Geology Department Summer Research

Program Overview

The Department consists of six faculty members. It has a heavy emphasis on field work and research. A senior thesis is required for all BS students and is optional for BA students. Data since 1989 follow:

Senior theses were completed by 46 students, and eight of these were Honors theses. There were also ten other independent studies. The Department has graduated 90 students, of which 11 are pursuing an MS, 18 have received an MS, one has received a PhD, and three are currently pursuing a PhD. There have been four peer-reviewed papers with five student co-authors. Students as sole or primary co-authors have presented 26 abstracts at regional and national conferences. Department faculty and students often collaborate with students and faculty in the Biology, Chemistry, Civil and Chemical Engineering, and Environmental Studies. Field and laboratory work often provides discovery learning opportunities for both majors and non-majors.

Summer McKenna fellowships have supported nine students. The Department has had four Presidential Fellows, and five students have been supported in summer by Bucknell Program for Undergraduate Research. The NSF-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program has supported nine students, and 15 students were funded by sources including Sigma Xi, PA Friends of Mineralogy, private industry, local government, and other universities. In addition, the Department has approximately $500 available for each thesis student for expenses.

Geology students are involved in five long-term research programs: 1) Montandon Marsh - a local wetland to be mined for sand and gravel; geophysical, hydrologic, geographic information systems work - funded by private industry and Bucknell sources, 2) Barrier island studies at the Virginia Coast Reserve Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) site - funded by NSF, 3) Shamokin Creek watershed - assessment and treatment of acid mine drainage - funded by the McKenna Foundation and PA Department of Environmental Protection, 4) Southwest Research Institute study of the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada -funded by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 5) Nippenose Valley - karst hydrogeology, sediment transport, and structural geology - funded by the McKenna Foundation and the Department of Geology.

Departmental Research Programs:

Other Programs: