Current graduate and undergraduate students:
Aurora Rosenberger: WSU Ph.D. in progress, 2023-present
I found geology on my second attempt of college at Western Washington University. I spent my BS taking many different geology classes to find my niche and landed on structural geology and metamorphic petrology. I earned my M.S. degree at CSU-Fresno working with Dr. John Wakabayashi, where I investigated the high-pressure graywackes ("gray-schists") of the Franciscan Complex. I am now continuing my pursuit into geologic research by working in Dr. Long's research group at WSU. My project is focusing on understanding the timing of metamorphism and the history of brittle and ductile extension in the Northern Snake Range metamorphic core complex in Nevada. When I'm not thinking about rocks (on Earth or in space), I enjoy birdwatching, working out with my husband, and reading.
I found geology on my second attempt of college at Western Washington University. I spent my BS taking many different geology classes to find my niche and landed on structural geology and metamorphic petrology. I earned my M.S. degree at CSU-Fresno working with Dr. John Wakabayashi, where I investigated the high-pressure graywackes ("gray-schists") of the Franciscan Complex. I am now continuing my pursuit into geologic research by working in Dr. Long's research group at WSU. My project is focusing on understanding the timing of metamorphism and the history of brittle and ductile extension in the Northern Snake Range metamorphic core complex in Nevada. When I'm not thinking about rocks (on Earth or in space), I enjoy birdwatching, working out with my husband, and reading.
Andrea Richardson: WSU Ph.D. in progress, 2022-present
I grew up in Sparta, a small town in the hills of Middle Tennessee, surrounded by karst topography and an impressive number of caves and waterfalls. I entered Vanderbilt University for communications, but once I took the introductory course on geology, I was sold. I had never even considered geology as a career before, but I loved how it covered so many topics and included field work in amazing places. I went into the field right away after having only taken the introductory course, and after two summers of structural field mapping of imbricate thrust faults in the Blue Ridge of the Southern Appalachians, I prepared a Senior Honors Thesis. I earned my B.A. in Earth and Environmental Science from Vanderbilt University in 2019.
After this, earned an M.S. in Geology at Texas Tech, working with Dr. Aaron Yoshinobu. I loved the structural geology work I had started on, but I wanted to work on systems with a magmatic component as well. Due to COVID-related travel restrictions, I didn’t have the opportunity to perform field work in my research area, which was the Klamath Mountains of northern California and southern Oregon. My project focused on estimating rates of magma addition to the plutons in the Klamath Mountains Province. I graduated with an M.S. in Geology from Texas Tech in 2021.
I started my Ph.D. program at WSU with Dr. Sean Long in Fall, 2022. My research project focuses on the Salmon River suture zone, studying the deformation and exhumation history of accreted island arc rocks within the North American Cordillera. My field area is near Riggins, ID, which is only a couple of hours away from WSU
My non-scientific interests include tae-kwon-do, skiing, DnD, and hanging out with my two cats, Kyanite and Kaolinite.
I grew up in Sparta, a small town in the hills of Middle Tennessee, surrounded by karst topography and an impressive number of caves and waterfalls. I entered Vanderbilt University for communications, but once I took the introductory course on geology, I was sold. I had never even considered geology as a career before, but I loved how it covered so many topics and included field work in amazing places. I went into the field right away after having only taken the introductory course, and after two summers of structural field mapping of imbricate thrust faults in the Blue Ridge of the Southern Appalachians, I prepared a Senior Honors Thesis. I earned my B.A. in Earth and Environmental Science from Vanderbilt University in 2019.
After this, earned an M.S. in Geology at Texas Tech, working with Dr. Aaron Yoshinobu. I loved the structural geology work I had started on, but I wanted to work on systems with a magmatic component as well. Due to COVID-related travel restrictions, I didn’t have the opportunity to perform field work in my research area, which was the Klamath Mountains of northern California and southern Oregon. My project focused on estimating rates of magma addition to the plutons in the Klamath Mountains Province. I graduated with an M.S. in Geology from Texas Tech in 2021.
I started my Ph.D. program at WSU with Dr. Sean Long in Fall, 2022. My research project focuses on the Salmon River suture zone, studying the deformation and exhumation history of accreted island arc rocks within the North American Cordillera. My field area is near Riggins, ID, which is only a couple of hours away from WSU
My non-scientific interests include tae-kwon-do, skiing, DnD, and hanging out with my two cats, Kyanite and Kaolinite.
Adelie Ionescu: WSU Ph.D. in progress, 2022-present
I was born in Lausanne, Switzerland and grew up in the Greater Philadelphia area. I attended University of Pittsburgh for my bachelor’s degree and chose geology after taking an introductory course; but I did not really enjoy it until going to field camp. I pursued a master’s degree at Missouri State University under Dr. Matthew McKay, where I focused on the Alabama Blue Ridge. Throughout my time at Missouri State, I attended the UCLA SIMS Workshop in California, participated in field research in Riggins, Idaho, and taught two summer field camps. After graduating, I worked as an associate scientist in environmental consulting, where I realized that I had unfinished business in the research world. I started at WSU in Fall 2022, and my research will focus on constructing an exhumation history for the ultra-high pressure metamorphic rocks of the Tso Morari complex in Ladakh, India. In my free time, I enjoy all things exercise (but mostly running) and learning about sports medicine.
I was born in Lausanne, Switzerland and grew up in the Greater Philadelphia area. I attended University of Pittsburgh for my bachelor’s degree and chose geology after taking an introductory course; but I did not really enjoy it until going to field camp. I pursued a master’s degree at Missouri State University under Dr. Matthew McKay, where I focused on the Alabama Blue Ridge. Throughout my time at Missouri State, I attended the UCLA SIMS Workshop in California, participated in field research in Riggins, Idaho, and taught two summer field camps. After graduating, I worked as an associate scientist in environmental consulting, where I realized that I had unfinished business in the research world. I started at WSU in Fall 2022, and my research will focus on constructing an exhumation history for the ultra-high pressure metamorphic rocks of the Tso Morari complex in Ladakh, India. In my free time, I enjoy all things exercise (but mostly running) and learning about sports medicine.
Former graduate and undergraduate students:
Julia Stevens: WSU B.S. Spring, 2023
I was born and raised in Orange County, California. I became interested in Earth and environmental science as a high school student. I have always dreamed of traveling and being a research scientist and at WSU I realized I could achieve both with a career in geology. For my junior-senior research project, I am working with Dr. Long to measure the magnitude of strain accommodated within quartzites in the footwall of a major Cenozoic extensional detachment fault system in eastern Nevada.
I was born and raised in Orange County, California. I became interested in Earth and environmental science as a high school student. I have always dreamed of traveling and being a research scientist and at WSU I realized I could achieve both with a career in geology. For my junior-senior research project, I am working with Dr. Long to measure the magnitude of strain accommodated within quartzites in the footwall of a major Cenozoic extensional detachment fault system in eastern Nevada.
Nolan Blackford: WSU Ph.D. Spring, 2023
I was born and raised in Los Angeles. In college I took an intro geology class in my very first semester. I expected to do nothing but sit in front of a rock the entire semester, but was delighted to find out how wrong I was. I immediately proceeded to sign up for every geology class I could take as my interest in geology, and science as a whole, grew stronger. I ended up transferring to UC Santa Barbara where I earned a B.S. in Geology in 2014. While at UCSB I got my first taste of geologic research after conducting a senior thesis project with Janelle McAtamney and John Cottle. After earning my B.S., I made my way to Cal State Long Beach, where I earned my M.S. in geology, under the guidance of Nate Onderdonk. My M.S. thesis involved geologic mapping and paleomagnetic investigation in the Waterman Hills, just outside of Barstow California, which is a portion of the Central Mojave metamorphic core complex, which extended up to 60 km between 18 to 24 million years ago. I created a detailed geologic map and attempted to determine the role of vertical-axis rotation during extension of the core complex. While doing my M.S. thesis, I fell in love with geologic research. Research not only satisfied my now endless curiosity but gave me an appreciation for the natural world. I wanted to learn all I could about how and why Earth systems work, and I gained a particular interest for plate tectonics and structural geology.
In 2018, I began my Ph.D. research in Sean Long's at WSU. My research focuses on investigating the upper-crustal thermal structure of the Late Cretaceous Nevadaplano in Eastern Nevada, and collecting finite strain and quartz crystallographic fabric data from the Northern Snake Range metamorphic core complex.
When I'm not schooling it up, I enjoy trying to figure out how stuff works, attempting to grow a hodgepodge of plants (including a few oddities), and doing jiu jitsu.
In 2018, I began my Ph.D. research in Sean Long's at WSU. My research focuses on investigating the upper-crustal thermal structure of the Late Cretaceous Nevadaplano in Eastern Nevada, and collecting finite strain and quartz crystallographic fabric data from the Northern Snake Range metamorphic core complex.
When I'm not schooling it up, I enjoy trying to figure out how stuff works, attempting to grow a hodgepodge of plants (including a few oddities), and doing jiu jitsu.
Hadeel Al Harthi: WSU B.S. Spring 2022 (now a WSU M.S. student working with Dr. Catherine Cooper)
I was born and raised in Muscat, Oman, but I moved to Washington in December, 2018, for college. I have always enjoyed science when I was growing up, but my love for geology came during a family trip in Kenya when I was 12, where I got to hike an extinct volcano and collect chunks of obsidian. Throughout my undergraduate career, I realized I was drawn mostly towards Geophysics and Planetary Sciences so that's my hope for the future. For now, I am enjoying working with Dr. Long and Nolan Blackford on a project focused in the Northern Snake Range in Nevada. The aim of my work is to build pole plots of quartz crystallographic fabrics, in order to help develop an equation that relates quartz fabric intensity to strain magnitude.
Keita Hasegawa: WSU M.S. Spring 2022 (co-advised with Dr. Jeffrey Vervoort)
Thesis title: The timing of prograde metamorphism of Greater Himalayan rocks in south-central Bhutan: insights from garnet and monazite geochronology
Jesslyn Starnes: WSU Ph.D. Spring, 2021 (now a data scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
I grew up amongst the corn and soybeans of Central Illinois, where all the bedrock is covered by as much as 10 m of glacial loess. When I finished high school, I was adamant that I wanted to be a scientist, and I began my first year at Denison University in Granville, Ohio enrolled as a Geosciences major. Two weeks into my undergraduate career, the department traveled to coastal Maine for a field trip, and I immediately knew I had made the right choice of major. While at Denison I participated in several undergraduate research experiences, including the DAAD RISE program, where I worked with a Ph.D. student at the TU Freiberg in eastern Germany. I spent the summer counting fission tracks in apatite from samples collected along a strike-slip fault in eastern Tibet. This sparked an interest in petrology and using minerals as geochronometers. After returning to Denison, I began to learn about zircon geochronology and geochemistry from my advisor, Dr. Erik Klemetti, and applied for a spot on a Keck Geology Consortium summer research project. I spent the next summer conducting fieldwork in the southern Sierra Nevada and lab work at the USGS /Stanford SHRIMP lab with a team of students from various universities. This culminated in my senior thesis project, which involved geochemistry and U-Pb geochronology of zircon from a rhyolite roof pendant.
After completing my B.S. and attending field camp at Idaho State University, I moved west to begin an M.S. program at the University of California, Davis, working with Dr. Howard Day. While still utilizing zircon geochronology, I switched gears to focus on metamorphic rocks and undertook a project in the Franciscan complex. My thesis project involved dating zircon in-situ within garnet porphyroblasts from a garnet amphibolite. These methods proved time-consuming but ultimately successful, producing U-Pb zircon ages that contribute to our understanding of the timing of the Franciscan subduction.
I completed my Ph.D. with Dr. Sean Long in 2021. For my Ph.D. research I worked on rocks from the Bhutan Himalaya, and used methods including Raman spectroscopy of carbonaceous material, EBSD of quartz, thin section-scale finite strain analysis, and thermobarometry to understand the metamorphic conditions and kinematics across the Main Central thrust and other structures. In my free time I enjoy making new soups, experimenting with yarn, and hiking with my dog, Freya.
After completing my B.S. and attending field camp at Idaho State University, I moved west to begin an M.S. program at the University of California, Davis, working with Dr. Howard Day. While still utilizing zircon geochronology, I switched gears to focus on metamorphic rocks and undertook a project in the Franciscan complex. My thesis project involved dating zircon in-situ within garnet porphyroblasts from a garnet amphibolite. These methods proved time-consuming but ultimately successful, producing U-Pb zircon ages that contribute to our understanding of the timing of the Franciscan subduction.
I completed my Ph.D. with Dr. Sean Long in 2021. For my Ph.D. research I worked on rocks from the Bhutan Himalaya, and used methods including Raman spectroscopy of carbonaceous material, EBSD of quartz, thin section-scale finite strain analysis, and thermobarometry to understand the metamorphic conditions and kinematics across the Main Central thrust and other structures. In my free time I enjoy making new soups, experimenting with yarn, and hiking with my dog, Freya.
Dominik Vlaha: WSU B.S. 2021 (now an M.S. student at University of Nevada, Reno)
I was born and raised in North Bend, Washington, where I grew up playing hockey and exploring the Cascades. After playing through a lower back injury at Culver Military Academy, I made a last-minute decision to attend college right after high school instead of playing junior/college hockey. I have always had an interest in the STEM field, but my love for the outdoors solidified my choice in pursuing geology. Under Dr. Long, I worked on a senior research project that involved measuring the kinematic vorticity of highly sheared quartzite samples from Western Bhutan. My hobbies include climbing large rocks, summiting alpine peaks, trail running, backpacking, thrifting tropical shirts, and attempting to play a tin whistle.
I was born and raised in North Bend, Washington, where I grew up playing hockey and exploring the Cascades. After playing through a lower back injury at Culver Military Academy, I made a last-minute decision to attend college right after high school instead of playing junior/college hockey. I have always had an interest in the STEM field, but my love for the outdoors solidified my choice in pursuing geology. Under Dr. Long, I worked on a senior research project that involved measuring the kinematic vorticity of highly sheared quartzite samples from Western Bhutan. My hobbies include climbing large rocks, summiting alpine peaks, trail running, backpacking, thrifting tropical shirts, and attempting to play a tin whistle.
Russell Di Fiori: WSU Ph.D. Spring, 2020 (now a mapping geologist at the Idaho Geological Survey).
I was born in the East Bay in northern California, and spent the following 23 years living in just about every nook and cranny of the golden state. After high school I spent much of my time traveling and climbing mountains around the western United States. I began my career in geology at Pasadena City College and finished up my undergraduate education at a field-intensive program at Sonoma State University, in beautiful wine country California.
After finishing my undergraduate degree, as well as some work as an exploration geologist, I attended the University of Nevada, Reno under the advisement of Dr. Sean Long. My thesis project was anchored by four months of detailed geologic mapping and structural analysis of the Fish Creek Range in central-east Nevada, focusing on the structural analysis of gold mineralization.
After earning my M.S., I went back to work in Nevada’s mineral industry, working for Klondex Mines Ltd. at the Ken Snyder Midas Mine, northeast of Winnemucca. I spent two years as an underground ore control geologist, resident mapper, and member of the mine rescue team. Although I enjoyed my work (mapping structures underground is a blast), I found myself still interested in large-scale structural and tectonic processes. Fortuitously, Dr. Sean Long, my past M.S. advisor, had a Ph.D. project that catered to my interests. The project combined detailed field-mapping, geochronology, and stable-isotope analyses of Cretaceous syn-contractional sedimentary rocks, in order to determine the paleoelevation of the Nevadaplano. This study aimed to address whether or not surface uplift was coupled with crustal thickening during Sevier shortening, as well as to provide insight into the geodynamic processes of plateau generation, orogenic systems, and better understanding of the North American Cordillera in general.
In less scholastic settings, you can still find me climbing in a variety of styles, (re)building trucks/motorcycles, lifting heavy things over my head, and honing my skills as a turophile.
After finishing my undergraduate degree, as well as some work as an exploration geologist, I attended the University of Nevada, Reno under the advisement of Dr. Sean Long. My thesis project was anchored by four months of detailed geologic mapping and structural analysis of the Fish Creek Range in central-east Nevada, focusing on the structural analysis of gold mineralization.
After earning my M.S., I went back to work in Nevada’s mineral industry, working for Klondex Mines Ltd. at the Ken Snyder Midas Mine, northeast of Winnemucca. I spent two years as an underground ore control geologist, resident mapper, and member of the mine rescue team. Although I enjoyed my work (mapping structures underground is a blast), I found myself still interested in large-scale structural and tectonic processes. Fortuitously, Dr. Sean Long, my past M.S. advisor, had a Ph.D. project that catered to my interests. The project combined detailed field-mapping, geochronology, and stable-isotope analyses of Cretaceous syn-contractional sedimentary rocks, in order to determine the paleoelevation of the Nevadaplano. This study aimed to address whether or not surface uplift was coupled with crustal thickening during Sevier shortening, as well as to provide insight into the geodynamic processes of plateau generation, orogenic systems, and better understanding of the North American Cordillera in general.
In less scholastic settings, you can still find me climbing in a variety of styles, (re)building trucks/motorcycles, lifting heavy things over my head, and honing my skills as a turophile.
Spencer McNamara: WSU B.S. 2020
I was born in Moses Lake, WA, and grew up exploring, hiking, and camping all over Washington state from the Cascades to the upper eastern Columbia, which instilled a deep love for the outdoors. After completing my Associates in Arts and Sciences at Big Bend Community College I came to WSU intending to complete an accounting degree. However, after rediscovering my passion for the natural world I changed paths to chase a degree more closely aligned with my interests: Geology.
Ever since my first Geology class, I have fallen in love with the subject and the work it brings me. Under Dr. Long a completed a senior project that focused on determining kinematic vorticity for highly sheared quartzite samples from the Himalayan orogenic belt in western Bhutan.
Ever since my first Geology class, I have fallen in love with the subject and the work it brings me. Under Dr. Long a completed a senior project that focused on determining kinematic vorticity for highly sheared quartzite samples from the Himalayan orogenic belt in western Bhutan.
Austyn Gentry: WSU B.S., Spring, 2020
I was born in Huntington Beach, CA, and raised in Mission Viejo. I spent most of my time outdoors, backpacking through the countryside of southern California and fishing in the Pacific Ocean. I began my academic career as an engineer but soon lost interest. Geology was recommended to me, as it fits with my outdoor lifestyle and passion for exploration. From my first class, I knew geology was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, as this field helps us create a greater understanding of the processes that create the world we live in. For my senior thesis project, I drafted two regional-scale cross-sections across northeastern Washington, in order to understand the structural geometry of Eocene normal faulting.
Ryan Anderson: WSU Ph.D. Spring, 2019 (now an assistant professor at Idaho State University)
I was born and raised in Delta, Utah, where I spent most of my youth puttering around the western Utah desert, developing a love of the outdoors and an appreciation of the Great Basin. I attended Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, interrupted briefly by tour of duty in Iraq (2005-2006), where I began study as a behavioral science major. I took an 'Introduction to Geology' course two semesters from graduating with a degree in psychology, but I knew immediately that I had to change my major. 180 undergraduate credits later, I graduated with a B.S. of Earth Science in 2010.
I spent a spent a year working at the USGS in Salt Lake City guaging streams across Utah while I applied to graduate programs, debating on whether to become a hydrogeologist or a structural geologist. Field geology seemed so much more appealing to me so I decided to come to UNR to work on my M.S. with Dr. Jim Faulds. My master's work was focused on detailed geologic mapping (some 200 square km at 1:24,000) and structural analysis of a blind geothermal system at the northeast end of Pyramid Lake. Working on this project was confirmation that I had made the right choice to come to Reno to be a field oriented geologist. I finished this work in the summer of 2013.
While working on my masters at UNR, I took an orogenic belts seminar from Sean which piqued my intersests in tectonic processes. When I began searching for Ph.D. programs, I was certain that I wanted to continue a mapping and field based approach research, but to also include additional analytical techniques. Fortunately, I was in the right place at the right time to begin a PhD with Sean in 2013 on a project that suited my interests in southern Bolivia. My work was focused along an east-west transect through the thrust belt where we are conducting detailed geologic mapping, constructing a balanced and restored cross-section, and using (U/Th)/He dating of zircon and apatite to document shortening over the last ~20-30 million years and test a model for Cordilleran cyclicity. This was a collaborative project with UT-Austin professor Brian Horton and graduate student Amanda Calle. Please see my website for a list of publications.
I spent a spent a year working at the USGS in Salt Lake City guaging streams across Utah while I applied to graduate programs, debating on whether to become a hydrogeologist or a structural geologist. Field geology seemed so much more appealing to me so I decided to come to UNR to work on my M.S. with Dr. Jim Faulds. My master's work was focused on detailed geologic mapping (some 200 square km at 1:24,000) and structural analysis of a blind geothermal system at the northeast end of Pyramid Lake. Working on this project was confirmation that I had made the right choice to come to Reno to be a field oriented geologist. I finished this work in the summer of 2013.
While working on my masters at UNR, I took an orogenic belts seminar from Sean which piqued my intersests in tectonic processes. When I began searching for Ph.D. programs, I was certain that I wanted to continue a mapping and field based approach research, but to also include additional analytical techniques. Fortunately, I was in the right place at the right time to begin a PhD with Sean in 2013 on a project that suited my interests in southern Bolivia. My work was focused along an east-west transect through the thrust belt where we are conducting detailed geologic mapping, constructing a balanced and restored cross-section, and using (U/Th)/He dating of zircon and apatite to document shortening over the last ~20-30 million years and test a model for Cordilleran cyclicity. This was a collaborative project with UT-Austin professor Brian Horton and graduate student Amanda Calle. Please see my website for a list of publications.
Kimberly Kramer: WSU B.S. Spring, 2019 (currently in veterinary school at WSU)
I was born in Indiana, but my family moved to northern Idaho away from the hustle and bustle of the city and into a more rural and quiet region. As a kid, my family would stop by roadcuts during our travels to inspect the rocks and I think that’s where my first interest in geology was kindled. I grew up watching every documentary I could get ahold of, including those on geology and specifically paleontology. Living in northern Idaho, I have developed a passion for the outdoors and so anything that involves camping, hiking, and traveling has always drawn me towards it.
Due to my varied interests, I chose to double major in geology and wildlife ecology and conservation sciences (pre-vet) at Washington State University so that I could gain the background necessary to become a better researcher. I graduated with my B.S. in 2019. I’ve spent the last 4 summers on trips exploring North America’s rich geologic history in Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Washington, New Mexico, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The last 3 summers I have attended a conference in Wyoming focused on various topics in paleontology.
I worked under Dr. Long on my senior thesis, performing a project analyzing rock samples from the Fish Creek Range in Nevada to determine the peak temperature that they've experienced. I used this information to calculate a paleo-peak geothermal gradient for the region.
Due to my varied interests, I chose to double major in geology and wildlife ecology and conservation sciences (pre-vet) at Washington State University so that I could gain the background necessary to become a better researcher. I graduated with my B.S. in 2019. I’ve spent the last 4 summers on trips exploring North America’s rich geologic history in Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Washington, New Mexico, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The last 3 summers I have attended a conference in Wyoming focused on various topics in paleontology.
I worked under Dr. Long on my senior thesis, performing a project analyzing rock samples from the Fish Creek Range in Nevada to determine the peak temperature that they've experienced. I used this information to calculate a paleo-peak geothermal gradient for the region.
Laura Pianowski: WSU M.S. 2018. (currently works at a USGS geochronology lab in Denver)
I grew up in Davidson, North Carolina, which is a small college town in the piedmont. In high school I fell in love with the Appalachian Mountains, and became interested in geology, but I was convinced that I wanted to be a biologist and so began my undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on that track. During my first semester there I took a first year seminar on the geology of Eastern California, which involved a trip to California to do field work and collect samples. Learning about geology in the field was fascinating, and I switched my major to geology soon after completing that class.
During the summer of 2012, I worked as an REU intern at Notre Dame’s actinide chemistry lab under the advisement of Peter Burns. There I worked with uranyl peroxide complexes and studied how they formed and aggregated. It was extremely interesting research, and I decided after that summer that I wanted to focus on geochemistry. I did my honors thesis at UNC under the advisement of Drew Coleman, focusing on determining U-Pb titanite ages of rocks from the Sierra Nevada batholith.
After completing my B.S. in 2013, I took two years off from school. I worked as a professional balloon artist in North Carolina for 6 months, and then I moved to Dublin, Ireland and worked as a bartender at a craft beer bar called Beerhouse. I got to do a lot of traveling around Europe while I was there, which was an amazing experience!
I completed my M.S. degree at WSU under the advisement of Sean Long and Jeff Vervoort. For my research project, I worked on rocks collected from Bhutan on a transect across the Main Central Thrust in the Himalayas. I used Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd dating of garnets to understand more about the timing of emplacement of the Main Central Thrust in Bhutan. In my free time I enjoy sawing on the fiddle, rock climbing, hiking, gardening, and jogging. I currently work at a USGS geochronology laboratory in Denver.
During the summer of 2012, I worked as an REU intern at Notre Dame’s actinide chemistry lab under the advisement of Peter Burns. There I worked with uranyl peroxide complexes and studied how they formed and aggregated. It was extremely interesting research, and I decided after that summer that I wanted to focus on geochemistry. I did my honors thesis at UNC under the advisement of Drew Coleman, focusing on determining U-Pb titanite ages of rocks from the Sierra Nevada batholith.
After completing my B.S. in 2013, I took two years off from school. I worked as a professional balloon artist in North Carolina for 6 months, and then I moved to Dublin, Ireland and worked as a bartender at a craft beer bar called Beerhouse. I got to do a lot of traveling around Europe while I was there, which was an amazing experience!
I completed my M.S. degree at WSU under the advisement of Sean Long and Jeff Vervoort. For my research project, I worked on rocks collected from Bhutan on a transect across the Main Central Thrust in the Himalayas. I used Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd dating of garnets to understand more about the timing of emplacement of the Main Central Thrust in Bhutan. In my free time I enjoy sawing on the fiddle, rock climbing, hiking, gardening, and jogging. I currently work at a USGS geochronology laboratory in Denver.
Connor Mullady: WSU B.S. 2018.
I grew up in a little mountain town named Leavenworth positioned along the Eastern flank of the Cascades in Washington. Above the town, glacially sharpened spires cut the horizon and served as looming curiosities to my imagination. As an after-school pastime, I explored and climbed these peaks, giving rise to a life-long obsession with the mountains.
I took classes at Wenatchee Valley College during my last two years of high school and graduated with both a diploma and associates degree in tow. I came to WSU majoring in electrical engineering for three semesters before I made the defining switch to study Earth science. I took a research position working on the Columbia River Basalts until I took my first structural geology course, at which point my interest quickly switched from igneous petrology to structural geology.
For my senior research project, I performed strain analyses on quartz grains in Himalayan sedimentary rock samples sampled from Bhutan by Dr. Long. Coupled with peak-temperature data, this research described the deformation conditions in the Lingshi area of the northwestern part of Bhutan.
I took classes at Wenatchee Valley College during my last two years of high school and graduated with both a diploma and associates degree in tow. I came to WSU majoring in electrical engineering for three semesters before I made the defining switch to study Earth science. I took a research position working on the Columbia River Basalts until I took my first structural geology course, at which point my interest quickly switched from igneous petrology to structural geology.
For my senior research project, I performed strain analyses on quartz grains in Himalayan sedimentary rock samples sampled from Bhutan by Dr. Long. Coupled with peak-temperature data, this research described the deformation conditions in the Lingshi area of the northwestern part of Bhutan.
Austin Stout: WSU B.S. 2017 (currently working on a M.S. in Earth Science in Sweden)
I completed my B.S. in Earth Science at WSU in Spring, 2017. In my spare time I enjoy being in the outdoors. Some of my favorite hiking locations include Yosemite NP, Olympic NP, and Crater Lake NP. I chose to be a geologist because this profession allows me to spend time in the outdoors, and to understand the process that create such magnificent landscapes. My senior thesis project involved understanding the extensional and contractional deformation history of the northern White Pine Range in eastern Nevada, under Dr. Long’s advisement.
Melissa Penfold: UNR M.S. 2012-2014 (currently an exploration geologist for Apache Corp., Houston, TX)
I was born and raised in Chesterton, a small town in northwest Indiana located offshore of Lake Michigan. With the close proximity of the lake, I grew up spending most of my time on the water or climbing the nearby sand dunes. My love of the outdoors has only increased after becoming a Geology student!!
I attended DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Geology in 2008. As an undergraduate, I had the opportunity to work on a research project that examined a portion of the Hudson Valley fold-thrust belt in New York. Just as during my undergraduate studies, my interests now lie within the field of structural geology.
At UNR, worked with Dr. Long on a M.S. project in northeastern Bhutan, performing field work and thin-section scale structural analysis on high-grade metamorphic rocks.
I attended DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Geology in 2008. As an undergraduate, I had the opportunity to work on a research project that examined a portion of the Hudson Valley fold-thrust belt in New York. Just as during my undergraduate studies, my interests now lie within the field of structural geology.
At UNR, worked with Dr. Long on a M.S. project in northeastern Bhutan, performing field work and thin-section scale structural analysis on high-grade metamorphic rocks.
Russell DiFiori: UNR M.S. 2012-2014 (currently a mapping geologist at the Idaho Geological Survey)
I was born in the East Bay, California. I then spent the following 26 years ambling about the golden state in its entirety, Chula Vista to Eureka. In the spring of 2006 I took my first geology course from the venerable Professor Gerald Lewis at Pasadena City College and geology has been paramount ever since. I then transferred from Pasadena City College to Sonoma State University in 2008, a program I found most attractive because of the school’s extensive field program. I followed up with Idaho State University for my summer field course, also because of its rigorous field curriculum. I graduated with my B.S. in Geology from Sonoma State in the December of 2011.
After coming to the conclusion that my primary interest resided in field geology, with emphasis on structure and mapping, I did some research and came across Sean Long at UNR. His methods, research topics, and his current projects were exactly what I was looking for. A visit to UNR’s facilities proved most beneficial and the opportunity to meet with the faculty was all the convincing I needed.
At UNR, I worked on a 1:6,000-scale geologic mapping project in the Eureka mining district, trying to understand structural controls on gold mineralization. When I am not geologizing you can usually find me climbing something. And if I am not climbing then the next place to check is underneath my dodge pick-up, trying to get her running so that I can participate in the activities previously listed.
After coming to the conclusion that my primary interest resided in field geology, with emphasis on structure and mapping, I did some research and came across Sean Long at UNR. His methods, research topics, and his current projects were exactly what I was looking for. A visit to UNR’s facilities proved most beneficial and the opportunity to meet with the faculty was all the convincing I needed.
At UNR, I worked on a 1:6,000-scale geologic mapping project in the Eureka mining district, trying to understand structural controls on gold mineralization. When I am not geologizing you can usually find me climbing something. And if I am not climbing then the next place to check is underneath my dodge pick-up, trying to get her running so that I can participate in the activities previously listed.