Calvin Junior Studies Glacial Geology

September 20, 2007 == MEDIA ADVISORY

Summary: A Calvin junior spent the summer in the U.S. and Brazil, researching glacial geology via a National Science Foundation grant.

Full story see http://www.calvin.edu/news/releases/2007-08/koning-geology.htm
 
A Calvin junior was one of a team of students from several colleges who spent the summer researching the glacial geology of Minnesota and Brazil, a project funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant.

Calvin geology major Laurie Koning joined geologist Jim Cotter from the University of Minnesota, Morris (UMM) and students from UMM; Gustavus Adolphus College; the University of Minnesota, Duluth; St. Cloud State University; the University of Wisconsin, River Falls; and the Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil in a project supported through $165,000 from the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates program.

The team studied the deposits left behind by retreating glaciers in both the Midwest state and the South American country. While in Minnesota, each team member also carried out an individual research project.

Koning studied the bedrock of the Glacial River Warren (an area where a river once existed) in the Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge. She was trying to settle the claims of competing geologists, some of whom claim that the river was caused by a catastrophic flood and some of whom claim that it was created by natural weathering.

"It turned out that it wasn't there was not enough evidence to show that water had flown through there with enough capacity and speed to be a catastrophic flood," she concluded.

In Brazil the team assisted in a larger mapping project of one region carried out by a professor from the Universidade de Sao Paulo.

Her experience of Brazilian culture was somewhat atypical, she said because the team stayed in the Mennonite community of Witmarsum, founded by German-Swiss settlers. She speaks German, having studies in Austria while in high school and having two summers ago worked in an amusement park in Germany.

Koning said the project was a good research experience: "It was great for learning how geologic field research is done."

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Received on Thu Sep 20 09:34:12 2007