Selene "Eli" Li ’25
I decided to major in geology toward the end of my sophomore year when I realized I wanted to ground my interest in climate and the environment in scientific principles, with a focus on earth science. At that point, I had only taken an Intro to Geology class and the first-year ID1 writing seminar, Geomythology, with Professor Nikki Moore (where I learned how indigenous oral histories or ancient mythology may inform our knowledge of geology or geologic events—absolutely incredible) and I had so many requirements left to fulfill. With that sudden realization, I immediately wrote Nikki an email explaining my predicament and within a few days I was in her office looking at how I might want to plan out my final two years to be able to major.
And with every class I took I fell deeper in love with the department and the relationships I built with students, faculty, and staff, choosing to become a department liaison after my first semester "majoring." As a liaison, I work with another student liaison, "liaison Ruth," to plan a weekly "Liquidus" (a time where people, mostly geo majors and faculty but anyone is welcome, hang out and eat snacks, and maybe occasionally paint a pumpkin, gift a rock pet, or have a water blaster fight) as well as other events like movie nights! We are also the point person for students to reach out to about anything regarding the department, such that we can help foster a good, strong community.
While I love geology and learning about the field, from studying the principles behind how and why certain minerals formed in an outcrop to modeling the flight paths of volcanic ejecta for hazard implications, my underlying interest has always been applying what I learn to climate. My professors have been really supportive of me exploring this interest through a geologic lens—doing projects on minerals containing lithium, leading class discussions on geothermal energy, and even writing my senior capstone project on rocks that might sequester carbon. Most fundamentally though, geology has taught me to understand and appreciate our environment and planet as a system, which is essential to seeing the bigger-picture processes and interactions on our Earth.
Daphne (Dede) Chapline ’23
A friend of mine was taking a geology course and mentioned how hands-on and immersive the learning process was. Geology students go on field trips so they can learn to read their natural environment. Each rock and outcrop is a time capsule brimming with millions of years of dynamic earth history. I realized this was exactly the kind of experience I was yearning for, so I scheduled a meeting with the head of the department. During our talk, he spoke of how broad a subject geology is, and how it incorporates all different science disciplines in order to understand earth processes and formations. After taking a couple of courses, I was hooked. The versatility of the major greatly appealed to me; although we love our rocks, the study of geology goes beyond them. Geologists study natural disasters, the evolution of life on our planet, sustainable energy, climate change, planetary development and habitability.
The Geology Department is a tight-knit community; the professors and students are all so welcoming and friendly. I feel very supported and encouraged by the professors and know that they care deeply about my personal success, inside and outside the classroom. This has been especially apparent during the pandemic: professors have been diligent about checking in on their students’ mental health. When we were sent home, they sent small rock samples to each of the majors to make us feel more connected to the department (I was given optical calcite). One professor, Jade Star Lackey, would send us drawings of cartoon rocks to cheer us up (Gary Glaucophane was a personal favorite of mine). Outside of the strong community aspect, I love the field trip component of the major. The field sites allow me to explore beautiful SoCal scenery as well as directly experience what I am learning. Finally, I believe that the major leaves a lot of room for exploration of students’ specific interests; the professors are very open to independent studies and holding electives that students feel enthusiastic about.
During my year off, I have been working on a research project which I recently presented at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. I studied the mineralogy and geomorphology of Eridania Basin on Mars by analyzing satellite imagery and spectroscopy data. Through this study, I attempted to better understand the geologic history of the area, particularly pertaining to events that occurred during and after most of the water was drained from the lake. This was a great opportunity to get involved in research during the pandemic, as all the data was publicly available, and I was able to talk to my professor virtually to discuss findings and questions that cropped up along the way.