UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
Brandon Duktig, SA-10589 University of Mount Union- Ohio Section
For years, geology has been what I wanted to do with my life. What I needed to do with my life. In my eyes, a geologist has one of the most important and reward- ing jobs within science and perhaps in this world. Some travel and observe mag- nificent places around the world and use scientific instruments to peer millions,
occasionally even billions of years into the past and uncover the history of this planet. Using the scientific knowledge amassed by generations of scientists, you stand on the shoulders of giants to solve the greatest mysteries of the processes that shaped the Earth and this universe. When I was growing up, I did not know that this innate fascination with the Earth would eventually lead to my decision to become a geologist.
Ever since I was young, I wanted to spend my time outside enjoying nature by exploring my backyard or local parks. Every time I went somewhere with my family, I always had my eyes to the ground looking for any interesting rocks and assembled quite the collection over the years. There was no one experience I had that captivated me. Every day I just became more fascinated by the natural world, with rocks beginning to accumulate on my dresser. As I became older, this habit transformed into a love for the Earth and the environment, with a strong desire to understand and protect it. When it came time to think about what I intended to study in college, I realized I had known for years. For me, the difficult decision was not what to major in, but instead narrowing down what I wanted to do with my career. I am planning on attending graduate school and have been contemplating a field of geol- ogy I want to specialize in. I want to learn as much as I can about the Earth and experience as much as possible, not being limited to one job or field of geology. Whatever I do decide to pursue, I want it to have a significant and positive impact on the world. To contribute to our understanding of the universe and to inspire others to pursue science as well.
An important duty of any scientist is to share their work and to educate others. Even in our advanced society, not enough students here in the United States wonder about the
Taylor Grandfield, SA-10381 Stony Brook University - Northeast Section
My path to geology was unexpected and nonlinear. It started with my high school chemistry teacher who was extremely passionate and inspired me to pursue a career in science. By the time I began applying to college, earth science was the freshman science class that everyone had forgotten about. I enrolled in Suffolk
County Community College as a chemistry major. At first, I was excited to be a chemistry major, but as I continued on, I became more and more unfulfilled. I was learning about top- ics that were intangible, and I was searching for something that would allow me to get my hands dirty. It was in a course about global climate change that I rediscovered earth science.
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An important duty of any scientist is to share their work and to edu- cate others.
nature of the universe and want to uncover its secrets. When I was fortunate enough to have studied abroad in Lüneburg, Germany this past summer, I met many students there who cared strongly about science and the environment. They see the beauty of the Earth in its complexity and work to under- stand it. At my university, I have met several people that think science, and specifically geology, is just too difficult to bother understanding or that it is just about looking at boring rocks, which could not be further from the truth. I want to be able to take my future knowledge and research and write about it and present it to as many people as possible, so they too can be interested in this amazing world. I see this as a personal duty, to uncover the intricacies and hidden beauties of the Earth and to advance public interest in science and this universe.
While geology has long been the study of the Earth, it will continue to involve the study of other planets and moons as we journey beyond this planet. I have always been interested in geology beyond Earth and how we fit into the story of the universe. My laptop background is the Hubble telescope ultra- deep field image, displaying thousands of galaxies and count- less stars. When I gaze at that picture, I am reminded of how insignificant we are in this incomprehensibly vast cosmos. I then think of the pure splendor of this universe and how lucky we are to live on this planet. It is our duty as inhabitants of the world to understand, preserve, and appreciate its beauty. To understand our place in this universe, we need to first fully understand this planet and solar system so we may journey beyond. I see myself becoming a geologist as a way to fulfill this mission in my own small way. This is what I want to do with my life, this is what I need to do with my life, and I will con- tinue to give my absolute best until I have achieved this goal.
About the Essayist Brandon attends the University of Mount Union in Alliance,
Ohio. He is interested in Planetary Geology as well as ter- restrial Geology, and his goal is to communicate his love of the earth and of geology to the public, and in doing so to increase public understanding of science and the earth.
I can recall a moment in the class where we watched a video about glaciologists analyzing ice cores and I was just in awe. I thought it was amazing that ice could be used as a tool to analyze past geological history. I stayed after class to ask questions about career paths in climate science. My profes- sor mentioned that if I was interested in a career in climate change that I should focus on majors within the geosciences, specifically geology. This led me to me to the tiny geology department at Suffolk Community College. Upon meeting with one of the geology professors I realized that I was not just looking for a career path to climate change, I was looking towards a career where I could understand earth processes and how they can affect us both now and later. Soon enough I had changed my major to Geology and applied to the GEOCORE Ambassador program for that upcoming fall semester. I spent three weeks of that summer outside, learning about the geosci- ences and the different career opportunities in the field. That next fall I finally took my first geology course. It was there
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