UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
from many different divisions of geology such as radiogenic isotope, paleomagnetic and paleocurrent data. This was a new and exciting way for me to learn about different kinds of data and how they can be utilized together to gain the most accurate results. I am looking forward to using a cumulative approach in the geologic research that I do.
Another reason why I want to be a geologist is so that I
can make a difference in the world. I see geology as the most important tool in solving many of our world problems. As people are faced with natural disasters such as earthquakes, land- slides, volcanic eruptions among others, geologists are the ones to contact to learn about mitigation techniques and possible future occurrences. Through exploration, geologists are able to find resources that are crucial to our survival and societal advancement. With geology, people can live healthier lives by knowing that their source of groundwater is uncontaminated. There are so many ways as a geologist that I can make a posi- tive difference in someone’s life and that is something that I will always strive for. In my eyes, geologists are modern day heroes as our climate and environment is ever changing.
As the careers and degrees I considered as a freshman changed and evolved with time, it was a great relief to find a degree and department I felt that I truly belonged to. I will forever be thankful to CMU and the department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences for giving me that sense of community as I grow as a geoscientist. As I learned about and became apart of AIPG I also found that same sense of community and the organization has opened my eyes to a larger society of other curious earth scientists. This leads me to another reason why I will be proud to call myself a geologist. I am beyond excited to be able to discuss findings and research among colleagues from across the U.S. and the globe. Having such broad connec- tions will mean endless opportunities for geologic research and careers and, it will allow me to collaborate with so many differ- ent minds and people of different backgrounds. The geoscience community is one that I am excited to become more apart of and it has become a major part of why I wish to be a geologist.
Looking back on the times I traveled the U.S. with my fam- ily, I wonder why it took me so long to figure out that geology would be the right fit for me. I always had absurd amounts of shells and rocks that I was convinced I needed to take home at the end of each trip. Even then I thought of Earth’s materi- als as treasures. Those memories will always be held dear to me but I hope to gain even bigger and better experiences as I continue to travel the world as a geologist. I want to be a geologist because one area of science is not enough to satiate my curiosities, being a geologist will allow me to make invalu- able connections with other scientists, and it will allow me to benefit the lives of others.
Shirley Mensah, SA-7566 Eastern Illinois University, IL/IN Section
The statement, “why I want to be a geologist” is one I never thought I would utter in my life or even think of sharing with others, looking back on a few years ago. I am pretty sure my 14 year old self
would be proud of me today. She would be proud because this Ghanaian girl finally found something she wants to pursue with all her might. I say this because, even until the start of my high school journey, I had no idea what major I wanted to pursue in college or what career path I would like to take
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in the future. I just knew that whatever career path I took, I wanted it to be meaningful and extremely beneficial to my community. In the year 2007, an oilfield was discovered off the coast of the Western Region of my country, Ghana. It was indeed both a blessing and a challenge to the country. We had discovered oil but had no knowledge of how to engage in drilling and production. It was the country’s first exposure to an offshore oil rig; hence this would require experts to handle this oil reservoir.
In finding ways to curb this problem, the government resort- ed to employing people from other countries regularly to help in the exploration of the oil. Production of oil officially started in 2010, a year before I started high school. In the course of my high school, I came to knowledge that my country was not receiving a substantial amount of the profits gained from the oil production. In operation statistics, 35.48% of the profits go to Tullow Oil, 24.1% to Kosmos Energy, 23.4% to Anadarko, with Ghana only receiving 17.02%. Since these foreigners do almost 100% of the job, they get a bigger percentage of profits than my people get. According to the statistics of the World Bank, Ghana is described as a third world country. However, we are working diligently to achieve a first world status. As a developing country, Ghana needs all the resources it can find
in its land to help its economy grow. Even though the country is rich in natural resources, there is a lack of implementation of policies to manage natural resources which leads to the misuse of these resources and slows down development. Similarly, giving away a substantial amount of revenue gained from oil to outsiders, as remuneration for their work, stagnates the country’s chances of development through the petroleum sec- tor. There arose a great concern for the fate of the oil industry in the country, supposing foreigners should keep being in almost full control of it. A huge part of the population that expressed this concern was the youth. How can we help the oil industry ourselves when we have no experience or training in the field and in the country? This was the question often asked. To address this challenge, the youth of the country thought it best to venture out of the country to gain the knowledge, skills, and expertise needed for the oil industry. Hence, the youth has flooded into universities abroad, desperately seeking training in the petroleum sector. I am one of these youth, now a senior pursuing her degree at Eastern Illinois University. I decided to study in the US because I knew I would gain exceptional, world class education, and training in the oil field so I can return home able to contribute to my country’s development in this field.
Thus, I am also in pursuit of a geology degree, specifically
in petroleum. My involvement on campus is also nurturing great leadership skills in me, aside the technical skills I
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