Student Achievements

ERTH Geology students presenting their research at the Geological Society of America (GSA) Joint Cordilleran and Rocky Mountain Section Meeting in Spokane, WA, May 2024

Maggie Pierce (above) presented her research (co-author Hannah Aird) on Iron-Oxide-Copper-Gold (IOCG) Alteration and Petrogenesis of the Lights Creek Stock, Plumas County, CA

Leeah Schultz (above) presented her research (co-author Hannah Aird) on the Engels Gabbro and Granitoid Dike Relationships within the Lights Creek Stock, Plumas County, CA

Chloe Beasley (above) presented her research (co-author Hannah Aird) on Characterizing Amphibole within the Lights Creek Stock, Plumas County, CA

Israel Martinez (above) presented his research (co-author Hannah Aird) on Geochemical and Geochronological Analysis of the Engels Gabbro and Diorite in the Lights Creek Area, Plumas County, Northern CA

Matthew Towne (above) presented his research (co-author Hannah Aird) on Understanding Hydrothermal Fluid Composition that Introduced Copper Using Iron Oxide Chemistry at Lights Creek Stock in Plumas, CA

Nate Mitchell (above, blue shirt) presented his research (co-authors Wesley Wood and Andrew Harp) on Emplacement Processes for Breccias at the Mount Yana Volcanic Center, Northern CA

Miranda Flint (above, to the right) presented her research (co-author Andrew Harp) on Reconstructing the Geologic History of the Yana Volcanic Center Using the Geometry and Petrography of Magmatic Dikes

Sabrina Nielsen presenting her research at the California Society for Ecology Restoration (SERCAL) conference in April 2023 in Davis, CA

ERTH students at the Spring 2023 Geological Society of America (GSA) Cordilleran meeting

ERTH students (from left to right) Matt Wagoner, Henry Marine, Lanie Bratz and Miranda Flint at the GSA Cordilleran Meeting in Reno, May 2023. Henry Marine won 2nd Runner Up in the undergraduate student category!!

ERTH students and recent alumni present at the Fall 2022 Geological Society of America (GSA) meeting

Matt Wagoner presented his poster on the geochemistry of igneous rocks near Paradise, CA. 

Henry Marine gave a poster on his work on Pyroxene crystals in debris flows of the ancient Mt. Yana. 

Mario Velazquez (Geology '20) gave a talk about his MS thesis. He is planning to finish his masters degree in the spring and go on for a PhD.

ERTH students present at the 2022 Geological Society of America (GSA) Cordilleran/Rocky Mountain section meeting

ERTH (still getting used to typing that) students Erica Thompson (shown here), Henry Marine, and Elisabeth Kennedy, presented posters at the 118th annual meeting(opens in new window) of the Joint Cordilleran/Rocky Mountain Section of the Geologic Society of America 15–17 March 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

GEOS Students Present at the 2019 Geological Society of America (GSA) Cordilleran Section Meeting

GEOS students Scott Stokes, Evan Davis, Nate Plascencia, Maggie Pierce, Amy Robson, Andre Bourret, Harpreet Bather, and Alexis Lopez all presented posters at the 115th annual meeting(opens in new window) of the Cordilleran Section of the Geologic Society of America 15-17 May 2019, in Portland, OR.

Scott Stokes - Oxygen Isotopic Composition of Sulphur Works, Lassen Volcanic Center: Correlating Thermal and Meteoric Water Inputs

Evan Davis - Olivine Trace Element Indicators of Thermal History and Mantle Source Compositions of Primitive Magmas at Poison Lake Chain, Lassen Region

Nate Plascencia - Trace Elements Analysis of Plagioclase of Primitive Basalt at Poison Lake Chain, Lassen Region

Maggie Pierce - Geochemical and Petrographic Analysis of the Lights Creek Stock in the Plumas County Copper Belt, CA

Amy Robson - Vertical Variation of Hydrothermal Alteration from the Core to Upper Flank of Ancient Mt. Tehama, Lassen Volcanic Center

Not Pictured (entirely our fault, sorry):

Alexis Lopez - Mineralization and Alteration of the Moonlight (IOCG) Deposit, Taylorsville District of the Plumas County Copper Belt, CA

Andre Bourret - Characterizing the paragenetic sequence of alteration at the Moonlight IOCG deposit, Plumas County, CA

Harpreet Batther - A Hydrocarbon Seep Model of Large Bedded Barite Deposits in the Devonian Slaven Chert of Central-North Nevada

2019 GEOS Graduate Awards

The GEOS Department awarded our graduating seniors and graduate students with the following awards:

Amy Robson - Honors in Major
Maggie Pierce - Honors in Major
Jessica Shippen - Outstanding Achievement in Environmental Science
Evan Davis - Outstanding Achievement in Field Geology Award, Honors in Major
Eric Dearden - Outstanding Independent Research Award
Brandon Ertis - Excellence in Graduate Research in Environmental Science
Cab Esposito - Excellence in Graduate Research in Geosciences

Spring CNS Poster Session

Geology and Environmental Science students once again made and incredibly strong showing at the College of Natural Sciences Spring 2019 Poster Session. Congratulations to all the winners, especially the following GEOS students:

Undergraduate/Faculty Research - Judge's Award

Nutrient Removal of Sustainable Additives to Biofiltration Systems
Nora Pizzella and Sandrine Matiasek

Graduate/Faculty Research - People's Choice Award

Post-fire Plant Community Trajectory and Fuelbreak Restoration
Hannah Weinberger and Kristen Kaczynski

Undergraduate and Graduate Students Present at 2019 This Way To Sustainability Conference

Graduate student Robert Gruenberg (MS Geosciences: Hydrology) and undergraduate students Eric Dearden (Env.Sci.), Jillian Olivar (Env.Sci.), Brice Vanness (Biochem.), and Gabrielle Wyatt (Biol.) presented their research titled “Urban storm runoff: Assessment of biofiltration systems” at the 14^th annual This Way To Sustainability conference at Chico State on March 29^th, 2019. Their research was funded by an EPA P3 grant awarded to Dr. Matiasek.

Undergraduate student presents at the ASLO 2019 Aquatic Sciences Meeting

Eric Dearden (Env. Sci. - Hydrology) presented his Honors research at the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) 2019 Aquatic Sciences Meeting in Puerto Rico. His poster, titled "Evaluation of pollutant removal and runoff reduction of a stormwater biofiltration system", summarized results from an ongoing collaboration between his advisor Dr. Sandrine Matiasek, the Civil Engineering department, and Butte College BWELL student interns.

GEOS Students Present at the 2018 Geological Society of America (GSA) Conference

GEOS students Evan Davis, Nate Plascencia, Angelica Rodriguez, and Amy Robson all presented posters at the November 4-7, 2018 annual Geological Society of America (GSA) conference(opens in new window) in Indianapolis, IN.

Evan Davis (l) and Nate Plascencia (r)

Environmental Science Student Publication

Dan Hiney (BS Environmental Science-Applied Ecology 2018) worked with Drs. Kristen Kaczynski and Mandy Banet (Biology) to turn his senior project into a manuscript. His research Using citizen science to estimate the Coastal Rainbow Trout population of Grass Creek Valley Reservoir is now published in California Fish and Game Journal. For his research, Dan recruited six fellow anglers to assist in mark-recapture data collection over 13 days in the Fall of 2016. Dan trained these ‘citizen scientists’ in proper fish handling for measurement and fin clipping for marking. Dan’s manuscript discusses the potential for utilizing experienced anglers to assess fisheries populations.

Hiney, D.C., K.M. Kaczynski, and A.I. Banet. Using citizen science to estimate the Coastal Rainbow Trout population of Grass Creek Valley Reservoir. California Fish and Game 104(2): 75-85.

Graduate Student presents at Society for Conservation GIS meeting

Lexi Thornton presented her master’s research “Mapping Risk for Phytophthora ramorum with an Anthropogenic Focus” at the Society for Conservation GIS annual meeting in July, 2018.

Graduate and Undergraduate Students Present at 2018 Geological Society of America Cordilleran Region Conference

Graduate students Sommer Cassady, John Kelly, Jay Smart and Sean Lucas, along with undergraduates Angelica Rodriguez (below left), Evan Pavonis and Amy Robson (below right) all presented posters at the May 2018 annual Geological Society of America (GSA) Cordilleran Region conference in Flagstaff, AZ.

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Graduate and Undergraduate Students Present at the California Society for Ecological Restoration 2018 annual conference

Allen LaGrange (MS Environmental Science) and Jessica Shippen (Envir Sci – Applied Ecology) presented their research at the California Society for Ecological Restoration 2018 annual conference in San Diego. Allen presented his master’s research, Response of Wet Meadow Vegetation Along a Hydrological Gradient after Passive Restoration. Jessica presented her and Dr. Kristen Kaczynski’s research, Monitoring Short- and Long-term Vegetation Changes Following Wet Meadow Restoration.

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College of Natural Sciences Poster Session Results

Once again, the GEOS Department had an amazing showing at the annual College of Natural Sciences Research Poster session. Not only did our department contribute about 1/3 of the posters (out of eight departments) but the quality was across the board outstanding. Our department won four of the six awards this year—quite impressive for one department!!

JUDGES’ AWARD FOR STUDENT CLASS PROJECT

Felisa Vallejo, "A survey of native and non-native plant populations on a managed California grassland at the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve”. 

JUDGES’ AWARD FOR UNDERGRADUATE/FACULTY RESEARCH

Bryn Copson, Sandrine Matiasek, "Fate of Heavy Metals in Urban Stormwater Biofiltration Systems” 

PEOPLES' CHOICE FOR CLASS PROJECT

April Bischel, Andre Bournet, Evan Davis, Danny Fields, Nicholas Holt, Evan Mason, Margaret Pierce, Natalio Plascencia, Amy Robson, Corey Ritchardson-Fernandez, Neil Trent, Emily Truscott, Hannah Aird, “Interpreting the Magmatic Evolution and Emplacement of the Bald Rock Pluton through Geochemical and Petrographic Analysis”. 

PEOPLES’ CHOICE FOR GRADUATE/FACULTY RESEARCH

Sean Lucas, Jay Smart, Ann Bykerk-Kauffman, "The Painted Gorge fault, a potentially active dextral fault in the northeastern Coyote Mountains, Salton Trough, California” 

GEOS Senior Receives Research Award for Spring 2018

Bryn Copson (ES Honors research student) was awarded a Student Award for Research and Creativity from the Provost Office for her research titled “Fate of Heavy Metals in Urban Stormwater Biofiltration Systems” in Spring 2018.

Graduate Student Receives Research Award for Summer 2018

Richard Vitamanti (MS Geosciences: Hydrology) was awarded a Student Award for Research and Creativity from the Provost Office for his summer research titled “Effects of Additives and Saturation Depth on Nutrient Retention in Urban Stormwater Biofiltration”.

Undergraduate and Graduate Students Present at 2018 This Way To Sustainability Conference

Graduate student Richard Vitamanti (MS Geosciences: Hydrology) and undergraduate students Bryn Copson (ES), Eric Dearden(ES), and Quoc Nguyen (Chemistry) presented their research titled “A “swale” future for stormwater: bioswales to the rescue” at the 13th annual This Way To Sustainability conference at Chico State on March 16th 2018. Their research was funded by an EPA P3 grant awarded to Dr. Matiasek.

GEOS Graduate Student Receives Research Award

Allen LaGrange (ES, master’s student) was awarded a Student Award for Research & Creativity through the Honors Program at Chico State for his research titled “Hydrological and Ecological Indicators for Wet Meadow Restoration: Papoose Meadows, CA”.  (here’s the link: you can make it fancy with a hyperlink: https://www.csuchico.edu/ued/student-awards/previous-recipients.shtml

Student Project Awarded EPA Grant

In April, a team of interdisciplinary California State University, Chico students, led by Dr. Sandrine Matiasek, were awarded a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to research and develop sustainable biofiltration technology for small urban areas like Chico. The CSU, Chico team was one of eight teams awarded the grant in the nation, as part of the EPA's People, Prosperity, and the Environment (P3) Student Design Competition Phase 2. Their two-year project, titled "Evaluating Biofiltration in Small Urban Areas: Chico, California Case Study" will be testing the effectiveness of biofiltration using sand, compost, lava rock, zeolite, and native, drought resistant plants in an effort to mitigate urban storm water runoff. The full press release of the Phase 1 project that led to their selection for the Phase 2 award(opens in new window).

GEOS Senior Wins First Place in Research Competition

Jimmy Monge (ES, Applied Ecology Senior) won First Place in the Group 1: Interdisciplinary Undergraduate session at the 31^st Annual CSUC Student Research Competition on March 7, 2017.  Jimmy presented his research at the CSU-wide conference in San Luis Obispo on April 29, 2017.

Graduate and Undergraduate Students Present at the State of the Estuary Conference

Graduate student Richard Vitamanti and undergraduate students Bryn Copson, Eric Dearden, and Rachel Libby presented their research poster on stormwater biofiltration at the State of the Estuary conference in Oakland, CA on Oct. 10-11, 2017. They presented their work to over 800 conference attendees from local, state, and federal agencies focusing on the management and ecological health of the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary. The State of the Estuary Conference showcased the latest information about the estuary’s changing watersheds, impacts from major stressors, recovery programs for species and habitats, and emerging challenges.

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Graduate Student Wins Groundwater Conference Outstanding Poster Award

Environmental Science graduate student Cab Esposito presented his research at the 2017 Groundwater Conference and 26th Annual Meeting of the Groundwater Resources Association of California. Cab was awarded the "Dr. David Huntley Student Competition Award, In recognition of their Outstanding Poster Presentation at the 2017 Groundwater....". Below is the citation.

Esposito, C.M., Mehl, S., and Houk, E., 2017. Coupling land use change and regional hydrologic models to assess impacts on groundwater dependent ecosystems. Presented at the 26th Groundwater Resources Association Annual Meeting, 2017: Time for Collaboration and Innovation, October 3, Sacramento, CA.

Graduate and Undergraduate Students Present at 2017 Geological Society of America Conference

Graduate student Sommer Cassady and undergraduates Angelica Rodriguez, Chad Dodge and Andrew Guglielmo all presented posters at the October 2017 annual Geological Society of America (GSA) conference in Seattle Washington.

GEOS Graduate Student Publishes Article

GEOS Graduate student Fletcher Alexander (PSM) coauthored an article that was recently published in Sustainability: Journal of Record titled Public-Public Partnerships for a New Paradigm in the Civic Role of the University. The article highlights the South Campus Neighborhood project, a collaboration between CSU Chico and the City of Chico.