Monthly Archives: May 2012

Scovel Hall lecture room renovations begin (periodically updated)

Our beloved Scovel Hall lecture rooms are finally being updated. The fixed seats in Room 105 endured by generations of student behinds are headed to the dumpster (including their 1985 color scheme) and will be replaced by tables and movable … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 4 Comments

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: a trilobite burrow (Upper Ordovician of Ohio)

This is one of my favorite trace fossils. Rusophycus pudicum Hall, 1852, is its formal name. It was made by a trilobite digging down into the seafloor sediment back during the Ordovician Period in what is now southern Ohio. It … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Forbes lists Geology as 7th in its “15 Most Valuable College Majors”

Sure it is intellectually stimulating, adventurous and fun, but geology is also an important field for the present and future according to the latest issue of Forbes magazine. Geology is ranked as number 7 in the most valuable college majors, … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: Corkscrew shells from the Pliocene of Cyprus

Steve Dornbos (’97), now a professor at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and I found these intricate shells by the hundreds in the Nicosia Formation (Pliocene) of Cyprus during his Independent Study field work. (We published this study in 1999.) They … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: Intricate networks of tiny holes (clionaid sponge borings)

The most effective agents of marine bioerosion today are among the simplest of animals: clionaid sponges. The traces they make in carbonate substrates are spherical chambers connected by short tunnels, as shown above in a modern example excavated in an … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Theory to Practice: An Early GSA Abstract

This semester, I’ve had the pleasure of teaching a special topics lab course in geochemistry. Given our new lab facilities, I decided to approach the class as an analytical geochemistry course. We explored sampling strategies, data quality, and the theory … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Behind the Scenes at the Smithsonian

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Guest blogger: Lindsey Bowman (’12). As part of CUR’s Posters on the Hill event, we took a behind-the-scenes tour of the U.S. National Meteorite Collection at the Smithsonian. Our host was Dr. Cari Corrigan. Next, we toured … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Presentations on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Students and faculty aren’t the only audiences for Wooster I.S. presentations. This year, two Wooster students were selected (out of 850 applicants) to represent the best in undergraduate research at CUR’s Posters on the Hill event. Congratulations … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

A rite of passage: Geology Junior Independent Study presentations

WOOSTER, OHIO–The College of Wooster requires an Independent Study (I.S.) thesis (or performance) from all of its graduates. These are not just extended literature reviews, but unique research projects crafted for and by each of our students. We devote three … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: A giant oyster (Eocene of Texas)

It’s no ordinary oyster, of course, because it comes from Texas. It certainly is the largest oyster I’ve ever seen. Wooster received it as part of a large donation in 2010. (You can see students studying it in this previous … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments