Bureau Researchers Engage GeoFORCE Students in Research Projects
In support of the next generation of geoscientists, Bureau researchers instructed high school students enrolled in the GeoFORCE Texas 12th Grade Research Academy and Symposium held July 22nd through July 29th. Fifty-five students in the group spent the week interacting directly with Bureau scientists and staff to learn about carbon capture, marine systems and global climate, and geoheritage.
Susan Hovorka and her Gulf Coast Carbon Center (GCCC) team taught students how to assess real-world carbon capture projects from conception through geotechnical work, to financial modeling. GCCC researchers Dolores van der Kolk, Alex Bump, and Zhicheng William Wang presented to the students. Graduate students Ismail Faruqi and Chinemerem Okezie helped coach teams on their projects throughout the week.
Kelly Hattori and Lucy Tingwei Ko of the State of Texas Advanced Resource Recovery (STARR) program led a team to engage students in sedimentology and geochemistry research. Students learned about ancient marine ecosystems, principles of carbonate deposition and interpretation, and how past major climatic events impacted these marine systems and how these events can help us understand the effects of modern climate change. Researcher Priyanka Periwal and Lab Manager Emily Martinez showed off the Bureau’s impressive lab facilities to the students; former GeoFORCE student Isabel Johnson, who now returns as a geology graduate student in the STARR program, also helped coach the teams and talked to the students about her path from GeoFORCE to a geology career.
Linda Ruiz McCall led the Texas GeoSign Project/Geoheritage research team, which included presentations and guidance from Chock Woodruff, Carson Werner, and Francine Mastrangelo. Students learned about the geoheritage of the major springs of the Balcones Escarpment, and visited San Marcos Springs and Natural Bridge Caverns.
The Comal Springs Geoheritage research poster placed second overall in the GeoFORCE Research Symposium, winning four students a trip to present at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Bright Stars session in Washington, D.C. It was an exciting week, and students left energized and excited about the many opportunities ahead of them.
Individuals or companies interested in supporting these fantastic students can learn more at https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/geoforce/sponsors/.
