Geology Personal Statement

When I was a little kid, I was always curious about the world around me and wanted to stay outside until my mom was forcing me into the house. The world fascinated me and I wanted to understand how it worked. Upon entering high school, I was given the tools to learn about the natural world. The summer before my senior year of high school I attended a trip to the western United States, it was a one-month backcountry camping trip. I got to visit Yellow Stone, The Grand Tetons, Devil’s Tower and the Black Hills. The whole time I was there, I was in awe, the days flew past, and in that moment I knew I needed to learn more about the beautiful landscape. I enrolled in an intro geology class my senior year offered through Indiana University, and the deal was sealed. When I chose DePauw, I took three geology courses my first semester and declared the major
the second week of school, forever putting me on the path to understanding the world around us.
My time spent at DePauw has provided me with an extensive array of courses that have allowed me to learn the big picture of the environment but also the specifics and focus on certain subjects such as, Igneous Petrology, Earthquakes and Volcanoes, Geophysics, and Historical Geology. Not only have I taken many courses within the geology department at DePauw but I have also taken a wide assortment outside of the department as well, ranging from calculus to a seminar on runaway slaves. The liberal arts degree that I will receive from DePauw has allowed me to become a well-rounded student, and always think inquisitively on the subject at hand. As an undergraduate I have also had the opportunity to conduct summer research twice, once with a professor in the Department and once with the National Science
Foundation’s Research for Undergraduates Program. The research that I conducted with the department was igneous petrology based, which is my geologic passion. I worked in the St. Francois Mountain volcanic field; today am still pursuing the topic. I am currently trying to find a source magma for an outcrop in the St. Francois Mountains as a senior thesis project. The Research for Undergraduate program that I was involved in was an inter-disciplinary research topic where I did both geology and archeology at a pre-historic Native American Site in central Illinois. I worked on understanding the geology of a manmade mound structure on the site through the analysis of solid-earth cores I pushed into the mound. For both research projects I was lucky enough to present my research at conferences such as the North-Central Region Geologic Society of America Conference (GSA), Midwestern Archaeology Conference, and DePauw University’s summer research symposium. As my time as an undergraduate comes to a close, I am looking to move on in the world of higher education. I eventually want to become a professor in Igneous Petrology and the next step is for me to pursue my master’s degree. I am interested in the University of Iowa’s department because it provides a wide range of facilities and research opportunities. I was drawn to the department when I saw Dr. David Peate’s graduate student’s work at the North-Central GSA meeting. The topic that was being presented was on Icelandic magmatism; the research caught my eye because I am strongly interested in igneous petrology and Iceland. I have wanted to go there for as long as I can remember, and what an amazing place to study igneous processes. The University of Iowa’s Earth and Environmental Sciences department provides the research opportunities, the course work, and facilities that I desire in a graduate school that will enhance my education and knowledge to eventually obtain a PhD.