Student Research at Skidmore

We encourage you, as a Geoscience, student, to conduct your own original research. This experience will allow you to put your skills to use, advance the fields of geoscience, and learn more than you thought you ever could. Most importantly, research will allow you to get involved in professional geological societies and start networking for a job or graduate school.

Independent research allows you to:

• Design your own research project
• Conduct your own fieldwork
• Analyze your own data
• Present your findings at
  • Regional or national geological conferences
  • Academic Festival
  • Other places

Getting started is the easy part:
1. Find an aspect of geoscience that interests you
2. Find a faculty member that has a similar interest
3. Go talk to that person about doing research

Mente et Malleo Research Grant - The Mente et Malleo research award was established to provide funding for undergraduate research for Skidmore Geosciences. This is a competitive award and is based on the merits of your research proposal. The proposal deadline, including a detailed budget, is April 15, so start thinking about your research early in your junior year, or before!

Guidelines for writing research proposals and research papers - read this document before you start to write your research proposals and research papers.

Recent examples of research proposals. These are of the quality that the department expects. A couple of hints as you start the proposal process: read the literature for context and start writing early. From experience, a comprehensive proposal makes for high quality research.

Example 1
Example 2

Recent research projects (since 2003)

Many of these were presented at National or Northeastern Section of the Geological Society of America meetings. Many of the others were presented at Academic Festival or at other conferences such as the Vermont Geological Society meeting.

Erin Black, GE '06 – Turbidity of the Kayaderosseras Creek watershed (poster presented at NEGSA)
Megan Chadwick, GE '06 – Buffers on the Battenkill: Maping Riparian Zones Using GIS (poster presented at NEGSA)
Michael Cleveland, GE '06 – Long-term erosion rates of the Grand Canyon using 10Be
Michael Cleveland, Erin Black, Cecily D'Esopo, Doug Donovan - “In depth” knowledge (based on 378 well logs) of Kayaderosseras Creek surficial sediments. (poster presented at NEGSA)
Davin Lyons, GE '06 – Holocene climate change of Keuka Lake , Finger Lakes region, based on sediment cores (poster presented at NEGSA)
Doug Herbst, GE '06 - Deformation analysis of impact craters on Terra Cimmeria: Looking at evidence for the origin of magnetic lineaments on Mars
Doug Herbst, Davin Lyons, Cortlandt Toczylowski, Cathrine Bronson, Noella Schink - Hadlock Pond Dam Failure: Reconstruction of peak discharge and comparision to regional flood frequency. (poster presented at NEGSA)
Lauren Marder, '06 - Deltaic systems of the Mississippi and Nile Rivers: A comparative analysis of the geologic evolution and impacts of socio-economic development
Aaron Kamholtz '06 - A statistical study of extratropical cyclones north of 38 degrees latitude from 1974 - 2004.
Derek Eaton, GE '05 – Initiation and Growth Processes of the Miller Brook Gully, Stowe , VT (poster presented at NEGSA)
Daniel Feuer , GE '05 – GIS Analysis of Tributary Basin Characteristics in the Upper Colorado River Basin
Luca Peppe , GE '05 – Bedrock Depth Study of the Kayaderosseras Valley and a Reinterpretation of the Deglacial History
Veronica Russell , GE '05 – Using 10 Be to Discover the History of the Goldstone Piedmont at Fort Irwin , Mojave Desert , California
Conor Taft '05 - Kayaderosseras Creek watershed GIS Database
Robin Wiles-Skeels , ES '04 – Evaluating the Effect of Land Use on Peak Discharge and Runoff in the Saratoga Lake Watershed (poster presented at NEGSA) (poster presented at National GSA meeting)
Katrina Smith, GE '04 – Paired Watershed Study of the East Branch Kayaderosseras and Sturdevant Creek near South Corinth, New York (poster presented at NEGSA)
William R. Foniri, GE '04 – Using In Situ-Produced Cosmogenic 10 Be to Determine Surface History of the Kofa Mountain Piedmont , Yuma , AZ (project is part of GSA Today manuscript)
Christina Schull, '04 - Loughberry Lake water quality study
Margaret Bailey '04 - Scientific Illustration