St. Lawrence Geology Alumni
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St. Lawrence University
Geology Newsletter
Spring 2006

Alice Hart '80
I graduated from SLU twenty-six years ago and I think that this is the first time I’ve written in to the newsletter. Perhaps
this will stimulate others who have never written! I graduated from St. Lawrence in 1980 and went on to study the
paleoecology of recent foraminifera with Roger Kaesler at the University of Kansas in Lawrence where I received my M.S.
in 1984. After a few years working for an engineering firm in Lawrence, I returned to school and received an M.L.S. from
Emporia State University (also in Kansas) in Library and Information Management. At about the same time I went to
work as Collection Manager for Invertebrate Paleontology at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum. After
spending 13 years as Collection Manager, I accepted the position of Curator at Grand Teton National Park in early 2005 and
my new husband, Rick, and I are thoroughly enjoying the experience. Fortunately, my years at St. Lawrence pre-adapted
me to nearby mountains and lots of snow. We live in the park and have a couple of spare rooms to welcome any SLU alums
or current students who care to stop by. I’d love to hear from Mimi Katz, David Keffer, Ann Smyth, and Ilene Rex if they
get this newsletter: alice_hart @ nps.gov. By the way, the curator at Yellowstone National Park is a SLU alum too...small
world, as they say.
Two of our majors, Stephanie Peek ’06 and Kevin Emblidge ’06, gave presentations of their senior research at the North East Section
meeting of Geological Society of America conference in Harrisburg, PA on March 21st. Stephanie’s project was entitled, “Evaluating the
effectiveness of Flinn’s k-value and Lode’s ratio using synthetic strain data.” Kevin presented, “An investigation of Adirondack
debris flows using GIS.” Both students’ projects were well-received at the convention, garnering positive comments from such folks as
SLU alumnus, John Rayburn ’87!
REPORT OF STREET FUND ACTIVITIES FOR 2005 – 2006
Since our last Newsletter, several alumni and friends have made donations to the Street Fund, and we thank them for their abiding support in Dr. Street’s honor. I
point out graphically that the strength of general support is waning since my letter starting the campaign to double the Fund’s endowment, but I am not permitted to
write another. I can say we are still $15,000 short! Meanwhile, our need increases as our student participation in research increases. Some of the items the Fund has
supported in 2005-’06 are: 1) student travel support to present research at the annual GSA in Salt Lake City and the NE GSA in Harrisburg, Pa., 2) student studies of fossil leaves in North Dakota for a student thesis project, and 3) preparation of oriented thin sections for a senior thesis on structural analysis. Costs of field work rise as the cost of gas does and the Street Fund helps students defray that fundamental expense of research and much more. You should see what these students can do with a little research money! Great Things....! So please keep the Street Fund in mind!

Street Fund Gifts Since the Last Newsletter
Mr.& Mrs. John L. Kosicki '67
Dale Chayes ‘73
Mark C. Klett ‘74
Tom Shaver ‘76
Jeff and Valerie Chiarenzelli ‘81
Ms. Geerhold & Peter Quilty ‘82
Cricket (Corwin) Wilbur ‘82
Ron and Kathy Metzger ‘85
James Billings ‘87
Bob Pickard ‘93
Heather (Franco) Kaste ‘97
Bud and Mardi Holland
Tom and Inez Bjerstedt		 streetgraph
from John Bursnall

Hello folks,
This past semester has been a particularly busy, but, from my viewpoint, a very successful one. The notes that
follow are mainly about some significant changes within the department! You might refer to them as
disruptions, but I honestly don’t see it that way. Rather, it’s the natural cycle of academic life, a cycle that
allows for periodic renewal and revitalization! But firstly, many, many, congratulations to all our graduating
seniors: they all contributed an enormous amount to the department over the past few years and it’s been a
pleasure working with them. You have certainly left your mark on the department – one that will endure for many years to
come. I wish you all the best for the future, and please keep in touch!! The standing ovation that Paul Connet and I received
at our last commencement was a remarkable and humbling experience. And, as Cathy pointed out to me later, it was initiated
by geo-majors (I was too overwhelmed to notice) – thank you so much! I now have some sense as to how you must feel
leaving St. Lawrence: no doubt somewhat bitter-sweet, good times and bad times - but what an adventure ahead! Enjoy!
Of course, many of you know that our honorary degree recipients this year included Barb Tewksbury (‘73). It was a treat to
see her receive her well-deserved award and to hear her brilliant delivery on geological time. Geology was also indirectly well
represented throughout the commencement celebrations this year. I sat next to two board members at one of the dinners
with close relatives as geologists and, Charlie Mortensen’s (’83) brother, Viggo (’80), was one of the honorary degree
recipients. As an aside, one of the high points of the weekend for me occurred at a reception for the honorary degree
recipients; one of the serving staff came up to me and said, “I really liked your movie, The Lord of the Rings” No comments
please!
Both Mark and Cathy have been on the latter half of their sabbaticals this past semester, and, as many of you know, Michael
resigned at the end of the fall. In fact, with Steve’s pre-tenure sabbatical this spring, I’ve been the only ‘permanent’ faculty
in the department. We are very thankful that Diane Burns is able to continue with us for one more year as Michael’s
replacement. But, unfortunately, Matty Strine and Sean Cornell will be moving on to tenure track appointments elsewhere.
We wish them all the very best for their future. They have both done a magnificent job here and we will be very sorry to see
them go. We look forwards meeting up at conferences, etc., in the near future.
We went through the hiring process and interviewed for my successor this past spring. Thanks go to Mark, Steve and Cathy
for their hard work and patience - and willingness to come out of sabbaticals and fully participate in this important process.
I’m delighted to say that Jeff Chiarenzelli, an environmental geochemist with a very solid ‘hard rock’ (sorry about that!)
background, will be joining the department next fall. Jeff is a St. Lawrence alum (’81) and has been teaching at Potsdam
State for the past five years; he previously ran a very successful environmental geochemistry lab at Oswego. Jeff knows the
area well, has worked in the Canadian Shield and will add valuable breadth to the curriculum. We also have a Jeffrey
Campbell Fellow for one year starting in the fall. Carl Pierce is a geophysicist who is currently working on his Ph.D at Texas
A & M. He was one of Frank Revetta’s students at SUNY Potsdam. We’re looking forwards to seeing him ‘in house’ when he
moves north early this summer.
Another major success this past semester is that we have, at last, made some inroads at modifying our curriculum by increasing
the number of introductory courses we will offer in the future. We also have some other important changes on the table,
but more about these later.
We are gearing up for Middle States review prior to accreditation. All colleges and universities go through this or similar
reviews. It’s a ‘checks-and-balances’ exercise for the University as a whole that starts at the departmental level and, to this
end, we have produced a short survey in this newsletter. This will be a very important component in our self-analysis - so fill it
out when you can, and return it as soon as possible after you receive it. Thank you!
And, finally, many, many thanks to all of you who sent donations to the department this past year. As I have said in the
past, your financial support is so very important in enabling us to carry out student research to the level that we do. Thank
you!
In retrospect, it’s been a great sixteen years! All the very best, and please stay in touch!
Cheers to all,
John
Red Mountain, located in the Coconino National Forest of northern Arizona, 25 miles northwest of Flagstaff, is a volcanic cinder cone that rises 1,000 feet above the surrounding landscape. It is unusual in having the shape of a "U," open to the west, and in lacking the symmetrical shape of most cinder cones. In addition, a large natural amphitheater cuts into the cone's northeast flank. Erosional pillars called "hoodoos" decorate the amphitheater, and many dark mineral crystals erode out of its walls. Studies by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Northern Arizona University scientists suggest that Red Mountain formed in eruptions about 740,000 years ago.          http://geopubs.wr.usgs.gov/fact-sheet/fs024-02/
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Barbara Tewksbury ‘73 received an  Honorary Doctor of Science degree at St. Lawrence’s Commencement May 21,2006. We are very proud of her. (See
Alumni web page http://it.stlawu.edu/~geoclub/alumni/ for more.)
In order to conserve both resources and funds we would like to know how many of you would be willing to have an electronic version of the newsletter sent to you
instead of a hard copy? Please e mail our department secretary, Sherrie Kelly skelly@stlawu.edu) and let her know. We will also begin posting the newsletter to the
department’s alumni website. Of course, you can still continue to receive the hard copy if you prefer! We just ask that you keep us updated on both your mailing
address as well as your e mail address. We don't want to lose touch with you. If you have photos that you would like to share, send them along and they will be
added to the next newsletter. Please and Thanks!
Mark had a visit from Hank Cerwonka ’80 a while back. Hank was in the east visiting family and reacquainting himself
with the North Country. He lives in Denver where he operates a bookstore and pursues his avocation of photography. He
shared his portfolio with Mark and it contained some real gems. Hank has an eye both for abstraction and for natural
realism. He has a great life philosophy and Mark enjoyed sharing ideas and reminiscences with him. We hope he will keep
in touch with the department and drop in when he is next in the area.
from Cathy Shrady
Hi Everyone!
My sabbatical year is drawing to a close and of course it has gone way too fast, especially as I will be taking over the
department chair from John who is retiring. Despite being on sabbatical, it has been a busy year.
As you may know, we conducted a search to replace, but broaden, John’s position. We are very pleased to have hired
Jeff Chiarenzelli (an alum. himself!) and he will be teaching some of the hard rock courses along with geochemistry.
Michael Owen resigned in December to take a job with a company in Syracuse. A man of many talents, his title, I
believe, is software engineer, or something similar. His children are grown, his wife lives in Syracuse and the move made
a lot of sense. We wish him well.
Diane Burns will continue on for another year with us and will teach sedimentology again. We hope a tenure-track
replacement position for Michael will be approved, allowing us to advertise in the fall.
We will miss our two one-year sabbatical replacement colleagues: Matty Strine and Sean Cornell who both move on to
tenure track appointments elsewhere. They both contributed a great deal to the department this past year.
Although he is retiring, John will still be a presence in the department and will finally get to work on some of his own
projects now that he is relieved of teaching and administrative duties!
For my part, I’ve been working on writing up some of the research I’ve been doing in Peru over the last few years. To
that end, I made two trips to Peru over the year, one with a student. At the invitation of Jeff Chiarenzelli, I’ve become
involved in an Environmental Justice grant to study contamination from formerly used defense sites in Alaska including
(get this) on St. Lawrence Island! I will be joining Jeff and a team of scientists from several institutions along with 2
students to do field work in July. I and the students are being supported by a CIIS university grant, supplemented by
money from the Jim Street Fund (which supports only students). I’ve also recently become involved in researching the
geology of a wine-growing region in Spain. I have every intention of taking advantage of this to keep my Spanish from
getting too rusty and carrying out “research” in Spain which naturally means tasting the wines….sometime in the
coming year. Shortly, I leave for a trip to Kyoto with Mark MacWilliams of Religious Studies and 7
students. This is part of a project to build a Japanese garden on campus, hopefully utilizing some of the Dolan
rocks- a true cross-disciplinary effort! We’ll keep you posted on this, it is in the early stages yet.
Hope you all have a wonderful summer and keep in touch and plan for a “retirement” party for John at the
next alumni conference!
Cathy Shrady
from Diane Burns
Hello alumni!
It is that time of the year again when we mint another set of fresh graduates to add to your ranks – welcome them, the class
of 2006: Brad Bardon, Tom Black, Kevin Emblidge, Will Jeffrey, Ben Meade, Chris Nichols, Camille Partin, Steph Peek,
and Trish Smrecak. They join a very warm and prestigious group, and they will make you proud to have them counted
amongst you.
This year has flown by way too fast, as they always seem to do. I taught Evolving Earth and Environmental Geology and
was absolutely awash in students – between the two classes, there were 43 students. Note to self: never assign term paper
projects when you have that many students. There were good ones, there were not so good ones and then there were the
characters, the standouts and the absolute gems. You have to love them for the positive energy that they bring to the classroom,
both as scholars and as comic relief. Never hurts to have a joke or two in the classroom....one student in Evolving
Earth pondered the knowledge that Eduard Suess proposed the existence of the supercontinent, Gondwanaland. The
student was not intrigued by the scholarly accomplishment, he was pondering whether the scientist was referred to as
Dr. Suess and ate green eggs and ham.
We heard great news for many of our declared majors – accomplishments ranged from getting multiple graduate school
offers to internships with local governments, as well as presenting their research at local and national conferences. One of
them even landed an undergraduate research experience with NASA! He will be working on discovering evidence for
glaciers on Mars. We, as faculty, are proud of all of their accomplishments, accolades and activities; you should as well.
On a more personal note, I have been asked to stay yet another year as visiting faculty while the
search is conducted for Mike Owen’s replacement. I welcome the opportunity, as I enjoy both the
North Country and SLU and have really grown quite fond of the students. They are a wonderful
mix of personalities and are growing into dedicated geologists with solid plans for their futures.
They are setting the bar ever higher for themselves, and they are succeeding. It is a beautiful thing
to see them achieve so much.
With best wishes for a safe, happy and fun summer.
Diane
Sarah (Zimmerman) McElfresh '98
I am still living in Pittsburgh, PA. On December 13, 2005 in the middle of the night we welcomed our second
daughter Elizabeth Michelle into the world. Her big sister Katie now 2 1/2 loves her and wants to show her
the world - which is a good thing. I am having fun being a stay at home mom with play groups and kindermusik,
but am also doing some things for myself. My husband Scott and I are both in a community band, the
East Winds Symphonic Band and we are on the committee for a band festival sponsored by the band. From
ties we made there; the two of us along with one other person are trying to get a consortium of sorts of community bands in
southwestern Pennsylvania called "Southwestern Pennsylvania Band Partners" We have a web site which I maintain (http://
swpabandpartners.pghfree.net/) and a quarterly newsletter which I assemble. So far we have about 25 bands in the region. I
also still maintain the SLU Geology Alumni web site at http://it.stlawu.edu/~geoclub/alumni/ Everyone has visited this I
hope. There are several places for alumni to have information - the email address page is the primary spot. However, if anyone
is able to help students with finding jobs, internships, graduate schools, or are willing to offer advice in these and other
areas, there is a page specifically for that. We don't have a lot of alums on board there yet, but I know a few students have
found it helpful. So between band rehearsals, play dates, and maintaining web sites I'm keeping pretty busy.
You Might Be a Geologist If …
1. You own more pieces of quartz than underwear.
2. Your rock collection weighs more than you do.
3. You never throw away anything.
4. You can pronounce the word "molybdenite" correctly on the first try.
5. You don't think of "cleavage" the same way everyone else does.
6. You have ever had to respond "yes" to the question, "What have you got in here, rocks?"
7. You find yourself compelled to examine individual rocks in driveway gravel.
8. You have ever found yourself trying to explain to airport security that a rock hammer isn't really a weapon
9. You're planning on using a pick and shovel while you're on vacation.
10. You have ever taken a 22-passenger van over "roads" that were really intended only for cattle
11. You will walk across eight lanes of freeway traffic to see if the outcrop on the other side of the highway is the same type of rock as the
side you're parked on.
12. The baggage handlers at the airport know you by name and refuse to help with your luggage.
http://www.rocknut.co.nz/archives/2005/08/you_might_be_a.html
from Matt VanBrocklin
Hello Geofolks,
Wow! As we near the end of the spring semester I once again seem to be caught by surprise. It has
been nine academic years now since I first joined the SLU Geology team and it seems as though I
just showed up on the department scene a short while ago. It has been a busy year with preparing
for field trips, giving aid to students and faculty and keeping the department vehicles and
equipment prepared and reliable. We didn't have much of a winter, by North Country standards,
and I seem to be one of the few winter lovers to have missed it. Admittedly, it is hard to complain
about last winter when these past few months have given us lots of June like weather. Campus is
beautiful with each season and this spring is no different. Buds are popping out, the grass is bright
green and most bird species are back for another summer. I noticed swallows back early, several weeks ago. Once
they get back in the North Country, summer like weather is usually here to stay.
As is the case with each summer I must find other employment to carry me through. I do enjoy the seasonal
change and for the past few years I have spent most of the summer working with horses. We have a few young
horses on the farm I plan to continue training and I may have at least one visiting horse to train and maybe two.
Not a bad way to spend a summer's day. I start my day at around 05:30 with a boiled pot of coffee and just
enjoying the sunrise. By 06:30 I can generally be found doing some ground work exercises with a couple of horses
and by around 10:00 or 11:00 AM I am working with a horse while in the saddle. Every now and again I find
myself out of the saddle but so far I have been fortunate enough to pick myself up, dust myself off and climb back
on board. I don't "break" horses but rather train them. With all the ground work training and developing respect
and trust with the horse; by the time I climb into the saddle and request movement the horse is generally ready.
And so am I…
Over the Memorial Day weekend Shirley and I will be in Lake Tahoe, Nevada for a family wedding and some
relaxation. I look forward to seeing and experiencing some of the Basin and Range region of the southwest. We
will be attending another wedding on the other side of summer this August 19th. Shirley and I will be in
Connecticut enjoying the wedding of Alumnus Alane Yost who last walked the halls of the geology department
maybe nine years ago. I haven't seen Alane much since she graduated, and so, really look forward to visiting with
her and meeting her soon to be husband, Matt. Other summer plans might include a few bike tours and weekend
stays in various places here in the northeast and hopefully several weekend canoe and camping excursions here in
the North Country.
I hope you all have a fine and lovely summer. If you happen to be in the neighborhood and would enjoy a peaceful
easy rest stop, I am usually home and there is nearly always a tasty beverage waiting to be enjoyed with friends.
Matt VanBrocklin
Tori Kohn “05” and her dog, Glacier, have this to share with everyone!!!
Finally, after spending 7 1/2 months down in Arkansas, I am outta here. Off to Dubois, WY; where I will continue to work for the
US Forest Service on the Shoshone National Forest, Wind River ranger District--- as an Assistant Foreman on a hand crew…
I nearly dropped the phone when I got the call. So, I am finishing things up here in Arkansas and am ready to get out there. I will be
about 3 hours south of Yellowstone, 89 miles east of Jackson, WY.
Sean Cornell
Wow! What an amazing, whirlwind year this has been for my family and me here at St. Lawrence! I knew
that coming home to the North Country would be an exciting move for us, but I never imagined how great,
yet bittersweet it would be.
When I left northern New York in 1993, I went to college at the University of Rochester in pursuit of my
education and, well, some “life experience.” With the dreams of becoming a wildlife veterinarian, I could
never have predicted that I would switch gears and pursue a degree in a science that I barely even knew existed, much less
find interesting. And then… it happened. I took a GEOLOGY CLASS – much to my parent’s dismay! As is the case with
many of us “rock jocks,” I have never looked back and wondered why. I just knew I enjoyed this science for its unique challenges,
its disciplinary breadth, its freedom, and most of all its collegiality.
Well, both the faculty and the students here at SLU have certainly reinforced these distinctions for me this year. I have
been both challenged, and inspired by the caliber and dedication of the students of this department and especially the nine
graduating seniors who will be soon among your ranks! I am honored that I had a chance to spend some time with them!
Furthermore, I was given the encouragement and support to put together the regional field studies course to Curaçao in
January (now available online at http://stlawu.edu/geology/curacao/index.htm), and together with my colleague Matty
Strine and 10 participating students, we started the spring semester off right… without any snow on the rocks! Well there
was certainly some red, green, and brown algae, an occasional sea urchin, maybe some corals or sponges growing on them,
but we saw them anyway… What’s more we saw them being made (after all carbonates “are born”) and destroyed at the
same time – we could never do that in Canton in the middle of January! With a group of students like this, it has been an
extremely rewarding experience for me to teach here at St. Lawrence this year!
The faculty and staff too, have been equally as stimulating. The opportunity to work with these bright individuals, both
old –err long-standing and new to the department, has been an extremely enriching experience for me and certainly very collegial.
Their knowledge, experience, and willingness to share of themselves, has been impressive and it is clear that they are
the reason this place has been and is now a fantastic place to study geology!
Nonetheless, my 1-year replacement for Dr. E. is now up and I leave here at the end of the month with mixed emotions. I
am blessed to have accepted a tenure-track position in the Department of Geography and Earth Science at Shippensburg
University in central PA… a very exciting prospect for me as I will be one of 15 faculty. However the move takes my family
and me away, once again, from the North Country. Having only just returned, I will not only be leaving the rocks that inspired
me this year (as well as many of you before), but I will also be leaving a place that I have become very much fond of.
I wish all of you the best, especially those of you I have met this year! Best Wishes for a wonderful field season (or summer
for those who spend time indoors)!
Susan Schwencke '77
My husband, Brian Boutilier is a Physical Therapist serving in the US Army as a Major at Brooke Army Medical Center.
He treats the guys coming back from Iraq as well as all the worst trauma here in San Antonio.
It looks like this spring he will be heading to "the sand box" for a year. If he does go to Iraq, I will return to northern NY
and may actually get to see how the Geology Dept has evolved since I last saw it. I think that Mark Erickson is the only
faculty still there from when I was in school!
I am working as a Dental Hygienist and am licensed in 3 states currently. It is amazing how similar calculus (tartar) is to
stromatolites. I guess that you can say that I am still working in the field of geology if you stretch things a bit.
The Geo club hosted a party honoring students’ achievements. In addition they celebrated John
Bursnall’s retirement, the tenure-track appointments of Matty Strine to Sonoma State University
(CA) and Sean Cornell to Shippensburg State University (PA) and the accomplishments of several
students listed elsewhere in the newsletter! PICTURES IN THE PDF.
from Tom Shaver ‘76
Dear SLU Geology Community:
Thanks for the recent Geology Newsletter. I enjoyed reading the African exploits of Brett Harvey and had to go to the garage
to get a detailed map of Kenya to locate Bondo. I passed near that village enroute to Kampala in December, 1980 from
my home in Nairabi. It didn’t surprise me that the income-generating generation has been devastated by HIV/Aids, but
that malaria is such a big killer. I contracted malaria in Western Kenya while attending a circumcision celebration at a
friend’s village near Kitale. I got really sick for several days, but only missed a day and a half of teaching and was back to
school. I was under impression that many lived with the presence of malaria, but their immune system kept it under wraps
so to speak. I’ve never had a problem with recurring malaria attacks thankfully. At any rate, it was nice to hear of Brett
Harvey’s adventures and how he’s doing his best to really make an impact under very difficult conditions.
I’m sending Chris Plopper’s note from the newsletter to Beverly Cole ’51 who lives in Bemus Point on Canandaigua Lake.
Her winter home is there. She has fond memories of Bill Elberty who I think was a fraternity brother of her husband Frank
’53. I know the Cole family from their residence on Murray Isle in the Thousand Islands where we’ve been neighbors since
the 1950’s. As I sat on the Cole’s porch last summer I shared clippings from the Geology Newsletter showing how Bill
Elberty’s impact is still recognized, along with Dr. Bloomer, whom Mrs. Cole remembers well. She was pleased and
interested to know.
The note inserted about the Ol Doinyo Lengai also got my attention. It’s unique also because the lava which is alkali
emerges black, but is chemically unstable. Within 48 hours the coating of the 2000 ft. cone turns white, because contact
with moisture in the air turns much of it to crystals of sodium carbonate. It’s also the mountain of God for the Masai. The
Rift Valley in that area around Lake Natron is beautiful. Lake Magadi looks like it is iced-over, but with soda deposits.
Talk about a renewable resource, the soda precipitates quickly in back of the dredge they use to mine it with. At least this
was true in the late 70’s and early 80’s. I chased ostrich on a motorcycle for miles and ate huge bananas from a farm owned
by the Leakeys near the Nguruman Escarpment. There’s a prehistoric site at Olorgasaile on the Magadi Road with
hundreds of hand axes exposed at a former lake shore. Kenya and East Africa is wonderful in that the geology is so exposed.
You don’t have to go through fields and woods looking for disconnected outcrops like I remember doing for field studies in
St. Lawrence County. It does remove some of the image of discovering the geology since the African Landscape is so open. I
like the western U.S. for the same reason.
My best to you all in the New Year.
Tom Shaver ‘76
Kent, Washington
Douglas Waters ‘79, a proud dad!  My son, Doug Jr. was accepted to Middlebury College and will be attending in February 2007, Hooray! I attached a
few photos of him from the wilds of Alaska and Wales (fantastic Geology!). PICS IN PDF
The department has had many communications from Chris Stevens ’04 because he keeps in touch with several students and faculty. His MS work is moving along
rapidly in Calgary where he is studying ice effects on the Mackenzie River delta using some of the GPR techniques he learned here with Steve Robinson and many new ones as well. Chris generally spends several weeks in the Arctic in March towing arrays of equipment over the ice to collect data. He took a huge amount this spring and is now processing them for several papers that form his MS thesis. Funding for this work has come through the GSC and Shell who are both concerned about proper ways to deal with ice and permafrost in the complicated system of an Arctic Delta. Data collection is difficult work when its 30 below zero and one is 2-3 hours out on the ice by snowmobile! Good luck Chris and we look forward to seeing you at GSA this Fall when you present.
CONGRATULATIONS DR. BURNS
from Mark Erickson
Dear Friends,
This has been a trying semester, but it would have been much more so had I not been on leave! As many
of you know my Mother, who had lived with me for the past few years, died on April 4th after a fairly
precipitous decline from a group of small strokes, as best we can tell. The many values of living in a small
community and being part of the St. Lawrence Community made themselves apparent immediately!
Many of you have sent thoughtful condolences, and I have greatly appreciated them. Thank you. We had
a memorial service for her on June 10th at Canton’s First Presbyterian Church. Mother was a very spiritual
lady and as one of her very close friends said, “This planet will never be the same again” after her passing. I found that an
interesting perspective.
Mother’s death came only a few weeks after that of my long-standing feline companion, Skooter. She was as faithful and
loving as the day is long and her loss of course sharpens the “empty house syndrome” all the more. I shall wait for awhile
before I look for another.
Meanwhile, I have been trying to work on a couple of papers with alumni, Dan Peppe and Matt Burton-Kelly, trying to get
a couple of my own done, and have tried to plan for some future work as well. I just returned from scouting the Cinci paleo
trip, which I do during each sab. leave, since I was already in Ohio for the North Central GSA meeting at Akron. Saw Mike
Hudson there and we shared some grief as he had just lost his Father. He continues his research in the Adirondacks. Dave
Waugh gave a fine paper describing a new technique for replicating fine structures for study by SEM. The scouting went
very well and will result in some outcrop changes for the upcoming Fall Paleo trip.
I have also continued to work with Noah Noyes to finish up his thesis from last year and with Trisha Smrecak who is
completing her Hell Creek leaf study. She has been accepted at several graduate schools and has chosen to work at U.
Cincinnati in paleo. Noah is working on a Master in Education at Dartmouth. I had the pleasure of serving on the MS
committee of Booth Platt at SUNY ESF, and I sat for his thesis defense on April 18 on my way to Ohio! Booth’s research
on oribatid mites establishes indicator species for various aquatic and semi-aquatic habitats. These should find application
in our work to use fossil oribatids as proxies for habitat, and by extension, for climate. After sampling more than 350 sites
he has a tremendous amount of occurrence data and even a few new species to talk about! He has a very promising start for
much future work.
I am sure that Dr. Bursnall will discuss for you the many, many changes that are in the offing for the Geology Department
in the future. I want to welcome Jeff Chairenzelli ’81 to the faculty. I anticipate that he will have an abiding interest in
our students and their well being even as he demands much from their science and their creativity. It has been a real
pleasure for me to get to know Diane Burns, Sean Cornell and Matt Strine who have taught in the department in various
capacities for the past year, more in Diane’s case. It is good to see that there are still young geoscientists who have a deep
appreciation for the fabric of geology even as they advance it into new domains. I wish Matty and Sean the best of good
fortune as they begin tenure-track careers, and I look forward to working with Diane yet another year while we seek
permission to replace Michael Owen. Cathy will likely explain that we will be fortunate to have a Campbell Fellow,
geophysics here next year as well.
Also just a reminder that this Reunion in June is a special one for it marks the 150th anniversary of the college and ALL
classes are invited back. Quite a number of you have indicated that you are planning to attend and I encourage you to do
so. Treat yourself to a weekend off and join us for the celebration. Come see the new science building progress when you
are here. By all means let me know you are here.
Well, take care. I will look forward to your visits, calls and e-mails, and will try to answer when I can. Have a great
summer and perhaps I’ll see some of you in Philadelphia for GSA next October.
Warmest regards,
Mark
We have lost contact with some of the alumni; if you know how we can get in touch with the following people could you please send the information to my e-mail (skelly@stlawu.edu) or send it to the Geology Department. We would like to keep them informed of the progress and achievements the department has made.
Thank you.
Jennifer Minard
Myron Getman
Lawrence Henchel
Christopher Ford
Gail Bloomer
Jeffrey Severson
John L. Kosicki ‘67
During 2006 he moved to Wilmington, NC. and is currently working for Coastal Federal Bank as SVP– Residential Banking Group. His wife Dottie (Houghton) ‘67 has retired after 20 yrs. at Middlesex School, Concord, MA and they are looking forward to their retirement years in the South. Thanks for your support of our Program, John!
Andrew Perham ‘90
Andy Glover '89 and I see each other quite a bit and went to the SLU vs. Yale hockey game, as we do each year. The team looks
pretty strong (#10 in the nation). I am still living in Bolton, CT and working for The MDC (www.themdc.com): greater Hartford's water and sewer
authority. I'm busy with environmental compliance for 4 waste water treatment facilities, 3 water treatment facilities, vehicle maintenance, operations, waste processing facility trash to energy, and general watershed management facilities in NW CT. I got engaged last year and probably won't be wed until 2007
(October). “Congratulations, Andrew!”
Ed Cavallerano ‘03’
I am well. The hot weather has returned to the South, and we had a few days last week that reached 90 degrees. My semester is just about
finished, and I'm busily grading exams before grades are due on Monday. My contract at UNCP was renewed for another academic year. Additionally, I will be teaching the second summer term in July. I am very much looking forward to my upcoming time off, however, and hope to make it home for a
visit. Might also go to Florida to visit with Kassy's family. Well, that's about all the news here. I hope you have a good summer, and I'll be in touch
with you again soon.
Heather Scott Cunningham “98”
I just wanted to update you on my latest adventure to Tasmania. (Work? What is that?) I went with some friends who
are postdoc researchers here. It was nice to get away and Tasmania is a wild and beautiful country. And very laid backmost
stores closed at 3 on Saturday and did not open again until Monday. I was suffering from lack of a 24 hr Wal-mart
fix (right!). So among the exciting things I did in Tasmania: hiked Mt Wellington (basalt volcano in the backdrop of
Hobart), hiked around Cradle Mt in the snow, sleet, rain and wind, hiked to Wineglass Bay—one of the most beautiful
beaches in the world, visited the penal colony of Port Arthur and cruised around some of the southern islands. We saw
small kangaroos (pantemellons) and wombats and a scorpion who greeted me in the shower. I am already planning for
my next adventure over Christmas. Then I think I will have to take it easy after that since I am only on a graduate
student budget.
School is busy. The graduate students are required to present at a one day seminar that is scheduled for next Tuesday.
In addition to a 15 minute presentation, I have to create a poster. The presentation was cake but this poster is going to
require a few late nights this week for drafting and yelling at the computer and cursing Bill Gates for not making Word
Illustrator compatible. I have measured my first Nd isotopes using the TIMS. The process is long and boring but I am
told much shorter and more enjoyable than in the past. I have crushed 27 rocks from the PNG trip I was supposed to go
on but the visa fell through on. This week I am hoping to make some XRF pellets and begin rock digestion for ICP
analysis. How scary, I am already sounding like a geochemist!
Len Mason “99”
Finished up with my thesis back in May, defended in June, and graduated in August, all while moving down to Texas and starting a job with a small consulting group. Things are moving along and we are getting settled as my fiancé and I recently bought a house in Austin.
BREAKING NEWS FROM LARRY AND JESS!!!
It's a girl. Ella Margaret Robjent was born on Fri. 06/16/06 at 7:30pm. She was 7lb 7oz and 21 in long. We came home on Fathers day (...weird concept to
be a part of now...) and all are doing well.
Students Accepted into Grad Schools
*final choice for graduate school.
Trish Smrecak ‘06
*University of Cincinnati
Vanderbilt University
University of Kansa
Michigan State University		 Camille Partin ‘06
*University of California,
Riverside
Idaho State University
Queen’s University		 Stephanie Peek ‘06
Colorado School of Mine
South Dakota School
of Mines
*University of Wyoming		 Ben Meade ‘06
*Kansas State
University
University of
Wyoming		 Kevin Emblidge ‘06
St. Lawrence University
(MS in Education)


Student

Achievements

 Will Jeffery ‘06
Has been offered
a partnership in
the firm, Abrit
Construction
Company		 Will Hackett ‘07
Has secured funding for his
senior thesis from Onondaga
County Environmental
Institute/EPA, NEGSA,
& the MONY Group		 Brian Congiu‘08
SLU CIIS Fellowship
and Internship with
the Adirondack Park
Association
Aaron Mead ‘08
Obtained a summer
internship with Tighs &
Bond, a hydrogeology
firm located in
Westfield, MA		 Dave Baker ‘08
Has a summer REU with
NASA Planetary Geology
& Geophysics at Brown
University working on
glacial processes on Mars		 Johanna Palmer ‘09
Summer Internship
for NYS DEC		 Lauren Chrapowitzky, ‘08
Has secured a summer internship with the
Center for Stratigraphy and Paleontology
at the NYS Geological Survey!
Rob Menard ‘07
Awarded SLU Summer
research Fellowship		 Emilee Mroz ’07
Accepted to VIMS (Virginia
Institute of Marine Science) for
a summer REU


St. Lawrence Welcomes Eta Xi Chapter of Sigma Gamma Epsilon,

Eta Xi Chapter of Sigma Gamma Epsilon, the National Earth Science Honor Society, was installed at St. Lawrence on April 11,
2006, as a result of a petition organized by a group of enthusiastic Geology majors led by Camille Partin ‘06. The installation
was conducted by Dr. Cindy Carney, National Vice President of the North East Province. Some remarkable historic figures of
Geology made visitations to be certain initiates were qualified and indeed 19 students and 1 associate were inducted into the
Society. The initiation was reported to the St. Lawrence Community at its Moving-Up Day Ceremony in April. At this year’s
Ceremony, the Eta Xi Chapter of Sigma Gamma Epsilon and its charter members were recognized. The W.A. Tarr Award of
SGE was presented to senior Stephanie Peek, a Phi Beta Kappa Geology major who is graduating with Honors in Geology and
will be attending the University of Wyoming for graduate studies in the fall.
Here are a few pictures of me (Carrie Denesha “00”) at work in Norton, KS about 100 mi east of the Colorado border and 10 miles south of the Nebraska
border). I got to ride up in my modified swing by way of the crane, hooked in with a safety belt of course. I was attaching cables to the sensors we had bolted
to the pile (we attach the cable once it’s upright so it doesn't get pinched and cut in the process of raising it). The sensors gather information on how much
resistance the soil has against the pile, and therefore how much load can be put on the pile before it "sinks" further into the ground (and then screws up the bridge). All the data is sent to the computer via the cables I'm hooking up, to be viewed so we know when the pile has reached the capacity that is needed. Ahh,
geotechnical engineering in action. SEE PICTURES IN THE PDF
Nate Page ’02 is moving at the end of the month to Burlington, VT, where he hopes to break into the environmental consulting industry. His girlfriend
(Katherine) is getting her masters at Columbia in historic preservation and naturally if he wants to hold on to her he can't be living in Jackson, WY. Jona King
’02 is still working in Jackson. He is living there with his girl, Jessica, whom he met while working for the USGS in MA. He is presently working for an engineering
company in town, surveying and enjoying it.
SENIOR THESES

Bradley D. Bardon
Investigating Quaternary sedimentation in Adirondack lakes using ground-penetrating radar.

Kevin P. Emblidge
An investigation of Adirondack debris flows using GIS

Trisha A. Smrecak
A paleobotanical and biostratigraphic assessment of the eastern Hell Creek Formation, North Dakota

Benjamin K. Meade
Interpreting lacustrine sediments using ground penetrating radar in Black Lake, St. Lawrence County, New York

Noah D. Noyes
Analysis of microhabitats and their associated oribatid mite assemblages at Glovers Pond, New Jersey

Camille A. Partin
Reconstruction of peatland succession from macrofossils in permafrost-affected peatlands in the Mackenzie River Valley, Canada

Stephanie Lynn Peek
Evaluating the effectiveness of Flinn’s K-value and Lode’s ratio using the synthetic data and field data collected from the Weverton
Quartzite, Harper’s Ferry, WV
FESTIVAL OF
SCIENCE “2006”
Most of the seniors participated in the annual SLU Festival of Science. In addition, these non-thesis projects were also presented.
Will Hackett ‘07, Kate Zubin-Stathopolus ‘08 and Wade Jones ‘08, Will Jeffery ‘06
PLEASE RETURN THE SURVEY FOR MIDDLE STATES REPORT TO THE DEPARTMENT
June 30, 2006

Last Updated: 
June 30, 2006, edited September 18, 2006
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