Celebrating 2021 Graduating Seniors

Emily Lugthart

Since I never had the opportunity to take an Earth Science class until my freshman year of college, I first realized my love for geology during my FYC with Kelly MacGeregor. Now, I am interested in soils, particularly soil magnetism. I am currently finishing my honors thesis focused on analyzing magnetic susceptibility as a proxy for road pollution. After graduation, I have a position through geocorps working as a soil technician with the Forest Service.

Etienne Chenevert

Hi, my name is Etienne and I will be graduating this summer from Macalester. Lately I have been working on the taphonomy of vertebrate microfossil bonebeds, looking specifically for signs of predation through fracture geometries and bite marks. It has really been great to simply spend time with the fossils, dive into the literature, and learn techniques that help us interpret Earth’s ancient environments. I’ve not only a lot learned about fossils, but also about how to conduct scientific research and share my passion for geology through research. My plan for the future is to pursue a masters degree at Indiana University-Bloomington. There I will be studying something to do with either rivers or deltas. Whether that be with modern rivers or deltas, or with ancient rivers or deltas is still to be determined.

Evan Unruh-Friesen

Hello, My name is Evan (he/him) and I am a geology major from the graduating class of 2021. I am currently working on a paper for publication, which utilizes detrital zircon geochronology to clarify the timing and processes behind flat slab subduction and accretion assemblages in Baja California, Mexico. Results suggest subduction and accretion occurred in a brief window (ca. 85-100 Ma), and coincides with coeval plate shallowing, crustal uplift, and influxes of sediments to trench environments. My proposed model for initiating accretion at the margin during the late-Cretaceous is due to the onset and subduction of an oceanic plateau (the Shatsky Rise Conjugate). 

My post-bacc interests are largely twofold, the geosciences and education. Next year I will be in Finland Minnesota, participating in a year long Graduate Naturalist program at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center. I plan to use this year to develop a strong pedagogy and expand my scientific horizons beyond my geoscience background (though I still plan to look at plenty of cool superior region rocks).  Eventually, I plan to pursue graduate level degrees in the fields of metamorphism, structural geology and tectonics, with the final goal of becoming a professor and scientific communicator.

Chloe Kahn

Hello, my name is Chloe (she/her) and I am currently finishing up my honors thesis on bone modifications of microfossils from the Maastrichtian Hell Creek Formation in Montana. I’ve spent the past few summers working in the lab and in the field on paleontological sites, helping out with different projects and it’s been a blast! After graduation I have an internship at the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization where I will be helping out with water quality monitoring and science communication while learning what it’s like to work for a local government organization. In the future, I hope to attend graduate school but I’d like to learn a little bit more about where my passions lie before diving into that fully. Being a geology major at Macalester has been so incredible and I recommend it to anyone who likes learning about the earth in any or all of its capacities!

Kendall Ford

Hey, I am Kendall (she/her/hers). I am a geology major and biology minor graduating this spring! I first became interested in geology when I accidentally took the class “History and Evolution of the Earth” with Ray Rogers as my FYC. I am currently working on a project using geochronology to assess the age of a body of rock in central California called the schist of Sierra de Salina. By dating this rock, I am attempting to constrain the timing of the Farallon Plate’s late-Mesozoic shallow subduction event. In my career I hope to be involved in planetary geology research, exploring rocks on other planets and beyond!

Josh Stephenson

Howdy! My name is Joshua (he/him/his) and soon I’ll be graduating from Macalester as the class of 2021! My journey at Macalester has been a dream from the start. I had my first experience with geology during an FYC course taught by Kelly MacGregor. Ever since then, I’ve developed a passion for geology and everything earth related, even people! I’ve been lucky enough to do research in Glacier National Park, meet lifelong friends, and even study abroad in New Zealand. None of this would have been possible without the kind and wonderful people I’ve met along the way.

To be graduating from Macalester feels so surreal. I come from a first-generation, low-income background. But now I can officially say that I’ll be the first in my family to graduate from a 4-year college. And to top it off, I was able to produce an Honors Thesis on charcoal and wildfire history in Glacier National Park! My time here at Macalester may be coming to an end, but I know I’m going to carry all of these experiences in my heart. As I move on to the next chapter of my journey, I hope to never stop learning, to never stop growing, and to never stop being amazed. The world is a fascinating place — and what a joy it is to experience it! Much love, and just a reminder to be like the sun, NEVER STOP SHINING! Catch you later!

 

Likhwa Ndlovu

I was always interested in physical geography, so I could not pass up the opportunity to take a geology class when I got to Macalester. I realized my love for geology in my FYC with Kelly MacGregor! I have been fortunate enough to work with the City of Minneapolis Surface water and Sewers department through the Urban Scholars program. I also conducted work on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Superfund Site program through the Increasing Diversity in the Environmental Sciences Program (IDEC). As a graduating senior, I have refined my interests to hydrogeology, structural geology, and geochemistry. In the future, I plan to pursue a Master’s in Applied Geosciences at the University of Pennsylvania with a concentration in hydrogeology.

I look forward to learning more about how public policy dictates land-use practices and how we can clean up all the messes we have caused/are still causing.

Jill Kirk

Hi, I’m Jill from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I’ll be graduating from Macalester with a Geology major and Physics minor. This past year I’ve been working on my honors thesis with Alan Chapman using Zircon geochronology to date a body of rock in California called the Schist of Sierra de Salinas. I’ve always been interested in nature and because of that, I took Dynamic Earth and Global Change with Kelly MacGregor as my FYC and loved it. This class helped me understand how natural environments are formed which really bolstered my love for the outdoors as I was able to see them from a different perspective. After Macalester I’m taking some time off before going to grad school and getting into a research career surrounding planetary geology, in which I can hopefully get the chance to work on the geology of Mars.

Spandan Buch

Hi y’all, my name is Spandan Buch (he/him/his), and I am an Indian-American Lexington, KY I am one of the graduating seniors in the amazing geology class of 2021. I’ve been incredibly interested in earth sciences and natural sciences ever since middle school, and knew I wanted to major in a relevant subject when I came to Macalester. My first-year course happened to be Kelly MacGregor’s Dynamic Earth/Global Change class, and it really turned me on to the wonders of geology. As a result, I continued to take geology classes and eventually made it my major. The people in the department and the classes I’ve taken have made my time at Macalester absolutely unforgettable.

This past semester, I completed a senior capstone project that focused on studies that use flumes (artificial channels) to study the impact of vegetation on river channel dynamics. My postgraduate plans are to stay in the Twin Cities area and potentially work on a flume project in the Mac Geology department, as well as working as an EMT. I also am looking into potentially joining the Conservation Corps or something similar to do outdoor field work as a gap year plan.