Two undergraduates presented their original research at the annual meeting of the northeastern section of the Geological Society of America, held in Baltimore in March.

Thomas Bohlen, an earth science and science education major, conducted research in Maine, where he mapped exposed rocks at the contact zone of a pluton. Ernest Thalhamer analyzed field samples from another region in Maine in the Science Building's petrology lab. Thirteen other students attended the conference.

“Attending conferences gives students a better understanding of the careers that are open to them as well as exposure to other scientists and students in their field,” said Gary Solar, a geologist who is associate professor and chair of the Earth Science and Science Education Department. “And students who present their work take ownership of it in a way that’s transformational.”

The students published their work with Solar, whose research interest is orogenies, or mountain-building episodes and processes. He has focused much of his attention on migmatite rocks, which, in his research, are found where the ancient Appalachian range once stood. More than 350 million years ago, the ancient range—just east of today’s Appalachian Mountains—rose higher than today’s Himalayan Mountains. “By studying the record contained in the earth’s rocks,” said Solar, “we can better understand the processes that are taking place today.”