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.
|
Cheyenne Bartelt 2022 |
 |
|
Andrew Baxter 2022 Point Cloud Modeling of Shatter Cones From Wells Creek Crater, Northwestern Tennessee |
 |
|
Irysa Boyer 2022 Morphological Analysis of Wolf-Like Canids Reveals Evolutionary Relationships |
 |
|
Meghan Carr 2022 A Carbon Footprint Analysis of Augustana College Residence Halls |
 |
|
Abigail Clark 2022 Structural Geology and Cenozoic Deformation: Western Northern Range, Trinidad |
 |
|
Spencer Napiwocki 2022 Provenance and Geochemical Analysis of the Northern Range, Trinidad |
 |
|
Audrianna Schneider 2022 |
 |
|
Isabelle Seten 2022 Geochemistry of Urban Watersheds: A Heavy Metal and Land Use Analysis |
 |
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.
A $100,000 grant from Augustana College Trustee Christopher Coulter '94 and his wife, Melanie Berna Coulter '94, will mobilize Augustana students, faculty and staff as they partner with communities to solve the social, economic and environmental challenges facing the Quad-Cities region.
During January term, students take a break from their 15-week semester schedule to engage in a month-long period of intensive learning. Here are four students' J-term stories and photos from several classes.
Three Augustana science students — Paige Lundborg, Bobby Nwachukwu and Audrey Zettler — made the most of their summer by taking advantage of opportunities on campus, in the Quad Cities and in another country.
Explore the Maquoketa Caves with the Augustana Sierra Club from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Lunch provided.
A speaker from the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance will speak to students. Presented by the Augustana Sierra Club.
Augustana College's John Deere Planetarium will be open to the public from 8:30-10 p.m. for an evening of stargazing and planet viewing.
