Last Day of GSA 2016: An empty room awaits

Mark Wilson September 28, 2016 9:01 am

podium-view-092816DENVER, COLORADO — The last day of the Geological Society of America meeting has finally arrived. Early this morning the above room will begin to gather a few of the remaining participants for a series of talks, including my own. As always I am very much looking forward to it being over, which will happen precisely at 10:15 a.m. I will then rush out of the room, the Convention Center and my hotel to start the journey home.

slide01-092816I’ll share my first and last PowerPoint slides. This is an exciting project Paul Taylor and I have started. Today we may learn if it has legs or will be immediately crippled by a few cogent observations.

slide36-092816This isn’t the last of the Wooster Geology presentations. There is one more poster this afternoon that will be reported in the next post. As for me, my meeting is nearly over. Safe travels to everyone!

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Day Three of Wooster Geology at GSA 2016: Structure, lakes and John Muir

Mark Wilson September 27, 2016 8:03 pm

jimerson-092716DENVER, COLORADO — Cole Jimerson started us off in the poster session today at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America.

jimerson-grilledHe faced a tough grilling at the start from none other than our own Dr. Pollock. Notice that a beer bottle has now appeared on the table!

siegel-092716Helen Siegel and her poster on structural geology in Utah (co-authored with Dr. Shelley Judge). This was a rare moment that Helen didn’t have company.

wayrynen-092716Andrew Wayrynen rounded out Team Wooster this afternoon with his poster on John Muir and Glacier Bay. Andrew is a double major in Geology and English.

Another beautiful and productive day in Denver, although we are all starting to drag a bit!

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Wooster Geology Alumni at GSA 2016

Mark Wilson September 26, 2016 11:59 pm

gsa-wooster-2016-585DENVER, COLORADO — Many of the Wooster Geology alumni at GSA, along with current students and professors Pollock and Wilson, gathered this evening for conversations. It was great fun with many stories and lots of good advice for our students.

dr-sophie-lehman-092616We celebrated Sophie Lehman’s (’08) brand new PhD. Congratulations, Dr. Lehman! We remember your first GSA presentation.

steph-and-amineh-092616Here is Wooster alumna Steph Jarvis talking to current student Amineh AlBashaireh. Many connections made tonight.

More later on the day of talks and posters.

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Another day of Wooster Geology at GSA 2016: Volcanoes and Fossils

Mark Wilson September 26, 2016 11:58 pm

jester-092616DENVER, COLORADO — On this second day of the Geological Society of America meeting we had several Wooster presenters. Above Cassidy Jester (’17) describes her developing Senior Independent Study work on Jurassic “snuff-boxes“.

wallace-and-kumpf-092616Dr. Pollock’s students Chloe Wallace and Ben Kumpf talked about their work on the geochemistry of a volcanic system in Iceland.wilson-092616

And there was me! This is my poster (With Caroline Buttler of the National Museum of Wales) on an Ordovician cave fauna.

taylor-092616Honorary Wooster Geologist Paul Taylor of the Natural History Museum in London also presented in our session. His project is the interpretation of a magnificent set of Carboniferous bryozoans.

poster-session-092616Finally, here is what a typical GSA poster session looks like. You can imagine the accompanying loud buzz of several thousand voices.

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Association for Women Geoscientists Breakfast at #GSA2016

mpollock September 26, 2016 11:03 am

Denver, CO – The Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG) held their annual breakfast at #GSA2016, where they recognized those people who make exceptional contributions to their mission. AWG seeks to encourage the participation of women in the geosciences, exchange information (technical, educational, professional), and enhance professional growth and advancement. After this morning’s inspirational stories, who wouldn’t want to become a member? One notable part of the program was the recognition of women geoscientists from the Mongolian Chapter of AWG.

Representatives from the Mongolian Chapter of AWG were recognized for their efforts to support women geoscientists. They began as an informal club in 2012 and were officially recognized as an international chapter of AWG in 2014.

Representatives from the Mongolian Chapter of AWG were recognized for their efforts to support women geoscientists. They began as an informal club in 2012 and were officially recognized as an international chapter of AWG in 2014.

 

This year’s Outstanding Educator Award winner was Barbara Dutrow, a renowned mineralogist.

Barbara Dutrow accepts the Outstanding Educator Award. One of her nominators was a former student who was profoundly affected by her undergraduate research experience with Barbara.

Barbara Dutrow accepts the Outstanding Educator Award. One of her nominators was a former student who was profoundly affected by her undergraduate research experience with Barbara.

 

Me and my research students, Rachel Heineman ('17, Oberlin) and Amineh AlBashaireh ('18), at the AWG breakfast. My students had the opportunity to network with lots of influential mentors, including a CUR Councilor, GSA Fellow, potential graduate advisors, and the Outstanding Educator Award Winner.

Me and my research students, Rachel Heineman (’17, Oberlin) and Amineh AlBashaireh (’18), at the AWG breakfast. My students had the opportunity to network with lots of influential mentors, including a CUR Councilor, GSA Fellow, potential graduate advisors, and the Outstanding Educator Award Winner.

 

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Wooster geologists begin their 2016 Geological Society of America meeting adventure

Mark Wilson September 25, 2016 12:23 pm

bell-092516DENVER, COLORADO — Seventeen Wooster students have now arrived in Denver for the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America. Eleven of them are giving presentations of some sort. We are very proud of each. Dr. Meagen Pollock and I may not be able to get to each poster, so we’re going to post what we can when we can. Today was big for Wooster’s Dendrochronology (Tree-Ring) Lab under the direction of Dr. Greg Wiles. All the work today was from various Alaska expeditions.

Early this morning I found Brandon Bell (’18, above) with his poster. Brandon is a double-major in history and geology. His project here on the Bering Expedition is quite fitting.

deck-585-092516Clara Deck (’17) here presents her dendroclimatic project.

deck-at-work-585-092516Clara at work doing the poster thing.

gunderson-092516Jeff Gunderson (’17) is also representing Wooster’s dendrochronology lab with his fine poster.

hilton-585-092516Annette Hilton (’17) is presenting for the dendrochronology lab.

mcgrath-585-092516As is Sarah McGrath (’17).

I’m very impressed with our students and their cheerful, confident and creative presentations. It is a daunting task giving a poster at a national meeting, and they are doing it exceptionally well.

More student presentations later! We’re having a good and productive time in Denver.

 

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Wooster Geology Alumnae in the Bearded Lady Project

Mark Wilson September 24, 2016 7:18 pm

bearded-lady-signWooster has produced many paleontologists over the last century. I’m not sure exactly why we’ve had such an abundance of people who chose to devote their lives to the study ancient life, but I am most grateful to the tradition. Women have been prominent among the Wooster paleontology cadre. There is currently a developing project celebrating the accomplishments of women working in paleontology and “challenging the face of science”. It is called The Bearded Lady Project. Two of our alumnae are featured in a photographic exhibit about the project at the Geological Society of America meeting in Denver this week.

kelley-blpThis is Tricia Kelley, recently retired as a distinguished professor of geology at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. She is also a past president of the Paleontological Society. I would not have recognized her in this bearded state without a caption on the photo! (Sorry I can’t avoid reflections in the glass.)

clites-blpErica Clites was one of my students. She is presently a Museum Scientist at the University of California Museum of Paleontology in Berkeley. I do recognize her!

We have other accomplished women paleontologists from Wooster — and other geologists. Tricia and Erica represent them well. We are very proud!

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Wooster’s Fossils of the Week: Ordovician cryptostome bryozoans from southern Ohio

Mark Wilson September 23, 2016 12:01 am

waynesville-cryptostomesA short entry this week because the annual meetings of the Geological Society of America and Paleontological Society begin this weekend in Denver. (Wooster is sending 17 students this year. Seventeen! A record for us.)

The above image is a detail from a slab of limestone collected from the Waynesville Formation (Upper Ordovician, Katian) on a class field trip earlier this month to Caesar Creek, Warren County, Ohio.  The stick-like fossils are mostly cryptostome bryozoans generally aligned by the last of some ancient water current. Cryptostomes are small and fussy  bryozoans, and thus hard to work with. There hasn’t been a significant overview of Ohio Ordovician cryptostomes for quite awhile, so I suspect there is much new to learn about them.

The following posts will be from Denver!

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Wooster Geologists prepare for the 2016 annual Geological Society of America meeting

Mark Wilson September 22, 2016 7:30 pm

216-copyThe Geology Department at The College of Wooster is sending a record number of students to the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Denver next week. Seventeen students, eleven of whom are presenting in some way, will be going to this large gathering of geologists (some 7000 are expected to attend). As part of our preparations, the Geology Club holds a “Mock GSA” in which students show their posters for the first time and practice their poster patter. In the foreground above is Geology Club president (and epic student leader of this trip) Sarah McGrath (’17) discussing her poster with emeritus faculty Dr. Sam Root.

205-copyWe needed two rooms to display all the posters. It was fun!

More later from Denver.

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Black & Gold Weekend – The Tree Ring Lab

gwiles September 17, 2016 2:22 pm

Thanks to Beau Mastrine and Campus Grounds we continue to celebrate the designation of “Tree Campus USA“. Today is Black and Gold Weekend and the Wooster Tree Ring Lab students explained their research, conversed about trees, and learned from College arborists and the City of Wooster.

group

The Tree Ring Lab table located along the Memorial Walk. Clara explains the utility of tree-ring research and global change, while her staff looks on.

jeff

Jeff shares a dendro – joke with the new Dean of Students.

field

Colby from the Grounds Crew explained that this unique stratigraphy under the turf on the football field can absorb as much as 12 inches of rain per hour. That is  some serious infiltration.

beau

Beau makes ice cream – handmade with the help of a tractor.

andrew

Andrew takes a break from the Tree Ring table.

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