professor of Geology at Metropolitan State University of Denver where he teaches courses in Mineralogy and Optical Mineralogy, Hydrogeology, Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology, Applied Volcanology, Field Methods and a senior capstone course in Undergraduate Research for the geosci- ences. Dr. Kackstaetter is an advocate for undergraduate research and involves his students in various meaningful proj- ects both in Europe and the United States, which have yielded some exciting discoveries, such as a new, accessible kimberlite in the Colorado-Wyoming State line kimberlite district.
2014 Germany Field Trip Fossil Quarry Holzmaden
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