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Geology student research

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.

Sophie Arceneaux '25

Sophie Arceneaux '25

GIS-Based Flood Simulation for Quantifying Terrestrial Runoff and Sedimentation on Coral Reefs, Bonaire Caribbean Netherland Antilles

Jaycee Bythewood '25

Jaycee Bythewood '25

Origins of Chinese Oregenic Belts

Eulle Stann Casaquite ’25

Eulle Stann Casaquite ’25

Philippine Volcanic Hazards: A Modified Approach of the VPI30 Calculation Using GIS Extraction Tools and Sentinel-2 Imagery Data

Shaun Duckett ’25

Shaun Duckett ’25 

Describing Dietary Response to Climate-Driven Habitat Change in the American Mastodon to Understand Their Extinction

Alicia Felker ’25

Alicia Felker ’25 

Methods for Underwater Field Surveys (Rov) & Photogrammetry for Mapping Coastal Marine Environments: A Case Study in Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands Antilles

Zoe Heiar '25

Zoe Heiar '25

Comparative Analysis on Soil Radon Exhalation Rates and Weather Parameters in the Illinois/Iowa Quad Cities Region

Briana Reagan ’25

Briana Reagan ’25

Benthic Habitat Mapping of Bonaire, Caribbean Netherland Antilles: Application of Image Classification in Arcgis to Remotely Sensed Underwater Orthomosaics

Niah Tyler '25

Niah Tyler '25

Earthquake Relocation in Southeastern New Mexico to Better Understand Induced Seismicity

 James Vercoe '25

 James Vercoe '25 

Constraining the Timing of Deformation of the Southern Basin and Range, Trinidad Using Zircon and Apatite (U-Th)/He Thermochronology

Alex Wandrey '24

Alex Wandrey '24

Applying a Modern Analog Technique to Foraminifera to Track Neogene Paleo-Water Depths of the Southern Basin in Trinidad

Audrey Zettler '25

Audrey Zettler '25

Potential Impact to Molluscan Communities of Florida’s Wakulla Spring Due to Heavy Metal Pollution from Coins


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; James Vercoe, 2025; Eulle Casaquite, 2025

John Deere Planetarium

Planetarium and geology museum to host May 3 open house

Augustana College's John Deere Planetarium and Fryxell Geology Museum will be open to the public on Saturday, May 3, for the annual spring open house. Indoor and outdoor programs will be offered in the planetarium, observatory and geology museum.

Holden Village students posing for a photo before heading to the village.

Five years of Augustana’s January Term

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.

Makayla Thumb

Unearthing students' love for geology

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.