Collaborative research between students and faculty members is an important part of the geology program at Beloit College. Under the direction of a member of the Geology faculty, all geology majors design and implement a senior thesis research project, gather and analyze their own data, and present their results.
Research opportunities are also available through the Keck Geology Consortium which includes 17 colleges committed to undergraduate education in geology through intercollegiate programs that engage students and faculty in cooperative research. Among its founders was Beloit College Professor Emeritus Hank Woodard.
Exploring how Accelerated Changes in Land Use and Anthropogenic Biomes affect Carbon Output; Simone Rawal ’20; Advisor: Sue Swanson
Sodic-Calcic Alteration at the White Rock Pluton:Constraining Fluid Sources with Oxygen Isotopes; Sophia Hopp ’20; Advisor: Jim Rougvie
Taphonomy and Biodiversity of Fish Fossils from the Middle Devonian Milwaukee Formation; Andy Rich ’20; Advisor: Jay Zambito
Using Machine Learning Techniques to Identify Patterns in the Occurrence of Springs in Wisconsin; Anthony Wendel ’20; Advisor: Sue Swanson
Chemical Differentiation of Anthropogenic Obsidian Sources in Mesoamerica; Blaine Burgess ’20; Advisor: Jim Rougvie
Reconstructing the Cambrian Carbon Cycle Using ~500 million year old Phosphatic Brachiopods; Zowie Fox ’20; Advisor: Jay Zambito
Assessing Changes in Groundwater Quality at the Nevin State Fish Hatchery; Desire Piphus ’20; Advisor: Sue Swanson
Constraining the Depositional Environment of Triassic Halite from the Röt Basin, Netherlands; Philippe Rollet ’20; Advisor: Jay Zambito
Using Infrared Thermography to Characterize Temperature Over Space and Time in Wisconsin Springs; Garrett Rachal ’20; Advisor: Sue Swanson
PXRF Study of the K-Metasomatism in the Bachelor Paleochannel, Creede Colorado; Nico Enciso ’19; Advisor: Jim Rougvie
Morphology and genesis of pedogenic ooids in calcic and petrocalcic soil horizons; Ethan Conley ’19; Advisor: Jim Rougvie
The influence of land use and groundwater flooding on nutrient influx to seepage lakes in southern Wisconsin; Caralena Wren ’19; Advisor: Sue Swanson
The impact of Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea) invasion on the microbial soil abundance of Newark Road Prairie; Luke Zimmerman ’19; Advisor: Jim Rougvie
Comparing Lithostratigraphy and Mechanical Stratigraphy of the Platteville dolomite at Drevdahl Quarry; Levi Moos ’19; Advisor: Sue Swanson
Fluid flow and element mobility during metamorphism of the Maroon Formation in the Whiterock Pluton Contact Aureole, CO; Pieter Bonin ’19; Advisor: Jim Rougvie
The potential for groundwater flooding of Duck Lake, a kettle lake in southern Wisconsin; Andrew Koure ’19; Advisor: Sue Swanson
An assessment of water quality sampling methodology for determining human impacts in the Upper Mukwonago and Upper Grant Rivers; Jacob Westrich ’19; Advisor: Sue Swanson
Water budget analysis in response to groundwater flooding of a seepage lake, Clear Lake, Milton, WI; Gabrielle Garcia ’19; Advisor: Sue Swanson
Implications of Cambrian sandstone phosphorus runoff on eutrophic waters, Dunn County, WI; Jennifer Pantelios ’19; Advisor: Jay Zambito
Evaluating cycles in distal floodplain deposition within the Early Paleogene, Hanna Basin, Wyoming, U.S.A.; Christine Shonnard ’19; Advisor: Jay Zambito
The impact of gardening on soil conditions at the Beloit Urban Garden; Lisa Colligan ’19; Advisor: Jim Rougvie
Modeling the effect of changing atmospheric NO2 on the oxidation, transport, and deposition of atmospheric mercury; Ava Krahn ’19; Advisor: Jim Rougvie
Glacial geomorphology of Dead Indian Creek, Wyoming, and Correlation of shallow 2D seismic reflection data with well logs in Cenozoic sediments, Butte, Montana; James Sneeringer ’19; Advisor: Sue Swanson
A hydrogeological analysis of Lodi Marsh Springs in Dane County, Wisconsin; Emma Hall ’18; Advisor: Sue Swanson
An Investigation of the Influences on the Geochemistry of Streams inDominica, Lesser Antilles: 2014-2017; Dexter Kopas ’18; Advisor: Sue Swanson
Determining sediment source: ice rafted detritus (IRD) provenance at ODP Site 697 (Jane Basin),NW Weddell Sea, South Orkney Microcontinent; Forrest Lloyd ’18; Advisor: Jim Rougvie
Mytilus as an Indicator of El Niño; Ethan Rosa ’18; Advisor: Carl Mendelson
Stories
Delaney Leigh McCarthy ’21 Examines Devonian Organic Matter Variability within the Appalachian Basin
Delaney Leigh McCarthy ’21 is a geology major working with Jay Zambito as her thesis advisor. Delaney is characterizing Middle-Late Devonian (Givetian-Fransian) terrestrial to marine organic matter flux in black shales.
Sydney Crockett ’21 Explores Links between Wild Rice and Sulfate in Minnesota Lakes
Sydney Crockett ’21 is an environmental geology and pre-engineering major working with Sue Swanson as her thesis advisor. Her research shows how the decline and recovery of wild rice biomass is linked to sulfate concentrations in lakes.
