Isotope Geochemistry
Advisor: Tom Johnson
Degree: M.S.
Research: Isotopic fractionation of Chromium reduction

Stable Isotope Geochemistry
Advisor: Tom Johnson
Degree: Ph.D.
Research: Mercury Isotope Fractionation

Geochemistry
Advisor: Tom Johnson
Degree: Ph.D.
Research:

Geochemistry
Advisor: Craig Lundstrom
Degree: Ph.D.
Research: Uranium!

Sedimentology & Geochemistry
Advisor: Samuel Panno, Craig Lundstrom
Degree: M.S.
Research: My thesis research focuses on the karst-glaciers interactions in southern Illinois, Missouri and Indiana states, and specifically on Quaternary paleoclimate reconstructions based on cave deposits.

Sedimentology
Advisor: Bruce Fouke
Degree: M.S.
Research: My concentration is in carbonate sedimentology, and I'm studying the Blackriver Trenton unconformity in the Illinois Basin. I'm using petrography, diagenesis indicators along with stable and radiogenic isotopes to reconstruct paleo- sea and oxygen levels, climate and oceanography of the basin.

Igneous Petrology & Isotope Geochemistry
Advisor: Craig Lundstrom
Degree: M.S.
Research: Stable isotope behavior in zoned ignimbrites

Hydrogeology & Geomicrobiology
Advisor: Craig Bethke
Degree: Ph.D.
Research: My dissertation research focuses on how groundwater chemistry influences microbial community structure in the Mahomet aquifer in Illinois.

Personal Website

Carbonate Sedimentology & Mineral Geochemistry
Advisors: Bruce Fouke and Zak Lasemi (ISGS)
Degree: M.S.
Research: Solution Structures, Mississippi Valley-Type Mineralization, and Dolomitization within Fractured Ordovician Bedrock in Kane County, NE Illinois

Educational Research
Advisors:Fouad Abd-el-Khalick, Lizanne DeStefano
Degree: Ph.D.
Research: An NSF-RET supplement (PI Dr. Bruce Fouke) grant supporting a Student-Teacher-Ranger-Scientist Partnership in Yellowstone National Park, connecting the Fouke group's Geomocrobiology research with the park's residential program Expedition: Yellowstone!

Geomorphology
Advisors: Alison Anders, Jonathan Tomkin
Degree: M.S.
Research: The interaction of climate, topography, tectonics, and glaciation in the Olympic Mountains of Washington State, lichenometry, the glacial history of the Olympic Mountains, and modeling the ice extent and glacial erosion since the last glacial maximum.

Seismology
Advisor: Wang-Ping Chen
Degree: Ph.D.
Research: I use seismology to study Earth's crust structure.

Low temperature geochemistry and microbial biogeochemistry
Advisor: Craig Bethke and Robert Sanford
Degree: M.S.
Research: My current research interests include investigating the reliability and effectiveness of in situ monitoring as an alternative method to sampling and studying groundwater geochemistry.

Isotope Geochemistry
Advisor: Craig Lundstrom
Degree: Ph.D.
Research: I'm working on the determination of silicon isotope ratios in silicate materials now.

Structural
Advisor: Steve Marshak
Degree: M.S.
Research:

Geomicrobiology
Advisor: Bruce Fouke
Degree: M.S.
Research: My current research is a petrological analysis that tracks changes in CaCO3 (travertine) crystal size, shape and porosity through microbial biomass differences at Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park.

Advisor: Jim Best
Degree: M.S.
Research: Stratigraphy and Paleoenvironments of a Carboniferous Transgression, Co. Clare, western Ireland

Sedimentology
Advisor: Jim Best
Coadvisor: Marcelo Garcia
Degree: Ph.D.
Research: Morphology and Stability of Bedform in Eolian and Subaqueous Flows. Fluids Dynamics and Sediment Transport in General.Sedimentology and Geomorphology of Modern and Ancient fluviatile, lacustrine, deltaic and turbidite environments. Waves, Tides and Currents Interactions.Combined Flow Boundary Layer.

Glacial Sedimentology
Advisors: Jim Best and Brandon Curry (ISGS)
Degree: M.S.
Research: I am studing the sedimentology of Ice Walled Lake Plains in Northeastern Illinois.  I am looking at how sedimentation occurred within these lakes, time that they were on the landscape, and general ecology at the time.  I am also going to be creating a model to reproduce the sedimentation by density currents.

Fluvial Sedimentology
Advisor: Jim Best
Degree: Ph.D.
Research:

1)  River Avulsion (Lower Mississippi River)
2) Tidally Influenced Fluvial Systems (Columbia River)

Structure & Tectonics
Advisor: Steve Marshak
Degree: Ph.D.
Research: My broad research interests are evolution of mountain chains, strain analysis, subduction related tectonics and seismotectonics.

Hydrogeology and Geomicrobiology
Advisor: Craig Bethke
Degree: M.S.
Research: Groundwater, geochemistry
Specific research topic: Geomicrobiology of groundwater. Quantifying a particular enzyme transcribed by sulfate-reducing bacteria in anaerobic environments to better understand sulfate reduction rates in the Mahomet Aquifer.

Earth Science Education
Advisor: Stephen Altaner
Degree: M.S.
Research: I am currently writing curriculum for a graduate course designed for K-8 teachers about teaching earth science.  The course includes a combination of content and activities to be applied in the classroom.

Seismology
Advisor: Xaiodong Song
Degree: Ph.D.
Research: My current research interests are focusing on solving the structure of crust and mantle in a regional scale using various seismological methods, including tomography, receiver function and seismic interferometry, etc.

Mineral Physics
Advisor: Jay Bass
Degree: Ph.D.
Research: I am interested in studying the physical properties of minerals under high temperature and high pressure conditions by using Brillouin scattering techniques to get more information about the composition and evolution of the earth interior.

Fluvial Geomorphology
Advisor: Jim Best
Degree: M.S.
Research: Meandering river dynamics and cutoffs