Geological and Mining Engineering and Science News

Tag: award

Ian Gannon Receives the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Scholarship

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Ian Gannon (GMES) recently received the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Scholarship. The Dean’s Award for Outstanding Scholarship is given to students who excel academically and have demonstrated originality in their research, leadership skills, and professionalism.


Advised by Dr. James DeGraff, Ian successfully defended his MS thesis titled “Integrating LiDAR, Aeromagnetic, and Geological Field Data to Identify Structural-Lithologic Elements Within the Archean Carney Lake Gneiss Complex” on August 3, 2023.


Ian contributed significantly to the U.S. Geological Survey under the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) project. He helped the survey to understand the complex geological makeup of a section of the Minnesota River Valley subprovidence.


Gannon’s achievement is an inspiration for all the students who are passionate about research and innovation. Congratulations, Ian!

Ian Gannon
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Addison Goecker Wins Poster Award at AIPG Meeting

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Addison Goecker, an applied geophysics senior at GMES, presented her research at the AIPG Michigan Section end-of-year meeting in Ann Arbor on December 8, 2022. Addison’s poster “Tectonically Versus Magmatically Accommodated Extension at Different Mid-Ocean Ridges and Ridge Segment Offsets” won her $500.00 in the student poster contest. Addison worked on this research during her summer internship at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (Honolulu) with Prof. Garrett Apuzen-Ito and Dr. Jana Schierjott. Congratulations, Addison!

Addison Goecker at her award-winning poster. 
Addison Goecker discusses her poster with Chuck Graff (MS Geology ‘91), a Senior Geologist with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
Addison Goecker (right) with David Adler (Geology ‘82), the industry sponsor of the GMES AIPG Student Chapter, and Sienna Meekhof (Mining Engineering ‘21).
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Beth Bartel Receives the NAGT Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award

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Beth Bartel, a geology doctoral student at the Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Department, receives the NAGT Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award. NAGT recognizes outstanding teaching assistants in geoscience education.

“Teaching at Tech has been a fantastic learning experience. GMES assigned me to courses I could contribute to from my particular academic and professional experience—and yet, I have learned how much more I still have to learn in these subjects, through the planning of courses, the lead instructors, grading, and the students,” Bartel says.

“Coming into my PhD, I was curious whether I would enjoy teaching a semester-long course after having only recently taught short courses and workshops,” she adds.

“I love it!

“I appreciate being able to support students, come up with creative ways to engage students, and take time to explore material together.”

Beth Bartel pictured at Fuego Volcano, Guatemala.
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MTU Students Receive DeCleene Scholarships from the Copper Country Rock and Mineral Club

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Pictured left to right: Elliz McClelland, Sam Johnson, and George Schriver, president, Copper Country Rock and Mineral Club.

Geology majors Elliz McClelland, a senior, and Sam Johnson, a junior, were awarded the DeCleene Memorial Scholarship by the Copper Country Rock and Mineral Club (CCRMC). This scholarship is for students in the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences at Michigan Tech who have demonstrated academic achievement, and best exemplify the blending of mineralogy and mineral collecting as both a hobby and an educational pursuit.

This fund was established in memory of Nathan DeCleeene, a geological engineering student and an active member of the CCRMC.

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Jake Maxon Receives 2022 Department Scholar Award

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Jake Maxon pictured at Adventure Mine

Congratulations to Jake Maxon (BS Mining Engineering), who received a 2022 GMES Department Scholar Award to recognize his scholarly achievements! This award, presented to a student entering their senior year, recognizes one who best represents student scholarship in the department by participating in research or scholarly activities, demonstrating a high level of intellectual curiosity and creativity, and showing excellent communication skills. Jacob participates in research led by Associate Professor Dr. Snehamoy Chatterjee on fire size and fire location optimization in an underground mine using machine learning. Jacob is also involved in multiple mining-related activities within the campus and the community, including community-based research to map historical documents, including mining documents.

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Dean’s Award for Outstanding Scholarship Awarded to Emmeline Wolowiec

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Emmeline Wolowiec Emmeline, pictured with Turrialba Volcano in Costa Rica, thinks that her travel to Costa Rica and Switzerland for research has been a highlight of her time at Michigan Tech.

Emmeline Wolowiec, MS geology student, is recognized for her academic accomplishments, receiving the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Scholarship in the Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Department. A certificate of recognition for this award will be presented to Emmeline at the Graduate Research Colloquium Banquet held this spring. 

Emmeline, advised by  Dr. Chad Deering, is working to look at the generation of high silica magmas in Costa Rica. They’re looking at the connection between plutonic and volcanic rocks to see what that can tell about where in the crust the volcanic rocks formed in relation to the plutonic rocks and what the possible magma chamber structure looked like. Hopefully, this will give insight into how the volcanic rocks formed, whether through fractional crystallization, magma mixing, or other processes.

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The Institute on Lake Superior Geology Awards Geology MS Student $1k

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Katherine Langfield, a geology master’s student, received a research grant from the Institute on Lake Superior Geology (ILSG). The $1,000 award will help defray the research costs for her proposed work on the Hancock Fault. A portion of the work will be conducted in the Quincy Mine adit in West Hancock. Katherine is advised by Research Professor, James DeGraff.

The ILSG Student Research Fund is available for undergraduate or graduate students conducting research on the geology of the Lake Superior region.

PC: U.S. Geological Survey
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Michigan Tech wins 2021 AIPG Student Chapter of the Year Award (again)

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The 2021 American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) Student Chapter of the Year Award goes to Michigan Technological University for the second year running!

Each year, AIPG recognizes the most outstanding student chapter for its activities, achievements, and contributions to the Institute. Nationwide there are 55 student chapters at AIPG. The award letter states: “the Student Chapter at Michigan Tech stood out among the AIPG Student Chapters in the nation this past year, and are highly deserving of this distinction and honor.”

Currently, the chapter officers are Elana Barth (President, Geology), Olivia Salvaggio (Vice President, Geophysics), Emilie Pray (Treasurer, Geology), and Nolan Gamet (Secretary, Geology). The officers during the year of the award were Elana Barth (President, Geology), Breeanne Huesdens (Vice President, Geological Engineering), Emilie Pray (Treasurer, Geology), and Makala O’Donnell (Secretary, Geological Engineering).

Chad Deering, Associate Professor in the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences, and David Adler, a Mannik & Smith Group Certified Professional Geologist (B.S. Geology ‘82), advise the Michigan Tech chapter.
Congratulations once again on a job well done. The GMES department is proud of your continued success!

Michigan Tech AIPG Student Chapter members while exploring the Eben Ice Caves. Photo courtesy of Dave Adler.
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GMES 2020-21 Student Awards and Recognitions

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The 2020-21 Academic Year brought the following student achievements to GMES:

Grace Ojala receiving AIPG awardGrace Ojala receives American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) National Scholarship – Congratulations to Grace Ojala (Applied Geophysics), who was awarded a prestigious American Institute of Professional Geologists National Scholarship! Grace pursues a double major in Applied Geophysics and Anthropology, working towards a career that utilizes geophysics to advance archaeology. In addition to her excellent academic standing, Grace is actively involved in several research projects, including a satellite data processing project (supervised by AssociateProfessor Dr. Snehamoy Chatterjee) supported by the Michigan Space Grant Consortium. The award was presented in person by Bill Mitchell, the president of the Michigan Section of AIPG.

Grace Ojala also received a prestigious scholarship from the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG). The competitive SEG scholarships are based on merit and have been awarded to students all over the world to encourage the study of geophysics and related geosciences.

Emilie Pray – 2021 Department Scholar Award – Congratulations to Emilie Pray (BS Geology), who received a 2021 GMES Department Scholar Award to recognize her scholarly achievements! This award, presented to a student entering their senior year, recognizes one who best represents student scholarship in the department by participating in research or scholarly activities, demonstrating a high level of intellectual curiosity and creativity, and showing excellent communication skills. Emilie participates in research led by Associate Professor Dr. Chad Deering on deciphering a complex geological history of the central-eastern UP using petrological and geochemical data.

Congratulations to the recipients of Michigan Space Grant Consortium grants:
Diana Bullen (MS), Using a Biologically Enhanced Silica Recovery System to Retrieve Valuable Non-Renewable Resources from Waste Material (advisor: Dr. Nathan Manser)
Ian Gannon (MS), Critical Mineral Potential in the Vulcan Quadrangle and Adjoining Areas, Dickinson County, Upper Peninsula of Michigan (advisor: Dr. James DeGraff)
Brock Howell (MS), Effective Optimization of Groundwater Extraction Through the Development of Computational Tools (advisor: Dr. John Gierke)
Ryan Klida (MS), Satellite Based Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Techniques for Earth Dam Monitoring and Failure Prediction (advisor: Dr. Thomas Oommen)
Katie Nelson (Ph.D.), Measuring CO2 fertilization of tropical forests from volcanic soil gas emissions using remote sensing: Volcán Rincón de la Vieja, Costa Rica (advisor: Dr. Chad Deering)
Kassidy O’Connor (MS), Using Satellite Aperture Radar to Improve Wildfire-Causing Debris Flow Mapping on the West Coast (advisor: Dr. Thomas Oommen)

Congratulations to the recipients of these additional awards and recognitions:
Beth Bartel (Ph.D.) – Smithsonian Institution Fellowship–Robert D. Hevey, Jr. Ten-Week Graduate Student Fellow in Mineral Sciences at the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). Project title, “Reconstructing Disaster: An Analysis of Digital Communications During Volcanic Crises.”
Natalea Cohen (MS) – National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) Internship with the USGS Volcano Science Center. (Summer 2021)
Cristhian Salas (MS) – Outstanding Graduate Student Scholar (Spring 2021)
Nelmary Rodriguez (MS) – Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award (Spring 2020); Outstanding Graduate Student Scholar (Fall 2020)
Jordan Ewing (Ph.D.) – Won first place at the 2020 3MT Competition with his presentation, “Terrain Traversing: X Marks the Spot,” in addition to winning the People’s Choice Award. (Fall 2020)  Jordan also received an outstanding achievement certificate from the U.S. Army DEVCOM Analytics division. (Spring 2021)
Elana Barth (BS Geology) – Ishpeming Rock and Mineral Club Annual Earth Science Award (Spring 2021)
Chandan Kumar (Ph.D.) – Outstanding Scholarship Award (Fall 2020)
Beth Bartel (Ph.D.) – Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award (Fall 2020)
Amol Paithankar (Ph.D.) – Outstanding Scholar Award (Spring 2020)
Katie Nelson (MS) – Outstanding Teaching Award (Spring 2020)

Congratulations from all of the faculty and staff in GMES!

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2017 American Geophysical Union HONORS Program Recognizes a GMES Alumna

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An alumna of GMES is one of seventy-five distinguished scientists to receive the distinction from groups representing their disciplines within the American Geophysical Union.

Lauren N. Schaefer, University of Canterbury, is a recipient of the 2017 Natural Hazards Focus Group Award for Graduate Research. Lauren earned her Ph.D. in Geological Engineering from Michigan Tech in 2016 under the advising of Dr. Thomas Oommen.

Congrats, Lauren! We’re all cheering for your continued success. 

https://eos.org/agu-news/2017-agu-section-and-focus-group-awardees-and-named-lecturers

 

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