Congratulations to all of our 2024 Undergraduate Student Award recipients! The Department of Earth and Planetary Science is celebrating its many talented students. We are super proud of all of their accomplishments, and are excited to announce this year’s award winners.
Amelia Ascione and Bryan Lee accepting the Vinton Gwinn Award.Amelia Ascione and Bryan Lee have been awarded the Vinton Gwinn award to commemorate their hard work and achievements in research. Amelia’s research investigates modern landscape modifications on Mars, and has been celebrated by the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) and Northern Arizona University (NAU). Bryan’s research investigates The Miocene stratigraphy of the recently drilled Sandtown, DE corehole, dating the sequences measure Sr-isotopes on carbonates.
Peter Bellocq and Caitlin Laduca accepting the George Cook Award.The George Cook Award was presented to Peter Bellocq and Caitlin Laduca. Peter was awarded for his hard work in going above and beyond helping out the department in many ways, and for his dedication and successful running of the Geology Club. Caitlin’s outstanding contributions to the Rutgers Geology Museum and her dedication to education and outreach earned her this award.
Multiple students have also been honored with field camp scholarships to contribute to their field research in the upcoming months. The George O’Scott Scholarship has been presented to Natalie Petillo. This scholarship will go towards Natalie’s upcoming field camp experience at Hydrology Field Camp in Black Hills, South Dakota. Emily Schneider has been awarded the Larry and Norma Gordon Award to go towards her research experience at the Salem State Field Camp in Bozeman, Montana. The William and Grace Sparks Undergraduate Field/Travel Award has been presented to Chloe Jensen, who attended the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Death Valley camp in the winter of 2024.
Levben Jukna-Parsons accepting the Spark Undergraduate Award.The Spark Graduate Award was presented to Levben Jukna-Parsons for his exceptional work as a TA in the Intro Geo Fall 2023-Spring 2024 course. Levben worked with approximately 30 students per semester in ten groups, where he fostered improved student-instructor interaction and lessened lecturing time. Levben and his co-TA also improved the exercises by labeling and organizing mineral and rock sample sets and related structure, earthquake, and plate tectonic exercises.
Zakiya Chikwendu accepting the National Association of Geoscience Teachers Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award.Mazvita Chikomo was awarded the EPS Teaching Award for her outstanding work as a TA in the Intro Geo Fall 2023-Spring 2024 course. Mazvita worked with ten groups of three students each to shorten lecture times and increase inter-student and instructor interactions. Mazvita and her co-TA improved course labeling and organization of rock sample sets and related exercises to streamline the course for introductory students. Zakiya Chikwendu was also awarded the National Association of Geoscience Teachers Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award for her contribution to enhancing the quality of teaching our undergraduate students in EPS. The award celebrates her intellectual integrity, professionalism and her unique assertive and creative ways to both discipline and motivate students in studying and participating in discussion to encourage critical thinking. She spares no effort in reaching out to students, and students know it.
The George Rowe Award was presented to Holly Valgardson for her exceptional dedication to petrologic research. Holly’s project seeks to develop multiple independent constraints on magma ascent during one of the largest basaltic fissure eruptions of the past millennium. In addition to her primary project on magma ascent, she has also been contributing to a second project on sulfur isotopes in ocean island basalts.
Holly Valgardson accepting the George Rowe Award.
Natalie Petillo accepting the George O’Scott Scholarship.
Emily Schneider accepting the Larry and Norma Gordon Award.
Chloe Jensen accepting the William and Grace Sparks Undergraduate Field/Travel Award.
