Geology/Earth Science Project 2007

Earth Science Summer Research Participation Program

Faculty Mentor - Dirk Baron, Robert Negrini, Staci Loewy, Pat Mickler, Manuel Palacios-Fest

For the last three years, CSUB faculty and undergraduate geology students have worked with selected K-12 teachers and high school students on a study of the Quaternary geologic history of the San Joaquin Valley of California. Three elementary/middle school teachers, three high school teachers, and ten high school students participate in each four-week summer research participation program.

The skills and thought processes of this study are critical to those commonly practiced by petroleum geologists for Chevron. Despite this fact, and the fact that Chevron commonly employs CSUB geology majors, very few high school students arriving at CSUB elect to major in Geology. Part of this problem is that very few high school teachers were trained in geology and thus, do not have the training nor exposure to the subject allowing them to act as mentors for future geology majors nor even as advisors to suggest geology as a major with excellent employment opportunities. This particular program is well suited to help solve this problem.

The research of this project centers around the analysis of 50-foot sediment cores from two locations in the Tulare Lake basin. These cores preserve a regional record of the environment of deposition dating back to about 35,000 years before the present. Research tasks include the description of sediments from the cores for parameters such as grain size, color, and mineralogy. Sediment analyses include total organic and total inorganic carbon, micropaleontology, as well as magnetic susceptibility. Skills and knowledge gained in the classroom settings are reinforced with field trips to the Owens Valley/Mammoth area and to Chevron's operations in the Kern River Field (to be led by Larry Knauer from Chevron Corp.).

Each teacher is in charge of the description and analysis of several 5-foot core segments. Each teacher is the leader of a research group including a CSUB undergraduate geology student and one or two high school students. The groups were responsible for all aspects of the description and analysis of their core segments. They were also in charge of the paleoenvironmental interpretations and the presentation of their research results at the end of the summer projects. CSUB faculty serve as scientific advisors, provide lectures with background information, and compile the overall results.

Further information can be found on this web site.

Larkin/Kessler/Baron Group Poster

McCormick/Lewis/Loewy Group Poster

Herrera/Duerr/Loewy Group Poster

Giese/Lin/Palacios-Fest Group Poster

Ndukwu/Parubrub/Ramirez Group Poster

Baron/Negrini Group Poster

Duerr/Kedzierski/Wigand Group Poster I

Duerr/Kedzierski/Wigand Group Poster II

Kayes/Adamson/Herrera Group Poster