UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
John McCue, SA-10582 University of West Georgia- Georgia Section
Geology was not a major on my radar when I enrolled at the University of West Georgia, and I wouldn’t truly know that I wanted to be a geologist for almost two years. In fact, now that I look back on my young life, it’s plainly obvious that I was destined to be a geologist. It just took almost fifteen years to figure it out,
despite the truth being in front of me this whole time.
My parents have had an amazing influence on how I see the world and the respect I have for it. My father is a promi- nent outdoorsman who has passed on his own love of nature to me. I admit I am blessed by my father’s military career, which granted me the ability to embrace geology in Florida, Alaska, Nebraska, Texas, and now Georgia. Each place left its mark on my love for the outdoors, but none more than the United States’ final frontier. Alaska’s wilderness provided me with many firsts, including first fish caught, first camping trip, first hike, first dog-sled ride, first time to see moun-
Argentina, and sometimes they brought me fossils from famous sites in Patagonia. These small fractured fossils belonged to animals that I would never know, but in my head, I knew they were dinosaurs. Now I know they were probably small mammals from the Cenozoic. I convinced myself I would be a Paleontologist; so, I began reading every dinosaur book I could get my hands on. The obsession expanded my knowledge of biology, paleontology, geography and eventually a more important influence on my life, history.
History was my favorite subject in school, and my free time was spent reading books about important events in history. Learning for fun contributed to my many interests in Earth science including looking at maps from my history books and learning the geography of many landscapes. I now look back and see how important that knowledge was since I do an abun- dant amount of research reading and navigating maps with my field work. I took Introduction to Historical Geology and a physical geology course to fill core sections of my college cur- riculum. I was excited in both courses; geology was something I was not familiar with from my curious youth. My professors were extraordinary, they had my attention one hundred per- cent of the time, and I looked forward to learning something new every day for those classes. I particularly favored the historical geology class for history, of course. The course rocked my brain, I could not believe that scientists could recreate Earth’s story from rocks and fossils from around the world. It still fascinates me, every day I look forward to learning some new skill or fact that I can hopefully use to my advantage in a career in geology. I hadn’t even completed my introductory geology classes before I had declared a major in Geology.
tains, and first time to ride a train through a mountain! The amount of wildlife I’ve seen in Alaska was unimaginable for a young curious five-year old. However, I believe one of the most influential creatures in my life was actually a long dead organism. I went on a school field trip to a traveling museum where ‘Sue’, the largest Tyrannosaurus rex uncovered at the time, was on display for an awestruck young me to gawk at. I can still clearly see the fossils in my head now. My love for fossils and dinosaurs shot off from there like many other kids during my childhood. My grandparents were missionaries in
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Now that I am almost completed with my program here at the University, I am preparing myself for a career in geology. I have struggled with the question of “What can I do to help people, our society, and our planet with my degree?” I have taken an interest in many new renewable energy resources projects that are now in the beginning stages of development and testing. Our society will always need fuel and energy to power our way of life; I am almost guaranteed a job in energy, and mining and ore exploration based on these basic facts. With further education, I know that my role as a young geologist puts me in a formidable position to continue the work and develop- ment of a cleaner and more efficient delivery of resources and energy to our society while keeping our unique planet healthy.
This is why I want to be a geologist, and I can’t wait to get started. About the Essayist
John has recently graduated in Geology from The University of West Georgia. He is the former president of Sigma Gamma Epsilon, Theta Mu chapter, and Vice President of the Geosciences club, University of West Georgia.
I particularly favored the historical geology class for history, of course. The course rocked my brain, I could not believe that scientists could recreate Earth’s story from rocks and fossils from around the world. It still fascinates me, every day I look forward to learning some new skill or fact that I can hopefully use to my advantage in a career in geology.
www.aipg.org Jul.Aug.Sep 2020 • TPG 17
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