UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
Alexander Kling, SA-9522 Stony Brook University- Northeast Section
Being a geologist is the best way to understand the solar system in which we live. While I always had a passion for space and the planets, I did not come to understand this sentiment until I began doing research within the subfield of planetary geology.
My passion for geology and space began
when I took Earth Science in eighth grade. I quickly gained an affinity to both, enjoying identifying hand samples of minerals and fascinating pictures of space and planetary phenomena. I continued exploring my passion for geology in high school as part of GeoPREP at Stony Brook University. This was a summer research program designed to get high school students engaged in the geosciences. We explored different facets of the geosciences through field trips around Long Island, New York,and conducted minor studies within the lab. I continued with this program the following summer and conducted my own individual research studying the effects of road salt on nearby soil pH.
Later in my high school career, I began to question what I wanted to study in college, and from that, what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I decided that I wanted to study something on the forefront of human exploration and settled on space. I knew that I liked space, especially the planets but that I also liked geology. When I came to the realization that planets are just big rocks, it felt like the perfect fit. When I was first admitted to Stony Brook University, I declared the Astronomy/Planetary Science major because I believed this to be the best way to study the planets. Before I started my freshman year however, I reached out to the undergraduate advisor of the Geology major, Dr. Deanne Rogers, a planetary geologist herself. I explained that I wanted to study the planets and wanted to know which was the best way to approach it, through astronomy or geology. She explained that astrono- mers study the planets through telescopes and that geologists study the planets through orbiters and rovers. That immedi-
ately hooked me, and I changed my major to Geology at my Freshman Orientation.
Within my first year, I sought out all the planetary geolo- gists within the department, attempting to begin working in their labs. I was not able to begin work with any of them, but instead began doing geochronology in our department’s isotope lab. I was able to then leverage this experience to begin working in the Vibrational Spectroscopy Lab, a part of the Center for Planetary Exploration. There, I began working to spectroscopically characterize mineral mixtures to support currently ongoing missions such as OSIRIS-REx, a sample return mission studying the carbonaceous asteroid, Bennu. I also began conducting research outside of SBU as part of a National Science Foundation summer REU program at the American Museum of Natural History. There, I conducted analyses of enstatite chondrites, a type of meteorite. This work taught me that all of the models created by astronomers to interpret the formation and early evolution of the solar sys- tem are based on analyses of meteorites, e.g. cooling rates of refractory materials, concentrations of isotopes, and the types of minerals found within them, how they formed and have since been altered. I have since continued to build my passion for planetary geology through more research experiences and higher-level coursework.
These early research experiences shaped how I view geol- ogy in the context of understanding our place in the universe. Humanity learned more about the Earth by venturing out and exploring the Moon. As I am applying to PhD programs, I am most interested in projects that would not only allow me to learn more about other planetary bodies, but to compare them to Earth as well. I want to be a geologist because employing geologic principles and techniques are the best way for us to understand not only our own planet, but our solar system as well.
About the Essayist
Alexander is originally from New York City and is a senior graduating from Stony Brook University. His main interest is planetary geology, specifically comparative planetology and in the Fall, he plans to start a PhD in Planetary Science at Purdue University. His current career goal is to become a professor conducting research and teaching future generations.
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I want to be a geologist because employing geologic principles and techniques are the best way for us to understand not only our own planet, but our solar system as well.
16 TPG •
Jul.Aug.Sep 2020
www.aipg.org
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