“WHY I WANT TO BE A GEOLOGIST.” Sierra Melton, SA-6131, Colorado College
For as long as I can remember, I have delved deep into the explora- tion of the natural world. My endless curiosity urges me to peer behind the rocks, smell the trees, and examine everything with a close attention to detail. After studying earth science in eighth grade, I realized I could give
back to the world through science. This class led me to dis- cover the answers to conundrums over which I had puzzled for years. Why do the rocks look the way they do? Why do the mountains exist? Wondering about the secrets of the past and the possibilities for the future, I worked as hard as I could to uncover and understand the geoscientific concepts that gave more meaning to my explorations through the natural world. Ever since then, I have known that geoscience would be in my future.
My desire to protect the earth and my lifelong love of the curiosity and discovery inherent to science intersect in an obsession with geology. When I tell people I am a geologist, they often assume that I want to make a huge profit in the oil and gas industries, or that I just like looking at rocks. I tell them that geology is so much more than that: it is the study of our beautiful, dynamic earth, and it has the power to change the world. As a geologist, I enjoy being an earth detective piecing together the puzzle pieces of information and working toward an enhanced understanding of our dynamic planet. I wish to improve humanity’s relationship with the earth systems of which we are a part, encouraging deeper comprehension through science. Almost every single day, I feel incredibly grateful and lucky that I have found my strength and fiery passion for geology. I cannot wait to make a positive difference
in the world while also immersing myself in the science I love as a research geologist.
My Colorado College geology education is preparing me well for a geoscience career of field research, critical thinking, and data interpretation. The geology program is heavily field-based because of the unique “Block Plan” a system in which students take one intense course at a time. Among other adventures, I have completed three field-based mapping projects, hiked up a glacially-carved valley in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, studied Rocky Mountain National Park and the Florissant Fossil Beds, measured ion concentration in acid mine drainage water, analyzed stable isotope data from carbonates to gather information about past climates, and camped with my class for a week while studying gravity anomalies and the structure of the lithosphere. I greatly enjoy collecting and interpreting original data and developing hypotheses with my classmates and professors.
My experiences with independent research projects, includ- ing conducting ground-penetrating radar surveys on archaeo- logical sites in New Mexico, characterizing sediment in tidally-influenced Texas rivers, and using remote sensing methods to measure erosion in North Carolina, have affirmed my aspiration to become a research geoscientist. After gradu- ation, I intend to complete doctoral studies concerning the effects of climate change on glaciers and water resources. I am excited about entering a field where my research will be multifaceted, requiring fieldwork, remote sensing, modeling, and lab work to investigate glacial erosion, mass balance, and basal conditions, as well as subglacial hydrology and water resources in Arctic and alpine regions. Once I have incorpo- rated my findings into glacial models to improve the accuracy of sea level projections, I will disseminate my results through education and outreach initiatives.
Logan Moore, SA-6975, University of North Georgia
While I was growing up I always had an interest in things of the natu- ral world. I spent most my free time playing in the woods, making forts and sifting through the dirt looking for what I considered to be “precious gems”. When entering my undergradu- ate education, I did not have the slight-
est clue as to what I wanted to be when I grew up. However, one thing that was very clear is that I would not spend the vast majority of my life behind a desk, working a job where I found no passion, excitement or inquiry.
My passion for geology developed surprisingly and rapidly during the junior year of my undergraduate career. It all started while I was taking my very first geology class, Physical Geology, with Dr. Katayoun Mobasher at the University of North Georgia (UNG) in the fall of 2014. During that semes- ter, I discovered that not only do I have a passion for Earth sciences and the Earth system but I also have a deep passion for the formation of Earth materials. After this discovery, I dedicated much of my Geospatial Information Systems (GIS)
www.aipg.org
class projects to the observation of geological materials in various regions.
My exposure to the connection between Remote Sensing, GIS, and geology began with my research for a final project in a Digital Image Processing class. For this project, I used satellite imagery to produce a preliminary lithological map. I have also applied these same techniques, to a further extent, during my Special Topics in Geology course, on an aerial image of the Khoy ophiolite. By applying these techniques, I found that it is possible to identify the distribution of general rock types in the image. However, further detailed identifica- tion requires a deeper knowledge on how geological material reflects the different wavelengths of light emitted by the sun, also known as a spectral reflectance analysis. By analyzing this data, a detailed rock type classification can be generated from a remote location. My goal is to establish an accurate way to apply Remote Sensing and GIS to detailed lithologi- cal mapping. One thing I realized is that this type of spatial analysis has not really been applied to the Geology field. This excites me because it gives me the opportunity to develop a ground-breaking method to analyzing geological features. As a
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