UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS Why I Want to Be a Geologist Geologist Student Scholarship Essays
AIPG National is proud to announce that we have awarded 15 $1,000 scholarships to students pursuing geology degrees and careers. Scholarships are funded by national, the Foundation of the AIPG, and select sections. As part of their scholarship application, we asked undergraduate students to write an essay themed “Why I want to be a Geologist.” We are sharing their essays here.
We also awarded two William Siok graduate scholarships funded by the Foundation of the AIPG to students pursuing their graduate level degrees. One graduate student was awarded the Colorado Section’s Rex Monahan Geological Scholarship. We asked graduate students to write an essay focusing on a single theme of their choice, and explain how the profession of geology, over the coming decade, should best contribute to addressing a prob- lem for the well-being of the public. They were asked to explain (1) Why their theme choice is significant and (2) How professionals educated in geology are essential to contributing successfully to addressing the problem. We are sharing these in this edition as well.
We are so proud of our student members and excited to see what they will bring to the future of the geosciences. Congratulations students!
Natalea Cohen, SA-10523 Fort Lewis College - Colorado 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
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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.
About the Essayist
My name is Natalea Cohen and I am a junior at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado pursuing a geology major and mathematics and Spanish minors. I play on the Fort Lewis Women’s soccer team and am extremely excited about geologic hazard mitigation and communication focusing on volcanoes.
www.aipg.org
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