Senior Moments

The spring semester is rushing towards its conclusion. Classes have ended, final exams are underway, and graduation is just over a week away.  The Geology Department’s class of 2012  is an accomplished and talented group.  As I’ve noted before, all geology majors complete a year-long, independent senior thesis—this project is part of what makes the Geology experience at William & Mary unique.  This year’s senior research projects were wide-ranging, from investigations of fossil shark tooth morphology, to lead geochemistry in New England soils, to magnetic anomalies in the Blue Ridge, to Mesozoic rift basin formation, and beyond!  Two Saturday’s ago, the department came together for Senior Research Saturday, an eventful symposium in which seniors presented their research to friends, families, faculty, and peers.  They played to a packed house and talks were followed by a suitably celebratory reception.

The class of 2012 not only talked up their science on campus, but also took to the road and presented the results of their research at professional meetings from Charlottesville to Asheville to San Francisco.  Doug Rowland’s research on arsenic in groundwater at Jamestown was even highlighted by the History Channel. W&M geology students do meaningful research—but being able to effectively communicate that research is an essential part of being a public scientist.  We put a strong emphasis on presentations in the Geology department and it’s rewarding to have our students showcase their research on a larger stage.

Geology seniors Lyndsey Funkhouser (left) and Kevin Quinlan (right) talking up their research at professional meetings. Photos courtesy of Greg Hancock and Lorrie Coiner.

Earlier in the spring, our seniors led the departmental field trip and discussed their research at field sites from the Coastal Plain to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Watch a video from the trip and see for yourself!  It is cool to see the geology seniors engaging their peers and teaching the faculty a thing or two!  These activities don’t happen everywhere, but collaborative field trips and student leadership experiences are a delicious staple in the William & Mary Geology Department.