Recently in Current Councilors Category

Anne Egger is at Central Washington University.  She is an Assistant Professor of Geological Sciences and Science Education. She began serving as a councilor in 2010.

Contact information:
     Email:  annegger@geology.cwu.edu

Chris Kim is an associate professor of earth and environmental sciences at Chapman University.  He has been a GeoCUR councilor since 2010 and a member of CUR since 2007.  Chris is also the recipient of an NSF-CAREER Award (#0847811) and was selected as a Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award recipient "based on accomplishment in scholarly research with undergraduates, as well as a compelling commitment to teaching."

"I embark on scholarly research that is informed by my past training while expanding in new and exciting directions, establishing focused expertise in heavy metal contamination at abandoned mine sites and the ability of nanoparticulate iron (hydr)oxides to adsorb and retain such heavy metals.  This work is conducted with the participation of Chapman undergraduates who are involved in every aspect of the research, from designing experiments, collecting samples, conducting analyses, and processing data to preparing results for presentation and publication.  Such an approach provides my research students with lasting experiences that benefit their future careers or educational ambitions while allowing me to sustain a level of scholarly productivity that maintains my prominence and relevance in the field of environmental geochemistry."

Contact information:
    Email:  cskim@chapman.edu
    Website:  http://www.chapman.edu/envgeo

Amy Weislogel is at West Virginia University.  She began serving as a councilor in 2010.

"Involving undergraduates in research is not a mandate for my position but I've become increasingly convinced that it lies at the heart of the greater objectives in higher education. Research experiences gained in my undergraduate career had a profound impact on my intellectual development, not only as a scientist but as an engaged and productive citizen."

Contact information:
     Email:  amy.weislogel@gmail.com

Laura Guertin is an Associate Professor of Earth Science at Penn State Brandywine.  She is the campus coordinator for the Jane E. Cooper Honors and Schreyer Honors College programs.  She first began serving as a GeoCUR Councilor in 2003.

"As Penn State Brandywine is a two-year feeder school for science majors in the Penn State system, I work with freshmen and sophomores on undergraduate research projects.  Although underclassmen may not have the rich content knowledge to conduct a full-scale, rigorous research project, getting students in the research pipeline early is critical to developing skills such as data collection, library searching, quantitative analyses, etc.  No matter what field a student is majoring in, all of these skills are important to developing scientifically-literate citizens."

Contact information
     Email:  uxg3@psu.edu     Phone: (610) 892-1427
     ePortfolio:  http://www.personal.psu.edu/uxg3/blogs/guertin/

Lydia Fox is at University of the Pacific.

Contact information:
     Email:  lkfox@pacific.edu

He began serving as a councilor in 2011.

Erin is at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania.  She began serving as a councilor in 2011.

Jeff Ryan is Professor and Assistant Chair of the geology department at the University of South Florida.  He first became a GeoCUR member in 1996 and a Councilor in 2000. 

"It was trying to learn how to mentor undergraduate researchers both effectively and efficiently that initially drew me to CUR. And it was the desire to learn more about "the other part of my job", that of being a geoscience educator, that led me to run for Councilor (a couple times before being elected!); to participate in and help facilitate sessions and workshops at CUR Conferences; to serve as a rotating Program Officer in the Division of Undergraduate Education at NSF; and now to both work as a facilitator in the new CUR Institute "Beginning a Research Program in the Natural Sciences at a Predominantly Undergraduate Institution", and to conduct my own funded educational scholarship: an NSF-Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement Program project examining the educational impacts of using research instrumentation in geosciences courses, taking advantage of the remote operation capabilities of a regional electron microprobe/scanning electron microscope regional research facility to allow students to conduct their own measurements on their own collected rock samples (from the Blue Ridge) live while in class."

Contact information:
     Email:  ryan@shell.cas.usf.edu   Phone: (813) 974-1598
    

Meagen Pollock is an Assistant Professor of Geology at The College of Wooster. She began serving as a GeoCUR Councilor in 2009.

"CUR's mission naturally aligns with my interests in research and teaching. At The College of Wooster, all students complete a year-long original research project, known as an Independent Study (I.S.). As a result, I strive to provide research opportunities for students at various stages of their academic careers, from the Senior I.S. student to those in their first-year. In addition, my approach to teaching ensures that all of my students (from intro to upper-level courses) develop high-quality research skills. Like all of us in GeoCUR, I find the interactions with my undergraduate researchers intensely rewarding. Not only do I get to watch my students develop independence and sharpen their critical thinking skills, but their interest and excitement in generating new knowledge helps to push my research forward. There is no doubt that CUR, as the leading resource on best practices, has strengthened my undergraduate research program and helped me develop strategies for effective mentoring."

Contact information: Email: mpollock@wooster.edu
Website: http://meagenpollock.voices.wooster.edu/

Elizabeth Heise is at University of Texas at Brownsville.  She began serving as a councilor in 2009.

Contact information:
     Email: elizabeth.heise@utb.edu

Eric Johnson is at Hartwick College.  He began serving as a councilor in 2009.

Contact information:
     Email:  johnsone@hartwick.edu

Katherine McCarville is Associate Professor of Geosciences in the Division of Science and Mathematics at Upper Iowa University.  As a lone-wolf, her teaching load is varied, from introductory geology, dinosaurs, and natural disasters in the lower division, to GIS/remote sensing, climate change, geomorphology, and hydrogeology in the upper division.  She has been a CUR Geoscience Councilor since 2009.

"At Upper Iowa, we have many students who expect to enter careers in natural resource management after completing their undergraduate degrees.  Many of our students are on their way to becoming first generation college graduates, and many come from at-risk backgrounds.  Undergraduate research experiences -- from activities embedded in coursework to capstone senior projects or theses -- help students develop skills and demonstrate initiative that makes them stand above the crowd in a competitive field.  As a broadly trained geoscientist with background in minerals and mining geology, and current research interests in avian paleontology, I most enjoy advising on individual projects that validate students' own curiosity and interests.  I've advised projects involving trumpeter swans, mourning doves, and kestrels, GIS mapping of glacial erratics and urban forests, modeling stormwater runoff, and using soil testing to catch poachers baiting deer!  There's nothing like watching students as they develop confidence and skills over the course of their own research activity."

Contact information:
     Email:  mccarvillek@uiu.edu

Kathy Surpless is at Trinity University (Texas).  She has been a GeoCUR Councilor since 2006 and a CUR member since 2005.  Kathy is also the recipient of a NSF CAREER Award (#0846695).

"Mentoring undergraduate students embarking on their first major research project is extremely rewarding because many students begin to think of themselves as scientists for the first time during the course of research. Student involvement also directly benefits both my research and my teaching: students bring a new perspective and energy to problems, their involvement forces me to keep in mind the larger picture and significance of the research, and their short time frame for research keeps my research program progressing forward. This steady research activity keeps me current in my field, which in turn keeps my teaching fresh."

Contact information:
     Email:  ksurples@trinity.edu

Jeanette Pope is an Associate Professor of Environmental Geology at DePauw University.  She became a member of CUR in 2002 and began serving as a Councilor in 2006.

"I believe that research that involves undergraduates is an essential part of my faculty position at DePauw. For this reason, I have supervised six different independent research projects involving seven students in five years. This work has resulted in five presentations at regional and national meetings with students as co-authors. I believe the opportunity to attend a conferences is an important to the professional development of students, which is why I have supervised, including finding funding for, the travel of five presenting students and two non-presenting students at five conferences. I also involve research experiences in my upper-level geology courses. Although smaller in scope than independent projects, these labs teach students how they can approach unknown questions in the real world."

Contact information:
     Email:  jpope@depauw.edu     Phone:  (765) 658-4105

Andrew Wulff is at Western Kentucky University.

Contact information:
     Email:  andrew.wulf@wku.edu

Dale Splinter is at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.

Contact information:
     Email:  splinted@uww.edu

Jeff Marshall is a Professor of Geology and Campus Coordinator for Undergraduate Research at Cal Poly Pomona University.

Jeff Marshall is a geomorphologist with research and teaching expertise in neotectonics, geologic hazards, coastal processes, river dynamics, and watershed restoration. He routinely engages undergraduate students in his field research in California and Central America. Dr. Marshall's primary research focus is the study of landscape response to active tectonics, climate change, and base level fluctuations. His current research investigates the morphotectonics and earthquake hazards of the northern Costa Rica convergent margin in Central America, and the geomorphology of faulted alluvial fan gravels along frontal thrusts of the San Gabriel Mountains in southern California. Dr. Marshall studied geology and earth surface processes at UC Santa Barbara (BS), UC Santa Cruz (MS), and Penn State (PhD). He has been a faculty member at Cal Poly Pomona since 2001 and currently serves as University Coordinator for Undergraduate Research. He is a three-term CUR Geosciences Councilor and founding member of Cal Poly Pomona's Undergraduate Research Faculty Working Group. Dr. Marshall recently published a manuscript on international undergraduate research in a Geological Society of America special volume on geosciences field education. In addition to serving as a CUR Councilor, Dr. Marshall has engaged in leadership related to undergraduate research with the Keck Geology Consortium, National Science Foundation, On the Cutting Edge Program, and Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). He is currently a member of the NSF GeoPRISMS Education Advisory Committee.

Contact information:
     Email:  marshall@csupomona.edu     Phone: (909) 869-3461
     ePortfolio:  http://www.csupomona.edu/~marshall

Pat Manley is a Professor of Geology at Middlebury College.  She has been a Councilor for the geoscience division since 2004.

"The interaction between professor and student has proven to be one of the most rewarding experiences I have had at Middlebury College. I continue to do year-long senior work and have supervised ~40 senior thesis and numerous independent research projects. Since many of the senior thesis research topics are closely integrated with my own research, I have been able to take students with me on my research cruises... In all cases these students we an integral part of the research team and actively participated in data collection and post-cruise data processing and data interpretation."

Contact information:
     Email:  manley@middlebury.edu  

Ed Hansen is at Hope College.

Contact information:
     Email:  hansen@hope.edu

Alexandra Davatzes is an assistant professor in the Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences at Temple University.

Contact information:
     Email:  alix@temple.edu     Phone: (215) 204-3907

Daniel Brabander is at Wellesley College.

Contact information:
     Email:  dbraband@wellesley.edu