Bowling Green, Ky. - Three Western Kentucky University geology majors have been selected for summer research programs.

Daniel Hawkins, a senior from Hanson, will participate in a National Science Foundation-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates program this summer through the Keck Geology Consortium. Research will involve fieldwork on the island of Vinalhaven off the coast of Maine, studying a bimodal suite of plutonic rocks associated with the mid-Paleozoic Coastal Maine Magmatic Province.  Fieldwork will be followed by analytical/laboratory work to identify the geochemical and mineralogical characteristics of the rocks and develop models of petrogenesis. 

During the program, he will work with Dr. Robert Wiebe and David Hawkins, whose research in this area has focused on the replenishment of granitic magma chambers and associated volcanic rocks. He will continue the research at WKU under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Wulff (assistant professor of Geography and Geology) and present results of this research at the national Geological Society of America conference in October 2006 in Philadelphia and at the annual Keck Symposium in April 2007.

Dianna Schaeffer, a senior geology major from Bowling Green, has been selected to participate in a competitive paid NASA summer internship through the Student Intern Program. She will be working on data being sent back by the Mars Rover Operation.

“I am very honored to have the opportunity to put my skills and knowledge to work for NASA,” she said. “It is my goal during this summer’s internship to work hard and not only shine for this University but also for others who have worked very hard to get where they want to be in life.” Housing and other needs will be provided for the duration of the internship in Washington, D.C. The internship runs from June 5 to Aug. 14.

Geology major Ashley Williams from Leitchfield has been selected to participate in a summer course in field volcanology offered jointly by the University of New Mexico and Los Alamos National Laboratory. The course is only offered every other year and participants come from all over the world and include many professional volcanologists who come to New Mexico to study the remarkably well-exposed volcanic deposits and features. Participants form teams and map volcanic deposits, study emplacement mechanisms and depositional structures, employ various gas sampling techniques, and write reports on their findings.  The fieldwork will complement the analytical work Williams has been doing, using isotopes to characterize geologic environments.

“Great research and internship opportunities such as these add significant value to the geology program at WKU,” said Dr. David Keeling, head of the Department of Geography and Geology. “The level of preparation these students receive in their preparatory and advanced geology classes makes them highly competitive when external opportunities become available, including graduate programs and research positions such as these.”  

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Andrew Wulff at (270) 745-5976.

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