NSF Grant Expands Opportunities for Geology Research at CC

Two CC Geology professors spent the past five weeks leading a summer research opportunity for ten rising sophomores from other institutions around the country exploring how geology impacts climate change.

Assistant Geology Professors Dr. Sarah Schanz and Dr. Michelle Gevedon were awarded over $92,000 in funding from the Keck Geology Consortium and the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates program to run their project, “Investigating Linkages Between Geologic Histories, Eolian Dust Production, and Climate Change.” They also offered a peer mentor role to Lucy Rogers ’25, a Geology major and Dance minor, who participated in a previous Keck Geology NSF project before her sophomore year.

“I was most excited to learn all the science applications we used to help answer our research questions, like using a scanning electron microscope and GIS,” said Rogers. “I was also very excited to learn about everything that goes into doing focused geomorphology research. I have been interested in geomorphology since my freshman year at CC but haven’t been able to work with Sarah directly on her research, so getting this opportunity to learn from her about a similar field of research is exciting and helpful in determining what I want to do in my future.”

“Lucy is great,” said Schanz. “We are trying to recruit her to be our paraprof when she graduates. When the Keck students were learning mineral identification, Lucy shared her own reference guide that she made during a class with Dr. Gevedon.”

“Students don’t get to take geology or earth science in high school and that makes it harder for them to pursue it as a major,” said Gevedon. “We are showing them what geologists do and what impact they have, along with what their career can entail. Giving them this experience is important for driving earth science and geology forward.”

A week at CC’s Baca Campus enabled the students to roll up their shirt sleeves, set up sand and wind traps near vegetation to measure the amount of dust they catch, and to see how wind impacts resources around the San Luis Valley.

“Scientifically, we want to understand what’s coming out of this valley,” said Schanz, whose expertise is geomorphology, or the shape of earth’s surface. “Is the dust coming out of the rocks and impacting the valley? Are we seeing one mineral and not another? That’s telling us there’s a very interesting chemical breakdown going on.”

The group closely examined various rocks in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range and took samples back to the lab.

“Rocks don’t look like what you think they’re going to look like under a microscope,” said Gevedon, whose expertise lies in the chemical side of geology—hard rocks and history. “They’re wildly differently colors—and bright—and it’s a great skill to have, but what do we do with that skill? That’s also what we’re getting to do with this project, and I love that.”

“We want students to understand how multifaceted geology can be,” added Schanz. “How looking at rocks can relate back to ongoing climate change and water resources. We want them to feel that personal connection and persist in geology. There is a reason why it matters. Aside from whatever scientific findings we get, that is a big emphasis of this project.”

Schanz and Gevedon both have other NSF-funded grants but were especially pleased with this one because the reviewers were all geology professors who work with students and see the value of their goals. Not only do these kinds of programs help students at liberal arts colleges get research experience, but the NSF has identified the importance of increasing diversity in the geological sciences.

“We are the least diverse discipline in the sciences in terms of representation of women and minority identities. Part of our goal is to increase diversity in geology and create these research experiences that build identity and beyond,” said Gevedon. “What they got to do was to see themselves as a scientists, and that’s really great.”

The students will present their findings to a national audience at the Geological Society of America conference in September.