2016 - Nadeem Ahmad (M.S. 1994, Ph.D. 2000) Director of Exploration and Reservoir Engineering, MOL Oil and Gas Co B.V. Moved from BG Group Plc. (Reading, UK) to Pakistan in 2009. Switched from PPL to MOL in 2015 to lead its Exploration Reservoir directorate. Delivering VGP lectures for AAPG. Married to Ishwa. Email

2001 - Rebecca K. Ambers (B.A. 1993) was named to the environmental science faculty at Sweet Briar College in Virginia for the 2001–2004 academic years. She and her husband, Clifford Ambers (MS 1988, Ph.D. 1993) recently moved to Virginia.

2013 - Irene Arango (Ph.D. 2006) works at Chevron Energy Technology Company as a Geochemist.

2018 - William Ausich (A.M., 1976; Ph.D., 1978) As you may know, I received the Moore Medal at the recent AAPG/SEPM meeting. As appropriate can you please make a note of this in the section on alumni news in the next Department Newsletter with something like the following: "At the AAPG/SEPM meeting in Salt Lake City, William I. Ausich (A.M., 1976; Ph.D., 1978) received the 2018 SEPM Raymond C. Moore Medal for Paleontology, which recognizes excellence in paleontology."

2001 - Jennifer Ayers (M.S. 1998) currently is working for ChevronTexaco in New Orleans. Last fall she gave a talk about ChevronTexaco on a recruiting trip to Indiana.

2023 - Meredith Baker (G429 2017) Meredith can be reached by email.

2002 - Bill Bandy (M.A. 1981) is geologic and engineering manager for Team Energy LLC in Bridgeport, Ill. Team Energy LLC produces about 900–1,000 barrels of oil per day in Illinois and Indiana and, with about 50 employees, is one of the largest independent companies in the Illinois Basin. Bandy's staff includes eight members, including geologists, engineers, and a draftsman. The company also offers its services on a consulting basis to others. Bandy, who was an outstanding distance runner in college, serves as assistant junior high track coach for distance runners for his local school district.

2004 - Beth A. Bartel (M.S. 2002) is a geodetic engineer with the UNAVCO Consortium and is completing her second season "on the ice" in Antarctica. She has completed a number of major research field efforts, including installation and operation of a geophysical monitoring system for Mount Erebus. She lives in Redmond, Wash.

2020 - Dear IU Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, I'm writing to let you know that your alumna Beth Bartel (MA '02) has authored a story, "I was Scared by Volcanoes, so I Decided to Study Them" (https://www.thexylom.com/post/beth-bartel-i-was-scared-by-volcanoes-so-i-decided-to-study-them) on The Xylom (thexylom.com), a Millennium Fellowship Project where scientists share personal, authentic stories outside of their research.
Beth writes about how her fear for volcanoes and natural disasters led her to a career studying volcanoes, and eventually as the Science Communication & Outreach Specialist at UNAVCO, an independent non-profit that operates the National Science Foundation’s geodetic facility.
I hope that you could consider sharing the link to the story to your students, staff, supporters, and alumni. You may syndicate the story on online or print publications for a small fee; please let us know if that is something you would like to pursue. We previously have had reached similar arrangements with the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where we evenly split the syndication fee with our contributor. Thanks!

Best regards,
Alex Ip (he/ him/ his)
Founder and Editor, The Xylom

2002 - James W. Batchelor (B.A. 1946) remembers measuring sections at IU’s first geology field camp at the Princeton/Beartooth Camp at Red Lodge Montana during the summer of 1948. He is a retired geology professor from McNeese State University and lives in Las Vegas.

2024 - Randy (E. Randall) Bayless (M.S., Ph.D.) writes that he has retired after 34 years with the US Geological Survey in May 2024. Contact him by email.

2001 - Bernard R. Berry (M.A. 1961) has worked a variety of jobs, including as a special agent for the FBI, a security specialist with Coca–Cola, and a private investigator. He currently is a volunteer at a local hospital and a mentor in public schools. He lives in Cumming, Ga.

2017 - Glenn Bear (Ph.D. 1997) Home: Shenandoah TX Married to Laurie Bear. ExxonMobil. "Glenn Bear (MS ’92, Ph.D. ’97) and Lorie Bear (Ph.D. ’97) are living in Houston and both are working for ExxonMobil. Both continue to pursue their passions in geophysics. They met, were married, and had their first son while at IU. Both of their kids have now started college, but neither could be convinced to study geosciences, nor to attend IU."

2001 - Wes Boberg (M.S. 1990) is a tenured faculty member at Ridgewater College in Willmar, Minn., where he teaches geology, astronomy, and meteorology. He says that he continues to enjoy paleontology, which he incorporates into his teaching program. He is married to Sheree Boberg, they have a son, Cain Emrys, and a stepson, Anthony. They live in Pennock, Minn.

2004 - Ken Bork (M.A. 1964, Ph.D. 1967) retired from the Department of Geology and Geography at Denison University in May 2003, after 38 years of teaching and publishing. Since then, he has been elected secretary general of the International Commission on the History of Geological Sciences for a 2004–08 term. During the 2004 International Geological Congress in Florence, Bork participated in a northern Italy field excursion conducted by Italian members of INHIGEO, and during the summer of 2005, he will attend INHIGEO meetings in Prague, Czech Republic. Bork is also currently on the editorial board of the Geological Society of America’s "Rock Star" committee, which oversees publication of the "Rock Star" articles in GSA Today.

2001 - Ken was the 2000 Neil Miner Award winner of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, for exceptional contributions to the stimulation of interest in the earth sciences. He is a professor of geology and geography at Denison University in Granville, Ohio.

2004 - Dave Bottjer (Ph.D. 1978) was principal organizer and master of ceremonies for a recent University of Southern California gathering to honor National Academy of Science member Al Fischer and his wife, Winnie. More than 60 friends, colleagues, and students were in attendance, and many who could not attend sent letters of appreciation and thanks. Bottjer currently is president of the Paleontological Society and is editor in chief of the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, and Palaeoecology.

2003 - Bob Boyce (M.A. 1969) retired from BP and started his own consulting service in Houston. His wife Beth, who was the Field Station secretary in 1970, is a Professor of Languages at Houston Baptist University. 2/03

2002 - Donald L. Brobst (M.A.T. 1965) is president of the Central Susquehanna Valley chapter of the North American Butterfly Association. He is retired and lives in Lock Haven, Pa.

2020 - David Browning (B.S. 1981, MBA 2006) Attended the Field Station in 1981. I am currently employed as a senior manager at Triad Technologies, LLC located in Vandalia, Ohio. I returned to IU as a "non-traditional" student, earning my MBA in 2006. Email

2004 - Dave Brumbaugh (M.A. 1972, Ph.D. 1973) took a 2004–05 sabbatical leave from Northern Arizona University, where he studied microearthquakes (more than 60) associated with a magnitude 4.6 tremor southwest of Winslow. He is author of an article on Grand Canyon Earthquakes that appears in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. Brumbaugh is also busy with field mapping of a major northern Arizona normal fault, a manuscript that summarizes his thoughts on compressional structures in extensional environments, and maintaining and upgrading the northern Arizona seismic network. He continues work on faulting and earthquakes in Turkey and reports that his book Earthquakes: Science and Society is doing well. He shares with Don Hattin a love of steam locomotives and sees them in action at Williams, Ariz., during the summer months.

2002 - Andrew Campbell (B.S. 1977) was recently appointed chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at New Mexico Tech in Socorro, where he has been on the faculty since 1983. He continues to teach courses in mineralogy, ore deposits, and stable isotopes. This year he is upgrading his 14-year-old stable isotope lab with a new mass spectrometer and many new sample preparation devices. Although his main interest is still in ore deposits, having a mass spectrometer has involved him with stable isotope applications to hydrology, soft rocks, and soils.

2003 - Dan Capps (M.S. 2002) and his wife Krista (SPEA 2002) are in the Peace Corps in Catacamas, Honduras, involved in forestry and environmental education. They appeared on Honduran television, and Dan was also asked to compile a geologic history of Honduras as part of his assignment. Dan gave a workshop for the Guides' Association for the Talgua Caves; they've also had expeditions sighting three-toed sloths and trees full of toucans. A climbing trip to the top of the highest peak (La Picucha) in "their" National Park took them from tropical rain forest at 400 meters, through pine, cloud, and dwarf forests en route to the summit at 2,354 meters.

2004 - Christopher Carlson (M.S. 1991, Ph.D. 2000) recently accepted a newly created position as the national program leader for groundwater for the U.S. Forest Service in Washington, D.C. The Forest Service has been working to establish a groundwater program for several years to complement the programs in geology, mining, fisheries, surface water, etc., as they have faced more states implementing TMDLs under the Clean Water Act for streams dominated by baseflow, to systematically address applications to develop high-capacity wells on National Forest Lands, to better assess the impacts of coal bed methane production on forests, and to better regulate mining on the forests. His responsibilities will include fleshing out the program, convincing the 10 regions and the dozens of forests and grasslands that groundwater is important to the management of the lands and resources entrusted to the USFS, and providing technical assistance where needed.

2001 - Chris and Martha Anderson were married at Grace Episcopal Church in Madison, Wis., on April 21, 2001. Several IU alumni attended the wedding, including Steve Bennett (M.S. 1990), John Hohman (Ph.D. 1998), and Neil Vaughn. Jennifer Lewis (M.S. 1995) was the "best groomsmaid," and Alice Nightengale Luhan, B.S. 1990, was soloist for the ceremony.

2003 - Ana Carmo (Ph.D. 1997) is now at the University of Kentucky. In the summer of 2002, she participated in an Arctic research expedition on board the icebreaker U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy, as reported in the January 2003 issue of Geotimes, which includes a photo of Ana on page 23. The research focused on sea-bottom coring to study paleoclimates.

2002 - After spending several years at Iowa State University, Anna joined the geology faculty at the University of Kentucky. She is now setting up an organic geochemistry lab there and is pleased to be within easy driving distance of Bloomington, where she can cooperate in research with our organic geochemistry group.

2020 - Humberto Carvajal (Ph.D. 2012) reports that he "Works as Staff Geochemist and Geochemical Applications Manager at Core Laboratories (Houston) since December of 2012." He is married to Jenny and lives in Houston. Email

2001 - Thomas W. Chorny (B.S. 2000) former IU cross country and track star, won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the USA Track and Field Championships. His time was 8:22.16, and he is ranked No. 3 among Americans in the steeplechase.

2004 - Brooke P. Clements (B.S. 1982) writes, "I live in Vancouver, Canada, with my wife, Juanita, and son, Jeffrey. I am vice president, exploration, for Ashton Mining of Canada, a company searching the wilds of Canada for diamonds." Email

2001 - Clyde Cody (M.A. 1978) recently visited the department while on a trip to visit his parents in Logansport. Elizabeth Inouye Cody, B.S. 1978, also visited her parents in Tennessee. The Codys live in Boise, Idaho, where they work as geologists for the state.

2004 - Behtaz Compani-Tabrizi (BS 1976, M.A. 1982) has worked in Houston since leaving IU. His first position was with Pennzoil E & P until Devon Energy bought the Oil and Gas part of Pennzoil in 1999. Since then, Devon has made other acquisitions and is now the largest independent oil company in North America. Compani has been "pretty successful finding O & G for the last 23 years, and still at it." Compani reports that two other IU graduates, Steve Smith and Jim Ten Eyck, also work for Devon.

2004 - Jack Conley (B.S. 1956, M.A. 1961) "retired" in 1998 following a 40-plus-year career in the petroleum industry. In the petroleum industry, he has served many organizations in capacities including those of geologist, chief geologist, operator, consultant, manager of petroleum operations, and president. In the latter roles, he was president of Professional Petroleum Exploration Inc., of Denver, Colo., from 1964 to 1971, and president from 1971 to the present time of Conley and Associates Inc., of Whittier, Calif. Conley's domestic work has been carried out in 17 states and one Canadian province, embracing the Appalachians, Midwest, Rocky Mountains states, and California, and has entailed the drilling of hundreds of wells. His two companies have drilled, discovered, produced, and sold oil and gas in Ohio, West Virginia, Montana, Colorado, Tennessee, Oklahoma, New York, and Alberta, Canada. From 1987 to 1990, Conley and Associates was under contract to the Philippine government, arranging financing and carrying out drilling projects in the Central Luzon Basin. From 1991 to 1993, as president of Enim Oil Co., Ltd., Jakarta, Indonesia, Conley managed all affairs of the company, ranging from supervision of all professional personnel, to oil and gas production and transmission, permitting and regulatory compliance, health and safety concerns, and company relations with vendors, banks, and several levels of government. This work was carried out in the Harimau Field, South Sumatra. Conley was on site for both the Philippine and Sumatra projects. Conley and his wife, Rosemary, live in Bloomington, where he continues his professional life as an associate broker with REMAX.

2002 - Jerry Cook (B.A. 1975) went to Idaho State University where he earned an M.S. degree in geology in 1983. He worked as a surveyor for the U.S. Forest Service for several years before becoming an earth science teacher. He has taught earth science, physical sciences, and math in such exotic places as Pocatello, Idaho, Kuwait City, Seoul in South Korea, Yangon in Myanmar, and Phoenix, Ariz. Cook and wife Dell Taylor enjoy outdoor activities and recently returned from caving in a lava tube near Flagstaff.

2003 - Roger Cuffey (Ph.D. 1966) is the 2003 recipient of the department’s Owen Award. Roger is on the faculty at Pennsylvania State University.

2002 - Robert L. Cullers (B.S. 1959, M.A.T. 1962) is a professor at Kansas State University but plans to semi-retire within the next year. He lives in Manhattan, Kan.

2002 - George B. Derner (B.S. 1958, M.A.T. 1961) retired in 1997 as a field engineer, project engineer, and business development coordinator for Harza Engineering Co. in Chicago. He and his wife, Carol A. Derner (A.B. 1956, M.A. 1958) now live in Henderson, Nevada.

2002 - Dave Dershin (B.S. 1990) lives with his wife and young daughter in Fairbanks, Alaska. Dershin is on the faculty of Lathrop High School, where he teaches geology and applied physics (robotics). After living for six years in a small cabin, Dershin decided to build a house, serving as general contractor, framer, electrician, and plumber. He and his family moved into their new home late in the summer of 2000. Dershin reports that he has nine dogs and two sleds, and from their home they can run their sled dogs on hundreds of miles of well-groomed trails. At an Oct. 9, 2002, science curriculum meeting, Dershin met Don Triplehorn, A.M. 1957, who teaches geology at the University of Alaska.

2001 - Dave is married and living in Fairbanks, Alaska where he teaches high school Geology and Applied Physics classes. He has been trying to get in touch with students who would have been in the department between 1988 and 1991. You can check out his website at https://dershin.com.

2002 - Dave Drake (B.S. 1984) has been a hydrologist for EPA in Kansas City for the past 10 years. After leaving IU he earned an MS degree in geology from the University of Missouri–Kansas City. He enjoys life in the Kansas City area and regularly attends events sponsored by the IU Alumni Club. He enjoys meeting old friends at national meetings such as GSA.

2023 - Chuck Drevo (IUGFS 1990). Chuck is self-employed (S&S Tech) as a Senior Geologist. He lives in BelAir, MD. You can contact him here.

2002 - Rob Duncan (B.S. 1984, M.S. 1989) writes that he is now a Senior Project Geologist with an environmental consulting firm in Indianapolis, Indiana. "I hope all is well with my fellow graduates from the 1980’s."

2003 - Martin Drury (B.S. 1997) is now an Internet Programmer with ADSNetcurve in Louisville.

2002 - Robert C. Earle (B.S. 1987, M.S.E.S. SPEA 1990) has been a professional geologist in the Philadelphia area for 11 years. He writes that the best thing that ever happened to him was the IU Field Station in the summer of 1987.

2018 Update: "Since graduating with a B.S. in Geology in 1987 and an M.S.E.S. from SPEA in 1990, I have worked and lived many places. Indiana, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and now South Florida. IU Field Station is still among the best experiences of my entire life, right up there with meeting my wife Kris. I now help the SFWMD's mission to restore, protect and maintain the Everglades and to protect, manage and supply water to all the critters down here who need it. My three kids are grown and successful. Kris and I relax on the beach or in our kayaks in some slough in the Everglades. Life has been and continues to be good." Email

2002 - Kevin Ellett (B.S. 1992) is a hydrogeologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Davis, Calif., and will be going to Melbourne, Australia, on a Fulbright Scholarship.

2004 - Bill Elliott (M.S. 1998, Ph.D. 2002) is on the geology faculty at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Ore. He has received a large NSF grant to buy new laboratory equipment for the geology department at Southern Oregon University. Elliot reports that their small department (three faculty members) has 60 undergraduate majors and that recruitment is fueled by scheduling interviews with top students in each lower-level class. His wife, Sarah, now works half time for International Programs at SOU and also teaches one course in the evenings each term. The Elliots have bought a home within a 20-minute drive of campus. Their yard features many roses and a "giant" sequoia tree!

2003 - Bill and Sarah are the proud parents of Abigail Elizabeth, born September 11th. Bill is on the faculty at Southern Oregon University. A paper by Bill, Lee Suttner, and Bruce Douglas won the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologist’s 2003 award for best paper in the Mountain Geologist. Based on Bill’s Master’s work, the title of the paper is "Structural control on Quaternary and Tertiary sedimentation in the Harrison Basin, Madison County, Montana." 11/03

2002 - Bill is now on the geology faculty at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Ore.

2004 - Jessica Elzea-Kogel (M.S. 1987, Ph.D. 1990) has accepted a position with IMERYS in Sandersville, Ga., where she is responsible for supervising research and development on precipitation of calcium carbonate for use as a pigment in the manufacture of paper.

2003 - Klete Fallowfield (B.A. 1998) is now working in Superior, Wisconsin as an Environmental Geologist for a company called Twin Ports Testing, Inc.

2019 - Martin B. Farley (M.A. 1982) lives in Lumberton, NC, teaches at the University of North Carolina-Pembroke. He writes: "I have been presented with the Distinguished Service Award of AASP, The Palynological Society. While this covers decades of service in a variety of ways to the Society, the culminating activity was 12 years as the Awards Committee chair, the longest such chair in
society history." Email

2003 - James W. Farnsworth (B.S. 1979) recently changed positions at BP, Houston, from Vice President of North America Exploration to Vice President of World-Wide Exploration. Jim is also presently serving on the Advisory Board of the Univ. Texas Geoscience Department and Texas Bureau of Economic Geology.

2002 - James writes, "We’ve now settled in Houston after assignments in Scotland, Alaska, and London. I’ve recently become involved with the University of Texas’ geoscience department as a member of their advisory board." He is vice president of North American Exploration for BP America Inc.

2003 - Leigh Fall (M.S. 2003) recently moved to College Station, Texas to attend Texas A&M in order to work on her Ph.D. with Dr. Tom Olszewski, starting Fall 2004. Dr. Olszewski was a former post-doc with Dr. Chris Maples at Indiana Univerity where Leigh’s M.S. work had also been completed with Dr. Maples.

2018 - Carley Gasaway (Johnson) (B.S. & M.Sc. 2010 & 2013) Works for Marathon Oil in Oklahoma City, OK. Lives in Edmond, OK and is married to Jason Johnson. Email

2006 - Maj. Christopher Gellasch (M.S. 1994) completed his tour to Afghanistan in April and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his efforts there. In June he left command of the 71st Medical Detachment and moved to Fort Lewis, Washington. Now he is the Chief of Environmental Health Engineering Division at the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine - West.

2004 - Chris has been stationed, until recently, at Grafenwoehr, Germany, where he is commander of the 71st Medical Detachment, but he and his command will be assigned to duty in Afghanistan in April 2005. Gellasch is author of a paper, "Groundwater: Past, Present, and Future Uses in Military Operations," which appeared in the volume Studies in Military Geology and Geography, published by Kluwer Academic Publishers, the Netherlands, in 2004. Gellasch and his wife, Amy, are proud parents of a son, Brian Christopher, who was born early in December 2004.

2003 - Chris writes "I moved to Grafenwoehr, Germany in June 2003 and took command of the 71st Medical Detachment (Preventive Medicine). There is not a lot of geology involved with the position but I get to command troops in a field unit. In September I was promoted to Major in the U.S. Army and in 2004 I will have a paper published on groundwater and military operations."

2002 - Chris is enjoying his third year of teaching at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., where he was promoted in July 2002 to assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering. For the past three semesters, Gellasch has been course director for physical geology, and is now course director for hydrogeology. In March 2002, Gellasch presented a paper at the NE Section, GSA, and presented the keynote address at the conference of the New Jersey Earth Science Teacher Association. On March 31, 2002, Gellasch married Dr. Amy Shell in a Bloomfield Hills, Mich., wedding ceremony that included entrance to the reception hall though crossed sabers of six uniformed West Point cadets! Shell is a civilian professor of mathematics at the U.S. Military Academy. Next summer, Gellasch and Shell will transfer to Grafenwoehr, Germany, where Gellasch will take command of the 71st Medical Detachment (Preventive Medicine).

2001 - Chris is a captain in the U.S. Army, stationed at the West Point Military Academy. He is an instructor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering, where he teaches physical geology, field geology (in Colorado), and physical geography. He is also assistant officer in charge of the Orienteering Club and is branch representative for Environmental Science and Engineering. The latter function involves educating cadets on career opportunities within the Medical Service Corps. He is preparing for publication a paper on geology of the West Point region and is helping the nearby Bear Mountain State Park staff to update displays and information in their Geology Museum. In September, he hosted Don and Marge Hattin for a football weekend that involved viewing a cadet parade, enjoying a tailgate party at the home of his boss, and attending the Army–Cincinnati game.

2004 - Sujoy Ghose (Ph.D. 1997) is a research geophysicist with GX Technology in Houston.

2003 - Dick Gibson (B.S. 1971) is now living in Butte, Montana, where he is active with the World Museum of Mining, giving daily talks to tourists on mining history and geology. More than 450 people attended those talks during the summer of 2003. His picture accompanied a front-page story in the Butte paper, covering four public lectures he gave as part of National Earth Science Week in October 2003, and for 2004, he will present lecture series and lead geology and mining history day trips for tourists in southwestern Montana, as the Mining Museum's new Educational Director. He also served as a geological Study Leader for a 9-day Smithsonian Tour through the National Parks of the Northern Rockies (Tetons, Yellowstone, Glacier, Waterton Lakes) in September 2003. It was successful enough that Dick has been listed for two trips to these Parks and two to Iceland for 2004. He continues to work as a volunteer editor for the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, and is working to generate funding for a book on geologic wonders of Montana that the Bureau wants to publish; Dick will write and photograph sites for parts of the book and will serve as overall editor. Dick is also continuing to work on consulting projects including oil exploration in Nevada and the Former Soviet Union.

2002 - Dick, who was resident manager of the Judson Mead Geological Field Station, reported that Earth Day at the field station was a success. More than 50 people came to the field station from Whitehall, Butte, Ennis, Waterloo, and Drummond. The participants enjoyed three talks in the afternoon and lots of visiting.

2002 - Melissa Gibson (B.S. 2002) is a first-year graduate student at the University of Wyoming, where she is studying vertebrate paleontology with Jay Lillegraven. For her master’s thesis she will be investigating fossils from lacustrine units in the Hanna Basin of south-central Wyoming.

2004 - Katrina Gobetz (M.S. 1998) received a Ph.D. in vertebrate paleontology from the University of Kansas in August 2004. During summer 2004, she participated in the Paleontological Survey of Santa Fe National Forest, based in Cuba Ranger District, N.M. During the fall and winter of 2004—05, Gobetz served as adjunct curator at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque. She has recently accepted a tenure-track position in the biology department at James Madison University, where she will teach human anatomy and set up a new research laboratory.

2001 - Katrina currently is a doctoral student in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Kansas. Her dissertation concerns the paleoecology of an extinct group of rodents. Gobetz recently helped restore part of a Pleistocene bear from Alaska. The bear will be mounted in an Arizona museum.

2004 - Lisa (Rhoades) Goggin (M.S. 1991, Ph.D. 1999) is now working in Houston. Her ChevronTexaco deepwater Gulf of Mexico team was moved from New Orleans to Texas in August 2004. Shortly after the move, Goggin requested a transfer to ETC (Chevron’s Exploration Technology Co.), and she now works as a "consultant expert" within the company. She is currently assisting with projects in Angola, Nigeria, and the Gulf of Mexico. Goggin is specializing in deepwater (turbidite) deposition and sequence stratigraphy and is one of five corporate "experts" who works with HIRES resistivity log data to describe deepwater deposits. She hasn’t had to go overseas yet, and future trips will be for a short duration only.

2002 - Lisa is employed by Chevron in New Orleans, where she serves as an exploration/production geologist in the offshore Gulf area. Since August 2000 she has been involved in nine successful new wells. She commenced work on another tract last fall. Rhoades will be moving to the stratigraphy/regional team of the new ChevronTexaco Co. and will be involved in training other explorationists within the company. Rhoades was the Chevron representative for the 2001 United Way Campaign and was elected secretary of the New Orleans Geological Society. She continues employment in New Orleans for Chevron, where she works with regional geology of the Gulf of Mexico Deep Water Basin. She is involved with the research arm as well as exploration. Rhoads recently went on a field trip to the Monterrey, Mexico, region to look at compression structures that are analogous to those found in the Gulf of Mexico subsurface. She has also been appointed to the Academic Liaison Committee of AAPG.

2002 - Seymour S. Greenberg (M.A. 1953, Ph.D. 1959) lives in West Chester, Pa., with his wife, Susanne Greenberg (B.A. 1957, M.A. 1958).

2002 - Gordon Grender (B.S. 1951, A.M. 1952) writes that he lives in Blacksburg, Va. The letter accompanied a number of photos taken at the field station and around campus between 1950 and 1952. Grender says to tell Jud Mead that he knew his geophysics course was going to be great "when he gave us that triple-integral gravity question during the first class!"

2003 - Mike Hamilton (B.S. 1969, M.A. 1975) "retired" from the U.S. Bureau of Mines in the mid 1990s, but has continued diverse geological activities from his home in Spokane ever since. He is the first President of the new Columbia Basin Geological Society. In July 2003, Mike embarked on a month-long trip around the US, stopping for visits with IU DOGS alumni in various places along the way. 7/03

2014 - Robert "Rob" Harper (M.S. 1990) has accepted the position as Director of the Watershed, Fish, Wildlife, Air and Rare Plants staff in Washington, DC, effective January 27. Rob is currently the Staff Assistant to the Deputy Chief for the National Forest System. Prior to his current assignment, Rob has served in a variety of leadership positions within the Agency including, Cultural Transformation co-lead in the Chief’s Office. In addition, he served as Assistant Director of Forest Management staff in Washington, DC. Rob also held positions as Forest Supervisor of the Chippewa National Forest in Cass Lake, Minnesota and District Ranger on the Lolo National Forest, in Superior, Montana. Rob received a master’s degree in Geological Sciences from Indiana University in 1990 and a bachelor’s degree in Geology from the Lake Superior State University in 1987.

2002 - Colin Harvey (Ph.D. 1980) was recently appointed head of the geothermal, minerals, and groundwater organization for the New Zealand government. He will be overseeing the research of about 30 scientists and is based in Wairakei, near Taupo in the middle of the geothermal area on the North Island of New Zealand. Harvey spent last spring in Bloomington teaching in the department. He also found time to train for running a full marathon in Louisville last April. Harvey says he would like to hear from friends in the United States. Email

2004 - Steve Henderson (B.S. 1970, M.A. 1974) led students from Oxford College, Ga., on a trip to Scotland in June 2004. Henderson’s course, titled Geology and Culture in Scotland, included fieldwork around Edinburgh and in the islands of Skye, Lewis, and Harris. In March 2005, he co-led a field trip to Ecuador, where the emphasis was on change in developing societies. Henderson's research interest centers on the geology of Civil War battlefields, and he is author of a paper on geology of the battle of Chickamanga that is included in the 2004 book Studies in Military Geography and Geology, published by Kluwer Academic Publishers, the Netherlands. The paper was presented originally at an International Conference on Military Geology and Geography held at West Point in June 2003.

2003 - Steve is a professor at Oxford College of Emory University in Georgia. In addition to developing and leading field trips to dinosaur country, the Big Bend of Texas, and Scotland, Steve has been involved in research and publication on the role of geology in the Civil War.

2002 - Gary E. Henry (M.A. 1958) received the American Association of Petroleum Geologists’ Distinguished Service Award in 1996. He is still generating, assembling, and selling oil and gas drilling prospects. He is an independent petroleum geologist in Wichita Falls, Texas.

2003 - David Hirt (M.S. 1988, J.D. 1994) writes, I am a partner with the Aurora, Ohio, law firm of Christley, Herington & Pierce. We are a general practice firm with an emphasis on municipal law and school law. The focus of my practice is on school law, including special education and student enrollment, tuition, and discipline, as well as on municipal law, including criminal and traffic prosecution, planning and zoning, and telecommunications and cable television law. My e-mail is dsh@chpohiolaw.com. Our two daughters, Emily and Sarah keep Lisa (B.A. 1989, J.D. 1993) and me busy.

2004 - Michael Ed Hohn (M.A. 1975, Ph.D. 1976) is geologist in the West Virginia Geological Survey and adjunct professor in the Department of Geology and Geography at the University of West Virginia. In addition to his professional duties, Hohn is an expert model-railroader and has earned the distinction of Master Model Railroader from the National Model Railroad Association. Prior to receiving this award, Hohn had earned, among others, achievement certificates in Master Builder-Cars, Master Builder-Structures, and Master Builder-Scenery.

2004 - John Holbrook (Ph.D. 1992) has left the geology department at Southeast Missouri State University and is now professor of geology at the University of Texas at Arlington. In his new position, he will have the opportunity to complete research projects delayed by heavy teaching loads, and also the possibility of mentoring Ph.D. students. He and his wife, Camila, have a son, Zane.

2023 - Tim Holderman (G429 1978). Tim lives in Belvedere, IL and he has a website if you want to contact him.

2015 - Melody Holm (M.A. Geology 1977) wrote to say she and her husband, Stan Caldwell are living in Granbury, Texas. She retired from the U.S. Forest Service in April 2015.

2004 - Brian C. Howard (B.S. 2000, B.A. 2002) is the managing editor of E/The Environmental Magazine. A member of the Appalachian Mountain Club, he spends his free time snowboarding, hiking, camping, mountain biking, canoeing, and kayaking. He lives in Norwalk, Conn. Email

2017 - Haleigh Howe (M.S. 2014) Tulsa OK, married to Gabrielle Read. Employed by Chesapeake Energy.

2003 - Jane Hultberg (M.S. 1993) is now Librarian at the College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.

2003 - Inda (Proske) Immega (M.A. 1973, Ph.D. 1977) and husband Neal (PhD 1976) both "retired" from Shell Oil, are very busy, serving as volunteers with the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston Geological Society, AAPG, and rock and mineral clubs. At the Clear Lake rock show, Neal did a class on how to identify petrified wood. The wood website is finished, awaiting the blessing of HMNS’s IT department, and the mounts are going up on the wall for the wood exhibit. At the Museum, Inda is the main interpreter (read only interpreter) for Nobel, and is reading for the Vatican, SuperCroc, Pearls, and the Human Genome exhibits. She’s teaching a basic crystallography class and helping out with a lot of teachers’ in-service activities. 2/03

2001 - Neal Immega (M.A. 1972, Ph.D. 1976) was general chair of the Houston Geological Society committee for Earth Science Week. Neal received the HGS President’s Award for long-term and valuable service. He also was given the Star Volunteer Award.

2002 - Edward Isaacs Jr. (B.A. 1978, B.G.S. 1997) is a science teacher at Eaton High School in Eaton, Ohio. He and his wife, Vickie, live in Richmond, Ind.

2004 - Cal James (Ph.D. 1977) is working for the Ohio EPA and is working on a book about military trials of citizens including one of his ancestors during the Civil War. He has made two trips to Tennessee to give talks to historical societies. His wife, Elise Porter, M.A. 1979, Ph.D. 1983, works for the Ohio attorney general's office. She is also a Girl Scout leader, Tai Chi participant, and cyclist. Their daughter, Abby, 13, enjoys art and math and is a fast-pitch softball player.

2023 - Chuck Keener (IUGFS 1987) Chuck lives in Fairfield, OH. You can reach him through email.

2003 - Tom Kammer (M.A. 1978, Ph.D. 1982) and Bill Ausich (M.A. 1976, Ph.D. 1978) conducted field work on Lower Carboniferous crinoidal limestones in Ireland, Wales, England, and Belgium in summer 2003 as part of their NSF-sponsored research on generic longevity and evolutionary success in fossil marine invertebrates. Kammer is currently the Arts and Sciences Centennial Professor of Geology at West Virginia University where he has been on the faculty since 1982. He has been Co-Director of WVU’s Geology Field Camp since 1986, and was instrumental in the recent move (2003) of the camp from the Valley and Ridge of West Virginia to a western camp divided between the Black Hills and southwestern Montana (Dillon area). Recently, Kammer completed a six-year term as Treasurer of the Paleontological Society. Ausich, on the faculty at Ohio State, was the 2001 winner of the Owen Award from the IU Department of Geological Sciences. 2/03

2004 - Don Kissling (Ph.D. 1967) still lives in Berthoud, Colo., where he continues his consulting practice, Jackalope Geological. During the past few years, Kissling has been involved primarily with regional evaluation of Middle Devonian formations of the Williston Basin. At present, he is occupied with archiving descriptions of 900 Ordovician and Devonian cores. He is also summarizing several years of research on eight reefs of the Florida reef tract that was carried out mainly in the 1960s and 1970s, and he is writing a biography of his father and of his own early years. Kissling is a trout fisherman and camper. Kissling’s wife, Kinga, is office manager for a group medical practice. His oldest child, Katharine, and her family live near Binghamton, N.Y., where she teaches second grade and special education. His second daughter, Rebecca, has completed her postdoctoral work and is now assistant professor of organic chemistry at SUNY Binghamton. The Kisslings’ son, Thomas, plans to start college in fall 2005, with a major in forestry. Their daughter, Hannah, is a high-school junior and is a top cadet in junior Army ROTC.

2003 - Steve Koehler (B.S. 1971, M.A. 1973) has won a prize for his short story, "The Mysterious Fish of Owyhee River," in a contest sponsored by Idaho Magazine.

2004 - Alex J. Krueger (M.S. 1998) a geophysicist for Schlumberger, works on geophysical software development. He lives in Houston.

2004 - Barry Kues (Ph.D. 1975) is nearing completion of 31 years in the University of New Mexico Department of Geology, during several of which he served as chair. Kues comments that "time flies when you’re having fun." He continues study of Paleozoic and Cretaceous invertebrate faunas of the Southwest and is working on a long paper that documents the history of geologic studies in New Mexico "a fascinating project," in his words.

2017 - Robert N. Lambe (G429 1972) Robert lives in Topsfield MA. He works at GEI Consultants, Inc. You can reach him by email.  Robert writes, "Attending the IU field course and faculty inspired me to pursue my Ph.D.; my research area was the Boulder Batholith. While I intended to pursue a career in teaching, having been inspired and counseled by several of the IU faculty, I ended up working in the mining industry for Exxon Minerals and then Newmont Mining. As the U.S.mining industry declined, I ended up spending much of my subsequent years as a consultant with Arthur D. Little, pursuing mining and environmental projects throughout the world. I truly feel that the experience at the field station, including the opportunity to be an associate instructor in 1973, and the inspiration of the faculty was one of the most important and decisive events in my almost 40 year career. "

2002 - Fred Latimer (B.A. 1937) Chris Maples and Sara Marcus report visiting with Fred and hearing of some of his adventures in the department in pre–World War II days.

2015 - J. David Lazor (Ph.D. 1971, M.A 1968), president of J.D. Lazor Enterprises, Inc. Married to Barbara Lazor. Attended the IU Geologic Field Station in 1966, 1967, and 1973. Moved from Houston to Carbonado, Washington in 2005 and is now mostly retired from petroleum exploration.

2024 - Chian-Heng Lee (James) (MSc in Geological Sciences), K2 Management A/S, Taipei City, Taiwan. Married to Sz-Man Ko. Email contact.

2001 - Lindsey Leighton (M.S. 1995) has recently taken a position on the faculty at San Diego State University. Leighton is finishing a postdoctoral appointment at the University of California at Davis with Sandy Carlson, having been a postdoctoral researcher at IU with Chris Maples the previous year.

2023 - Jac Lentz (G428 1980) Jac lives in Brighton MI. You can reach him by email.

2001 - Karl Leonard (Ph.D. 1999) has taken a faculty position at Morehead State University. Leonard has been on the move for the last few years, having taken a temporary position at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater for a year, then a temporary position at the University of Akron. He and his wife, Patty, are very happy to not have to move again after this year!

2003 - Mark Leonard (M.A. 1980) is now responsible for Shell’s New Business Development in Russia and CIS and is located in Moscow, Russia. Mark is also on the department’s Advisory Board. 8/03

2002 - Jerry Lineback (Ph.D. 1964) is an environmental geologist for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. He is working on a project involving cleaning up hazardous waste in Kansas through the voluntary cleanup and property redevelopment program. He is also taking care of his 10 acres of tallgrass prairie and traveling the back roads of the west as often as possible.

2021 - Retired professional geologist, Jerry became Jerry Alice Lineback in 2017, moved to Paradise California, and has been married to Carol Jane Harlow since 2006. "Enjoying Retirement in California and my gender change in 2017. Girls rule!"  Email

2003 - Chris Maples (M.S. 1985, Ph.D. 1985) is leaving his faculty position with the Department, where he was Chair. Chris’ job is as Vice President of Research at the Desert Research Institute in Las Vegas, a part of the University of Nevada System. In his new position he works with another IU DOGS alumnus, Steve Wells (B.S. 1972), President of the DRI.

2004 - Penny (Alano) Meighen (B.A. 1990, B.S. 1993) completed an M.S. in coal petrology at the University of Kentucky in 1997. From July 1998 to October 2004, she served as senior underground geologist with Black Beauty Coal Co. of Evansville, Ind. Meighen began doctoral work in engineering at the University of West Virginia, but she plans transfer to Indiana University to earn a teaching certificate. She is a member of the Women’s Mining Coalition, a Washington, D.C., lobbying group, and in 2004 was elected to be president of the Indiana Coal Mining Institute for 2005. Meighen’s husband, Mike, is an engineer.

2001 - William F. Moll (M.A. 1958) is semi-retired but still serves as chair of the technical committee of the Sorptive Minerals Institute. In February, he received the Hal Williams Harding Award from the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers for contributions to industrial materials.

2007 - Mark Monk (M.S. 1995). In November, 2006, Mark joined Towson University in a newly created position as the analytical manager of the Urban Environmental Biogeochemistry Laboratory in the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics. Mark also serves as the instrument support specialist for the college, which keeps him busy but also keeps things interesting. Mark and his wife BillieJo recently moved into a new house in southern Pennsylvania with their daughter Emily.

2003 - Mark is employed as a geochemist at the Stroud Water Research Center, Avondale, PA. He is also married to BillieJo in June 2003.

2001 - German Mora (Ph.D. 2000) has taken a position on the faculty at Iowa State University. Mora recently completed a postdoctoral appointment at Johns Hopkins.

2002 - Michael Mound (M.A. 1961, Ph.D. 1963) has been appointed product manager, Collaborative Production Management and Industrial IT Solutions, Minerals and Mining, for ABB’s Paper, Printing, Metals, and Minerals Business Area. The company employs 170,000 people globally. The head office is located in Switzerland, with another corporate office in Sweden. Mound moved to Baden, Switzerland, in spring 2002.

2001 - James F. Murray (B.S. 1975) was promoted to vice president and general manager of Hunt Midwest Mining Inc. He is responsible for all phases of the company’s operations. He lives in Kansas City, Mo.

2003 - Shawn Naylor (B.S.E.S. 2001) is relocating to Salt Lake City.

2020 - Lynn Neakrase (B.A. 1998, Geology, Minor in Slavic Language and Literature (Russian); B.S. 1997, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Minor in Mathematics). Married to Jennifer (Hoffman) Neakrase. Attended IUGFS 1998, lives in Las Cruces NM. Works for NASA Planetary Data System, Atmospheres Node, Department of Astronomy. "I'm working at the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS) Atmospheres Node (ATM), through the Department of Astronomy at New Mexico State University (NMSU). PDS is the planetary data archive and ATM focuses on planetary atmospheric data across the solar system. I received my MS (2001) Geological Sciences at Arizona State University on Martian polar aeolian processes, PhD (2009) School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State on physics of dust/sand entrainment in dust devils on Earth and Mars. Worked with Mars Exploration Rovers (Spirit & Opportunity) with dust devil surveys. Full-time staff, Research Scientist, Senior at NMSU." Email

2004 - Bill Nellist (M.S. 1986) reports that during summer 2004, he and his wife, Catherine, traveled to China to bring to America their newly adopted daughter, Fiona. En route to Nanchang, in Jiangxi Province, the Nellists visited Beijing, where they enjoyed seeing the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and the Great Wall. Their final Chinese destination was Guangzhou, where final documents and a physician's appointment were arranged. By Christmas of 2004, Fiona was walking, running, and beginning to speak English, of course. Nellist is an avid gardener, adding more soil and plants to their backyard garden. Work at the National Imagery and Mapping Agency continues.

2020 - Just a brief update on my adventures. My work team, along with others on our contractor team and at DHS and other entities, were awarded the Doug Nebert National Spatial Data Infrastructure Champion of the Year for 2018. The details of this can be found at https://www.usgs.gov/news/2018-doug-d-nebert-nsdi-champion-year-award-recipients-announced . I continue my work on this team, even though I am currently working from home (in April 2020).

2004 - Dusty Nicol (M.A. 1980) was promoted to executive vice president and director of Exploration for Queenstake Resources.

2003 - Alice Nightengale (B.S. 1990) Madeleine Nightengale-Luhan was born to Alice and Dave Luhan in June 2002. The family lives in Denver.

2003 - Nick Noe (B.A. 1969) is Director of the Indiana Karst Conservancy. Similar to the Nature Conservancy, the Indiana Karst Conservancy seeks out unique karst features (Sullivan Cave, Orangeville Rise, Buddha Cave, etc.) and acquires them in order to assure their continued access in the future for education, research and recreation. The Conservancy is presently seeking donations to support the purchase of the (William J.) Wayne Cave Preserve located just west of Bloomington. Your support would be most appreciated!

2002 - Carrie Nolan (M.S. 2000) currently is working for ExxonMobil in Houston. She recently gave a talk on new-hire perspectives for ExxonMobil on a recruiting trip to Indiana. In addition, she helped organize the annual IU Houston alumni gathering.

2002 - Rocky Orgill (M.A. 1971) recently moved to Cody, Wyo., and stopped by to visit one of his favorite places, the Judson Mead Geological Field Station.

2012 - Chris Osburn (B.A. 1995) Chris earned his Ph.D. in Environmental Science from Lehigh University in 2000. He then worked for eight years as a Research Chemist in the Marine Biogeochemistry section at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. Since 2008, Chris has been an Assistant Professor of Marine Biogeochemistry in the Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences at North Carolina State University. Current research involves using optical and chemical properties of organic matter to study carbon cycling in rivers, estuaries, and the coastal ocean. Current field sites include rivers and estuaries in eastern NC and streams in the lowland tropical rainforest of Costa Rica (at the La Selva Biological Station). Chris continues to work with stable isotopes as chemical tracers of biogeochemistry in aquatic ecosystems, using techniques he first learned as an undergraduate in Lisa Pratt’s lab.

2015 - Penny Padgett (formerly Penny Alano) (B.S. 1993) Penny L. Padgett (B.A., 1990, B.S. 1993 (IU), M.S. 1997 (UK)) Currently an independent geologist performing GIS /geologic-mapping and building geologic models for private industry. Intends to return to IU and complete PhD. Email

2003 - Mark Panning (B.S. 1999) is at the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory of UC Berkeley.

2002 - Young-Rok Park (Ph.D. 1998) is now an assistant professor at Kangwon National University in Korea.

2017 - Scott Pflug (G429 1993) He owns Fresh Start Cleaning in Grand Junction CO. You can contact him by email.

2003 - Sarah Pietraszek-Mattner (Ph.D., 2004) along with her husband Mike, and daughter Natalie are adjusting to Houston weather. Sarah works as a Geochemist for ExxonMobil.

2004 - Christian Poppeliers (Ph.D. 2001) has been assistant professor in the Department of Physics at Angelo State University, Angelo, Texas, since fall 2004.

2003 - Christian writes, "I just got a post-doc appointment with Rice Univ. Center for Computational Geophysics. Lots of math, seismograms, invertions, and NO rocks (which for me is a good thing)."

2004 - Robert Pruett (M.S. 1988, Ph.D. 1993) has been promoted to technical director of IMERYS in Sandersville, Ga. His duties entail supervision of research and development on kaolin and calcium carbonate. In 2004, Pruett was chair of the Industrial Minerals Division of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration.

2001 - Changxing Qin (M.S. 1996) died earlier this year in San Francisco. He was born in a small town in Gansu Province, western China. After brilliant research in economic geology at the China University of Geosciences at Beijing, he arrived at our department in 1990. He was working on the Ph.D. degree when he left IU for the West Coast to become a software engineer at Intel, where he was eventually promoted to senior engineer. His career and his life were taking off when he was diagnosed with cancer last May. He is survived by his wife and daughter (born in Bloomington) and by his parents, whom he was preparing to visit for the first time since 1990 at the time of his death.

2003 - Stan Radzevicius (M.S. 1995) finished his Ph.D. at Ohio State in 2001 and is now working at Ensco, Inc., in Springfield, Virginia, on geophysical and engineering applications.

2002 - Craig Rankin (M.S. 1997) lives in Houston, Texas, where he is presently employed with Anadarko Petroleum Corp. as an exploration geologist in their International New Ventures group. He keeps busy playing softball, coaching junior high football, and fishing with his IU buddies John Hohman (Ph.D. 1998), and Nathan Way (Ph.D. 1997).

2002 - Barbara Ransom (B.S. 1980) is now grants administrator for the Petroleum Research Fund of the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C.

2021 - Matthew Reece (B.S. 1996), Attended IUGFS in 1994. Lives in Juneau, Alaska. Currently Geologist/Minerals Program Manager for the Tongass Minerals Group of the USDA Forest Service/Tongass National Forest, coordinating the review, permitting, and compliance of mining and mineral exploration activities on the nation's largest National Forest. Email

2015 - Bryan R. Reynolds (B.S. 1983), married to Polly Schlinger Reynolds, lives in Owensboro KY and has two children. He works as an attorney for Sullivan Mountjoy, Stainback and Miller, PSC. "After a brief stint as a geologist, I’ve been practicing law since 1991 with an emphasis in oil and gas, environmental, and real estate law. My wife Polly is also a lawyer. We have two kids, our daughter Amelia is a sophomore at IU and runs track and cross country, and our son Graham is in his senior year in high school at Gatton Academy on the WKU campus." Email

2018 - Rebecca Riall (B.S., 2002) Lives in Zwolle, LA."After practicing law as a solo practitioner for the last six years and finishing an anthropology PhD from IU in 2014, I’m returning to academia as an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, History, and the Social Sciences at Northwestern State University of Louisiana." Email

2001 - Benjamin Richard (M.A. 1961, PhD 1966) professor emeritus at Wright State University, was awarded the W.W. Mather Medal for 2000 by the Ohio Geological Survey. The medal recognizes outstanding contributions to the knowledge of geology of the state of Ohio.

2001 - Eugenio V. Santos Neto (Ph.D. 1997) is president of the Latin American Association of Organic Geochemistry for the 2001–2002 term. He lives in Botafogo, Rio De Janeiro. Email.

2004 - Bob Schwartz (M.A. 1968, Ph.D. 1972) is now in his 26th year of teaching at Allegheny College following an earlier eight years of work at a federal coastal research facility. His current research entails study of coastal storm processes and longshore bar evolution along the Lake Michigan shoreline, Tertiary facies of the Madison-Gallatin intermontane basin, Montana, and Kootenai tidal facies in the Great Falls region of Montana. Schwartz's passion is still whitewater kayaking in the Pennsylvania/West Virginia region. He and his wife, Marie, live in the country and have three children–two daughters and a son.

2002 - Alex Sessions (Ph.D. 2001) was at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution as a postdoctoral fellow in John Hayes’ research group. In 2003, he became a faculty member at the California Institute of Technology.

2002 - K.S. Sheikh Ali (M.A. 1974) works for BP-Amoco, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, having been located until recently at Qatar, which has the second-largest gas reserves in the world. In November 2002, he was transferred to the BP office in Sunbury, U.K. (near London), for four to six months of studying fracture patterns and reservoir characteristics of the prolific carbonates of the UAE. Since 2000 his family has been living in Houston, where Ali visits several times a year as work schedule permits, and also for a month or two each summer. Ali’s son attends Georgia Tech in Atlanta, where he is studying bioengineering, His daughter has recently entered the University of Houston, where she will study optometry. Their youngest child is in high school.

1977 - Albert Shultz (Ph.D. 1986) Worked for Conoco Phillips, now retired. Lives in Glorieta, NM. Married to Kathie Shultz. Contact information.

2004 - Chuck Siemers (now known as Chuck Blay) (M.A. 1968, Ph.D. 1971) is coauthor with his son, Robert Siemers, of an updated edition of their book Kauai's Geologic History, published in 2004. The book is profusely illustrated with color images, photographs, charts, cross sections, and maps and embraces the entire Hawaiian and Emperor volcanic chain, with particular emphasis on the physical features of Kauai. The father-son team leads guided nature tours on Kauai and other islands within the state.

2004 - Jayne Sieverding (M.A. 1981) is business development manager for ChevronTexaco’s Energy Technology Co., located in Houston. She manages efforts to market ChevronTexaco’s technologies and capabilities for acquiring access to new business growth opportunities around the world. However, she says that her more important and time-consuming job is that of Mom, raising her two kids, Johanna and Eric, with her husband, Peter.

2002 - Larry Skelton (B.A. 1960) is assistant director for Wichita Operation, of the Kansas Geological Survey. He has received several awards during his professional career, including a scholarship from the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Outstanding Public Service Award from AAPG in Houston, and a service award from the largest school district in Kansas. He is president-elect of the Kansas Academy of Science.

2020 - At IU, I "co-majored in ROTC & after graduation spent the next 21 years in USAF working mainly in energy management & petroleum logistics. Retired from USAF in 1981 & joined the Kansas Geological Survey for 25 years retiring in 2006 as Ass't. Director. Now spend time on genealogy, reading geology & history texts and writing geological articles for a couple gem & mineral societies. Email

2002 - James Smith (B.A. 1955) has retired from a 34-year career with Rocketdyne where he worked in the engineering department and later in contract administration. Rocketdyne is responsible for the liquid propulsion engines for the Apollo moon project and the space shuttle main engines. He plays racquetball and recalls playing hand ball with Charles Vitaliano while in Bloomington. He has a home on the cliffs at La Verkin, Utah, and enjoys hiking, mountain climbing, weight training, and traveling. He maintains his interest in geology as a member of the Dixie Geological Society.

2013 - Wilfrido Solano–Acosta (Ph.D. 2007) works at Chevron Energy Technology Company as a Petrophysicist. Email

2003 - Richie Stotts (M.S. 1997) Was featured on an October 2003 MTV special, "A Social History of Hair." Richie was co-founder and lead guitarist for the punk band, the Plasmatics, where he pioneered the mohawk hairdo in rock and roll.

2001 - Jack Sunderman (Ph.D. 1963) was featured in an article in the November/December issue of Outdoor Indiana. Since his retirement from the geology department at Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne, Sunderman has been studying the origin of pre–Pleistocene, Cenozoic sediments and fossils in a sinkhole discovered in a quarry in northern Indiana. The sediments were apparently transported by the ancient Teays River.

2001 - Donna Surge (M.S. 1996) recently has taken a position on the faculty at Iowa State University.

2023 - Louann Tackett (Smith) (G429 1973)  Louann lives in Spring, TX. You can reach her by email. She writes, "I still look back at my summer at the field station as one one of the most difficult and most rewarding of my life."

2001 - S. Ross Taylor (Ph.D. 1954) an Owen Award winner in 1985, worked for 30 years at the Research School of Earth Sciences at the Australian National University as an expert in trace element geochemistry. He is now an emeritus professor and visiting fellow at Australian National University.

2017 - David Tett (G429 1990) David lives in Cypress, TX. You can reach him by email, or read about him at LinkedIn.

2003 - Brian Towell (B.S. 1991) has worked for Landmark Graphics for almost 8 years supporting the GeoGraphix family of products, and in the Spring of 2002 was named "Support Employee of The Year" in a rigorous peer and management based selection process. 10 categories are awarded, out of a total employee count of around 2000. Each winner and his or her spouse were taken on an all-expenses paid trip to the Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas. Brian and his new wife LaDawn live in the foothills above Golden, Colorado. Landmark Graphics and their former CEO John Gibson (now at parent company Halliburton) have been large contributors to the Department of Geological Sciences including software donations, and John is a member of the Department’s Advisory Board.

2004 - James Van Alstine (M.S. 2002) reports: "After finishing my master’s degree, I headed south to Houston to work at Schlumberger in their technology group, Schlumberger Information Solutions. My background has always been in geology, but since joining Schlumberger, I’ve been masquerading as a geophysicist, supporting and teaching clients on how to use the geophysical applications. I have had the opportunity to work onsite with several of the oil companies here in Houston, as well as travel abroad to teach in places such as Mexico City and Trinidad/Tobago. It’s definitely been keeping me busy."

2004 - M. Ross Vandrey (B.S. 1989) geologist with Enterprise Oil, has been transferred from Aberdeen, Scotland, to Stavanger, Norway. Despite long hours with the company, Vandrey finds time to coach his son Nicholas’ basketball team and help with Boy Scouts. His wife, Gemini, has joined a biking club and also co-leads their son Damon’s Cub Scout Den.

2001 - Greg Wahlman (B.A. 1972, M.A. 1974) has been employed by Amoco (now BP Amoco) for 25 years; until the merger, he worked as paleontologist (there were 85 Amoco paleontologists before the merger) on projects involving Paleozoic foraminifera. During the past couple of years, Wahlman has worked on "carbonate sed-strat and petrographic projects in the Aordovician of Oklahoma; the Devonian, Pennsylvanian, and Permian of the Permian Basin region; and the Jurassic-Cretaceous of Mexico." He has also done short consulting jobs in the Devonian of western Canada, Carboniferous of Alaska, Carboniferous-Permian in Russia, and Miocene of Indonesia. Wahlman reports that the vice president of his group is sister of Johnny Waters, M.A. 1975, Ph.D. 1978.

2002 - Ronald J. Walton (B.S. 1961) of Evergreen, Colo., paraded with classmates holding their 40th reunion banner during Homecoming 2001 in Bloomington. He writes, "Although it rained and we lost to Illinois, we had a great time. Staying at the Memorial Union was a real treat with all the activities there. Dinner at the DeVault Alumni Center and lunch at the Mellencamp Pavilion were excellent."

2002 - Yifeng Wang (Ph.D. 1993) is on the technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories, where he is involved in studies of deep geological nuclear waste repositories both for Yucca Mountain and Waste Isolation Pilot Plant projects. For the last two years, his research has focused on environmental applications of nanostructured materials and the geochemical implication of nanostructures in geologic media. He lives in Carlsbad, New Mexico. He and wife, Jianjun Lin, have a 10-year-old son. Jianjun is a software engineer for Sandia. Early this year, Yifeng returned to his native China. He reports that the experience was thrilling because of the rapid changes taking place in China. He literally could not find his parents’ house.

2004 - Yifeng presented two lectures in the IU Department of Geological Sciences this year. For the past 10 years, he has been a geochemist at the Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico. While visiting the department, he was able to further interact with his Ph.D. adviser, Enrique Merino, who commented on the unusual pleasure it has been for him to have had as a student someone who is now teaching him (Merino) much more than he ever taught the student.

2003 - Scott Warner (M.S. 1986) continues to live in Novato, California with his wife Susan and daughters Shayna and Sara. He is a Vice President for Geomatrix Consultants and is the Practice Leader for a group of 60 staff in the firm’s Oakland, California office. He also is the co-editor for an American Chemical Society book on chlorinated solvent remediation (published in January 2003). The year’s greatest fun came from bringing a geology and music (guitar) road show to elementary school kids in Novato, San Rafael and Bolinas-Stinson Beach, Calif. Scott’s original song "It’s all about Geology" was a huge hit with the budding geologists. It also was great to come back to Bloomington (and bring my daughter Shayna) for Noel’s retirement bash.

2017 - "Lots of changes since my last update - I am working as a Principal Hydrogeologist with the global firm Ramboll (Headquartered in Copenhagen but my office still in the SF Bay area) on lots of water resources, environmental restoration, climate change and litigation work. And on the family side, older daughter Shayna is just about to graduate with her BA from UCLA (my undergrad alma mater), and younger daughter Sara is a new undergrad at IU(!) (with the vocal program at the Jacobs School of Music!). It has been fun getting back to campus with Sara and checking out all the old digs - and running into friends from ways back like Todd Thompson, the State Geologist with the IGS! Both my wife Susan and I are also now part of the IU Parents Advisory Board - so that is another very cool connection with IU and B-town.

2004 - Victoria Warren (B.A. 1982, M.S. 1985, M.S. 1987) is corporate manager of the Hydrogeology Group for Allied Waste Industries, a non-hazardous solid-waste management company representing the second-largest market share in the United States. As manager, she is responsible for environmental compliance and permitting issues for 166 active landfills and more than 100 closed landfills across the United States and Puerto Rico. Additionally, in 2004, Warren assumed management of the Superfund Group for Allied Waste. In this role, she is responsible for risk and liability management for more than 250 CERCLA sites where Allied Waste is a participant.

2004 - Nate Way (M.S. 1994, Ph.D. 1998) and his wife, Cara Davis (M.S. 1995, Ph.D. 1998) are proud parents of daughter, Jasmine Elizabeth. While Davis was on maternity leave, she was made supervisor of her ExxonMobil team. Way, also with Exxon-Mobil, has been working on a unique team that performs "uncertainty analysis." He is studying the geology of oil fields around the globe in an effort to quantify "impact of uncertainty in new fields to guide development decisions." Way and Davis continue work on their property on the big island, Hawaii, where construction of a home is in the planning stages.

2003 - Nate and Cara’s son Jacob was born in December 2001 and keeps his parents busy. In addition they are both working for ExxonMobil in Houston.

2003 - Dave Weinberg (B.S. 1968) has left the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Lab and joined the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. 4/03

2003 - Shayne Wiesemann (M.S. 2001) writes that after he recieved his degree in December 2001, he traveled in Central and South America for approximately 4 months. He is currently a Geologist with RMT Inc., an environmental and enginering consulting firm in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he conducts Phase II investigations for clients in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan.

2004 - Stephen G. Wells (B.S. 1971) has been elected as the 2005 vice president of the Geological Society of America and will assume the presidency of the society in the following year. GSA, with more than 18,000 members in more than 85 countries, is the premier professional society for the geosciences and its members from academic and applied professions. Wells has been a member of the society for more than 30 years, during which time he has chaired a number of its committees and been a member of several of its editorial boards. He was also an elected councilor from 2000 to 2003. Wells, a resident of Reno, Nev., currently is president of the Desert Research Institute, the environmental research arm of the University and Community College System of Nevada. DRI conducts cutting-edge research in land, air, and water quality across Nevada, the United States, and on every continent. The institute has more than 500 employees on its two main campuses in Las Vegas and Reno. It generates more than $45 million in total annual revenue.

2003 - Scott Wendorf (M.S. 1992) is an intellectual property attorney with Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. His work at Halliburton includes the patenting of new well completion and reservoir monitoring technologies. Scott and his wife Andrea Hamilton (M.A. History 1992) live in Dallas with their two children, Frances Anna and Henry. 1/26/04

2017 - Lives in Zug, Switzerland. Married to Andrea Hamilton. Career: Halliburton Worldwide GmbH: Managing Director of Halliburton Worldwide GmbH, in Zug, Switzerland.

2004 - Greg Wahlman (B.A. 1972, M.A. 1974) who is employed by BP Amoco, reports that it has been a busy summer for him with time spent working on a project in Jakarta, Indonesia. He then went on a field seminar down the Pecos River Canyon (by canoe). During the trip one of the group was bitten by a rattlesnake and had to be flown by helicopter to San Antonio. Wahlman reports that the vice president of his group is sister of Johnny Waters, M.A. 1975, Ph.D. 1978.

2003 - Neil Whitmer (B.S. 2002) is now in graduate school at the University of Tennessee (Knoxville), studying structural geology.

2001 - Chris Willan (M.S. 2000) currently is working for ExxonMobil in Houston.

2002 - Wesley E. Williams (B.A. 1949) writes to say that he is turning all hydrocarbon drilling operations over to his son, Kelly, while he is going to concentrate on hard rock minerals. He is president of Flag Drilling Co. Inc. and a partner in Flagship Drilling Co. in Destin, Fla.

2004 - Don Wirth (B.S. 1959) is retired from the Bureau of Land Management but retains a seat on the board of the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology. He gives occasional geology lectures to lay people, and again this year will help conduct a trip to the Oregon coast for a class of eighth-graders. Wirth is an avid traveler, skier, canoeist and camper, and he remains a very active volunteer in building trails, cutting and planting thousands of trees, and building benches and shelters along trails on public lands.

2004 - Larry Woodfork (B.S. 1964, M.A. 1965) former director and state geologist of the West Virginia Geological Survey, is currently an adjunct professor of geology at West Virginia University and at Marshall University. Woodfork is a licensed professional geologist, certified petroleum geologist, certified professional geologist, and consulting geologist who serves on the board of directors of several research and educational foundations. In 2004, he was again appointed a member of the U.S. delegation (eight members) to the 32nd International Geological Congress International Union of Geological Sciences Council. The IUGS Council has appointed Wood-fork to be senior adviser to the IUGS for the International Year of Planet Earth (2006) and to serve as a member of its newly authorized Commission in Fossil Fuels.

2002 - Larry retired as director of the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey and as state geologist effective Jan. 1, 2002. Woodfork’s career with the West Virginia survey spans 33 years, including serving as director from 1988 until his retirement. Woodfork was a gubernatorial appointee serving under four governors during five terms, a record for the state. The West Virginia Senate passed a resolution "commending the public service and professional accomplishments of Larry D. Woodfork." Woodfork was presented with a copy of the resolution in the Senate chamber on Feb. 26 by Senate president and lieutenant governor Earl Ray Tomblin. Woodfork has served as an officer in several national geological organizations, most recently president of the American Geological Institute (2001). He has also received many prestigious awards, including the Distinguished West Virginian Award, commissioning as a Kentucky Colonel, and the Ben H. Parker Medal from the American Institute of Professional Geologists. He was the 1991 recipient of the Richard Owen Award from our department.

2006 - William H. "Terry" Wright (M.A. Geology 1967) fully retired in December 2005 after 35 years teaching geology at Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, California. His specialty was structural geology and tectonics and published extensively on the deformation of accreted terranes in the western Sierra Foothills. He leaves a legacy of over 10,000 students at all levels, including grade school through adult education classes at Santa Rosa Junior College, California Academy of Sciences and Point Reyes Field Studies and his own company, Wilderness Interpretation. He continues to consult with Terry Wright Geology, providing geological information for the wine industry and instructor training in geology for natural history organizations. Terry has recently devoted his time to travel to Alaska, China, Mexico, Hawaii, New England, Death Valley and Chile. He divides his time between Sonoma County with a house on the Russian River and Mono County in the east Sierra where he has developed 10 acres of high desert sage with a perfect view of the White Mountains into a homestead close to fishing, skiing, hiking and biking in the Sierra Nevada and White Mountains.

2004 - Signe Wurstner (B.S. 1986, M.S. 1989) senior research scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, received the prestigious Women of Achievement award from that institution. In April 2004, she was thus recognized for professional accomplishments, personal accomplishments, and community service.

2007 - Haichao George Yu (Ph.D. 1999) lives in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia with wife Jing Li. George is a senior hydrogeologist working for Saudi Aramco. They both enjoy life in the desert. Quoting a recent update: "I continue working as a geological specialist in the Reservoir Characterization Department of Saudi Aramco. This is my 8th year working and living in the desert kingdom I also served as vice president of Dhahran Geoscience Society from 2009 to 2011. My wife and I live in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia."

2003 - George writes "I have been living in Knoxville, Tennessee with my wife Jing and duaghter Miao since 1994. We love Bloomington and try to visit IU as often as we can. I am working for MACTEC Engineering and Consulting in west Knoxville as a principal project manager/scientist, engaging in chemcial- and bio-remediation type of work. Anyone lives in Knoxville area, let’s go IU!"

2004 - Huitang Zhou (Ph.D. 1996) is president and CEO of Mintech International, a company that is based in Bloomington, Ind. Mintech mines, processes, and sells attapulgite. The Mintech plant is situated in Mingquang, Anhui, China. Mintech also processes muscovite in China for export to the United States and to Asian countries, including Korea, Japan, Tai

2002 - At its meeting in Bloomington, Oct. 4–6, 2001, the department’s Advisory Board named Malcolm Boyce, (M.A. 1956), George Nevers (M.A. 1957), and Stanley Anderson (B.S. 1972, M.A. 1973) Honorary Life Members of the board for their long and outstanding service to the board and to the department.