September 16, 2009 - California State University, Bakersfield has been awarded $353,674 in grants by the National Science Foundation for two projects that will expand geosciences knowledge in local schools and support ongoing research.

Geology professors Robert Negrini and Robert Horton were awarded $183,440 for a research project entitled "The Laschamp and Mono Lake Excursions in High Deposition Rate Sediments from Summer Lake, Oregon, USA." The grant will support ongoing scientific research and help scientists gain abetter understanding of the earth's magnetic field between 20,000 and 60,000 years ago.

"Better understanding of the earth's magnetic field is along standing problem in science," said Negrini. "This grant will acquire a record of the ancient magnetic field which will be used to help understand how and why the earth's magnetic north switches to magnetic south and how that affects a wide range of seemingly unrelated phenomena. The funding will provide full support for a geology student in the master's program and more than 1,000 hours of part-time work for geology majors here at CSUB."

In addition to the research grant, geology professor Staci Loewy was recently awarded a $170,234 NSF grant to enhance geosciences curriculum and boost teachers' earth science knowledge in local schools. The goal of the project is to increase the geosciences educational pipeline from public schools and colleges to professional geosciences careers.