Student
Scholarship Essays
Alicia Chan, SA-9948 University of Nebraska-Lincoln - IA/NE Section
Growing up in the tropical and hilly
regions of Malaysia, going out for hikes was always an excitement for me, as a temporary escape from the hustle and bustle of fast-paced city life. This led me
to embark on a 7-day hiking trip to the highest mountain in Peninsula Malaysia, Gunung Tahan, where I crossed rivers as high as my waist, traversed up and down many hills, and gazed in awe at gorgeous valleys from higher elevations. How were these valleys formed? Why is there water springing out from the ground at this high elevation? How were these sharp rock structures formed in the middle of nowhere? These were some of the many questions that ran through my mind as I was hiking with blisters on my foot and fatigue slowing me down. As much as I enjoyed the camaraderie of my friends, my curiosity about, and awe of, the structure of nature lingered far after my trip. Thinking about college, and having caught the little spark from hiking, my pursuit of knowledge about the geologic history of Malaysia began. Even though I have been met with many questions and doubts about my decision to pursue a male-dominated field, I believe my drive to under- stand Mother Nature’s ever-changing structures is the only thing I truly need to carry on. The courses in Introductory and Historical Geology in my first year in Nebraska have set a “big picture” foundation for me to understand the microdetails in mineralogy and igneous and metamorphic petrology classes. Introduction to Geophysics and Exploration Geophysics have answered my questions about how we know the layers beneath the surface and how geology can be applied in order to supply energy for tomorrow. Tectonics has shown me that inference is a powerful tool to unveil the geologic story of the past, and that geology is a very creative field, especially when develop- ing hypotheses to explain how and when modern-day plate tectonics started. Now, I can answer some of the questions I had back during my youthful hike, and ask more complex questions to paint not only a more complete story of geology along each step of the way, but also to appreciate how far the field has come. This is why I want to become a geologist.
18 TPG •
Jul.Aug.Sep 2019
Jennifer Davis, SA-4207 Miami University, Ohio – OH Section
I have a rock from every single place
I have ever visited. That’s not an exag- geration. Every vacation, every field trip, I keep a rock and add it to my collection. My passion for rocks began at an early age.
As a kid, I could not stop picking up rocks. Something about these little pieces of the Earth astonished me. Every single rock that I picked up had an entirely different shape, a different combination of minerals, and a different structure than the one before it. I filled every jacket pocket, every pants pocket, every backpack, and every nook and cranny in between with rocks every single place I went. Even in my own backyard, I would
“
All of these rocks and fossils help to paint a picture of the past and to me, a chance to be a geologist and paleontologist means that I can contribute to this picture to help us understand more about what came before us.
explore the creek in the woods just to find more. Sometimes on my hunt for rocks, I would come across something that southwestern Ohio is famous for: fossils. The first fossil I ever found was a brachiopod from that very creek near my house.
My collection of rocks and fossils now includes specimens
from locations spanning the globe. I keep them all over my house: outside on the porch, in my bedroom, in the kitchen, in the living room, and in my car. Over the years, I have come to realize that these rocks and fossils tell a story about the history of our planet, a story that is still being pieced together. All of these rocks and fossils help to paint a picture of the past and to me, a chance to be a geologist and paleontologist means that I can contribute to this picture to help us understand more about what came before us.
www.aipg.org
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