Geology majors are required to complete a senior research project under the direction of one of the faculty members, completing GEOL4501 (Introduction to Research) and GEOL451 (Senior Research). Completion of GEOL451 requires a written senior thesis and public presentation of results, typically at a Geological Society of America professional meeting. Student research projects vary with interest and funding.
Recent projects have included research in experimental petrology, paleontology, geomorphology, hydrogeology, geophysics, planetary geology, and glacial geology. Many students participate in National Science Foundation funded REU programs (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) during the summer between junior and senior year. Recent students have traveled to Thailand, Sardinia, Alaska, Mongolia, Brazil, Iceland, and the Canary Islands with such programs.
Jack Hughes '24
Emily Martin '24
Makayla Palm '24
Laurence Pavlik '24
From Romer to Olroyd: Developments in the Study of Synapsid Hearing
Kacey Plambeck '24
Briana Reagan '25
Cavit Schempp '24
Analysis and Description of the Iridescent Thin-Film on Calcites in Eastern Iowa
Eulle Stann Casaquite '25
Niah Tyler '25
Earthquake Relovation in Southeastern New Mexico to Better Understand Induced Seismicity
Alex Wandrey '24
Applying Modern Analog Technique to Foraminifera to Track the Neogene Migration of the Orinoco River in Trinidad
Students can now earn a departmental distinction upon successful completion of both a superior senior research thesis, GEOL 451 (Senior Research), and the geology degree with a GPA >3.5 for all geology courses and the supporting science and mathematics courses that are required for the major. Their efforts are recognized, in part, by a plaque stating the following:
For excellence in scientific coursework and successful completion of a superior research project, Augustana College's Department of Geology has conferred the Departmental Distinction in Geology upon the following students: Anders E. Carlson, 2000; Melissa J. Stafford, 2000; Jessica P. Allewalt, 2001; Beth A. Johnson, 2001; Veronica E. McCann, 2001; Jessica J. Terrien, 2001; Stephanie R. Bluemle, 2002; Meghan M. O'Hearn, 2002; Monica Z. Bruckner, 2005; Erica L. Emry, 2005; John A. Mischler, 2005; Michael R. Sheehan, 2005; Adam Cosentino, 2006; Nicolo Casarta, 2008; Daniel Hadley, 2008; Rebecca Saunders, 2008; Brandon Melton, 2010; Henry Stauffenberg, IV 2010; Jeremy Hoffman, 2011; Spencer Hellert, 2012; Maren Mathisen, 2012; Diana Boudreau, 2014; Jordan Carey, 2014; Alexis McAdams, 2014; Matt Osman, 2014; Ryan Plath, 2015; Joey Romero, 2015; Mark Lundine, 2018; John E. Malone, 2018; Allison Pease, 2018; Joseph Teresi, 2018; Bethany Hobart, 2019; Matthew Harrington, 2019; Lukas Karuza, 2020, Joshua Malone, 2020; Allison Bandera, 2021; Joel Padgett, 2021; Cheyenne Bartelt, 2022; Abigail Clark, 2022; Spencer Napiwocki, 2022; Bailey Willis, 2023; Kacey Plambeck, 2024; Cavit Schempp, 2024
Augustana College students take a break from their 15-week semester schedule to engage in a month-long period of intensive learning during January Term, or J-term. This three-and-a-half week course was added as part of the college’s transition to semesters in 2019-2020.
Four Augustana students have hit the ground running with their summer geology internships. Projects include studying the formation and evolution of ancient mountain belts, paleontology research, studying geological maps in zinc mines and installing seismometers for earthquake detection.
When Hannah Johnson ‘23 learned of an opportunity to create the first model of a recently discovered prehistoric creature, she put her art and geology majors to work.
