Wheaton College Alumni Magazine Autumn 2013 | Page 8
WHEATON news
At the Wheaton College Science Station in the
Black Hills. Kaitlyn “Bucky” Le Baudour ’11 uses
a Brunton geological compass to measure the
tilting and tilt direction of rock layers (called
“strike and dip”) and relate them to other geologic
features.
Geology and Environmental
Science Department
expands in resources and
research
Wheaton geology students —majors
and non-majors alike—have access
to remarkable learning and research
opportunities, both on and off campus.
A massive collection of rocks, gems,
and minerals were added to the geology
department’s already extensive holdings
this spring. A gift from the estate of
petroleum geologist and mineralogist Art
Smith ’57, this sought-after collection
features about 30,000 geological
specimens from around the world (see
pages 12-13). “This has huge implications
for our general education program and
the geology major,”
says Dean of Natural
and Social
George “Kit” Carson ’12
Sciences
PHOTOS LEF T AND BELOW: JOSHUA OLSEN ’15
CAMPUS NEWS
Dr. Dorothy Chappell, who expects that
the collection will draw professionals as
well as promote student research.
In fact, the department already
stands out for the hands-on fieldwork
and research opportunities available to
undergraduates at sites around the world,
as well as at the Wheaton College Science
Station in the Black Hills of South Dakota,
according to Dr. Stephen Moshier, chair
of geology and environmental science.
From Wheaton’s Science Station, environmental science, geology, and biology
students have access to several national and
state parks, including Badlands National
Park and Black Hills National Forest,
which contain a variety of ecosystems and
geological features for study.
Starting with one student four years
ago, geology professor Dr. Jeff Greenberg
began a comprehensive analysis of the
features along a quarter-mile stretch of
Highway 385 at Pactola Dam. He and
Peter Brice ’11 co-authored a report
presented at the annual conference of the
Geological Society of America. Since then
several other students have participated in
the study and have presented or soon will
present their results at national conferences,
including Frances Griswold ’13, Elizabeth
“Lissa” Peterson ’12, Chris Tulimiero ’12,
Joel MacKinney ’14, George “Kit” Carson
’12, and Chris Gates ’13.
Preparing to publish the findings from
the study this fall, Dr. Greenberg notes
that the data gathered challenges prevailing
theories abou Ёѡ