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.
Cassidy Belske, 2017
Lead Leached from Household Plumbing and the Effect of Water pH Levels
Courtney Chouinard, 2017
Elemental Contamination of Ancient Copper Mine in Killarney, Ireland
Zach Cook, 2017
Heavy Metal Contamination Found in Water Sources Throughout Mainland China
Mark Lundine, 2018
Channel Morphometry Analysis of Headwater Streams Using a Terrestrial Laser Scanner in Two Different Ecoregions
John (Jack) Malone, 2018
Structure of the Southern Margin of the Big Horn Batholith, Wyoming: A Major Archean Shear Zone?
Robert Martin, 2017
Chemical and Thin Section Analysis of the Coal Creek Serpentinite
Allison Pease, 2018
Sea Level Budget along the East Coast of North America
Jacob Piske, 2017
Nutrient Variations of Six Surface Water Bodies in McHenry County, IL
Jessa Rizzo, 2017
The Color and Clarity of Feldspars: Experiments in Heat Treating
Joseph Teresi, 2018
A Spatial Relationship Between Stream Slope Stability and Water Quality within an Urban Watershed in Rock Island, IL
Laura Ames, 2016
Environmental Geochemistry of Sediments and Soils in Rock Island County: Heavy Metals in the Dirt
Laura Behymer, 2016
Heat Treatment and Irradiation of Yellow Tournmaline from East Africa
Danny Fulton, 2016
Geochemical Characteristics of the Castle Rock Conglomerate with Implications for Provenance
Kati Ponder, 2016
Environmental Geochemistry of Soils from a Former Industrial Site on Sylvan Island, Moline, IL
Luc Ratzer, 2016
Postcranial Remains of a Sauropodomorph Dinosaur from the Lower Jurassic of Antarctica
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.
