Category Archives: Uncategorized

Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: A bouquet of barnacles on a pectenid bivalve from the Upper Miocene of Virginia

Mark Wilson May 19, 2017 12:01 am

These beautiful fossils were found in York State Park by Mae Kemsley (’16). It was a surprise gift I found on my doorstep! They are fossil barnacles completely covering the exterior of a valve of the pectenid bivalve Chesapecten middlesexensis … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologists graduate!

Mark Wilson May 18, 2017 9:28 am

WOOSTER, OHIO — We had the pleasure on Monday of watching our geology seniors cross the stage and receive their diplomas. It happens every year, of course, and every year is special. Above is an image of most of the … Continue reading →

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What is a clean lab?

mpollock May 16, 2017 10:18 pm

Chapel Hill, NC – Ben Kumpf (’18) and I are at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to use their lab facilities for isotope analysis. We’re working with small amounts of sample and the instrument has a high degree of … Continue reading →

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Let the summer research commence!

mpollock May 15, 2017 3:54 pm

Chapel Hill, NC – As the College of Wooster Commencement ceremony was just finishing, our rising seniors were starting their summer research. Ben Kumpf (’18) and I are visiting the labs in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of North … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: Belemnites (Jurassic of Wyoming)

Mark Wilson May 12, 2017 12:01 am

This week’s fossils are among the most recognizable. They certainly are popular in my paleontology courses because no one has ever misidentified one. Belemnites (from the Greek belemnon, meaning javelin or dart) were squid-like cephalopods that lived in the Jurassic … Continue reading →

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The 30th Annual Keck Symposium and the Importance of Presentation in the Undergraduate Research Experience

mpollock May 11, 2017 11:10 am

Middletown, CT – Wesleyan University recently hosted the 30th annual Keck Symposium. The Keck Symposium is one of the key features that separates Keck projects from other types of undergraduate research experiences. Most other REU programs are confined to the summer, but … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossil of the Week: a medullosalean pteridosperm (Upper Carboniferous of northeastern Ohio)

Mark Wilson May 5, 2017 1:33 am

It is time we had another fossil plant in this series. The above specimen is Neuropteris ovata Hoffmann 1826, a relatively common bit of foliage in the Upper Carboniferous of North America. This is a pteridosperm, more commonly known as … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: Sponge and clam borings that revealed an ancient climate event (Upper Pleistocene of The Bahamas)

Mark Wilson April 28, 2017 12:01 am

This week’s fossils celebrate the publication today of a paper in Nature Geoscience that has been 20 years in the making. The title is: “Sea-level oscillations during the Last Interglacial highstand recorded by Bahamas coral”, and the senior author is … Continue reading →

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Expanding Horizons by Mapping the Seafloor

mpollock April 24, 2017 4:33 pm

Wooster, OH – Last weekend, The College of Wooster hosted the Expanding Your Horizons conference. About 240 fifth- and sixth-grade girls participated in hands-on science workshops on computer science, math, geology, chemistry, biology, physics, and neuroscience. This year, I went back to my roots … Continue reading →

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Wooster Geologists participate in the historic March For Science on Earth Day, 2017

Mark Wilson April 22, 2017 6:25 pm

Wooster, Ohio — It was a chilly day downtown, but several hundred people gathered for the national March For Science. We were one of over 500 local events across the country advocating for science awareness, education and funding. Thank you … Continue reading →

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