Conference ‘an amazing experience’ for geology students

The Geological Society of America held its annual meeting in Anaheim in September, drawing in geologists from all over the world. Among them was a group of faculty members and students from California State University, Bakersfield's Geology Department.

With research presentations, networking opportunities, field trips and more, the conference gave professional and student geologists alike the chance to connect and learn more about a wide range of topics in their field.

"I cannot say this enough: it was an amazing experience!" said Brooklyn Macross, a senior geology major. "It felt like I was actually stepping foot into the professional world, instead of just being a student."

Macross was one of several CSUB students who presented their research at the conference. Along with her fellow student researchers, Braedon Scarry and Elijah Swanson, Macross presented two posters on mine tailings.

"Mine tailings are waste piles left behind after all the valuable materials are collected from the mine," Macross explained. "There are millions of these piles around the world that just sit there, doing nothing at best and potentially leaching harmful contaminants into the environment at worst."

Her group's first poster - Carbon Mineralization for Potential Long-Term Carbon Capture and Storage: A Mineralogical Analysis of Mine Tailings in Mojave Desert, California - detailed their research on repurposing mine tailings for carbon sequestration, a method of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it to reduce greenhouse gases. The process occurs naturally in certain rocks, Macross explained, and her group wants to see if mine tailings can be moved elsewhere to maximize the amount of carbon being mineralized.

Their second poster - Environmental and Health Impact Assessment of Mining Tailings: A Case Study from the Randsburg Mining Complex, California - explained how potentially hazardous elements like arsenic, chromium, rubidium and strontium can be transported when mine tailings are moved. Contaminating the new environment is something geologists will naturally want to avoid, so Macross and her team hope to study improved waste management practices to mitigate that risk.

Fellow CSUB undergraduates Joshua Barnes and Tyler Garza each presented posters highlighting their field research and internship experiences at sea and in the Smithsonian National Natural History Museum. While most student presenters at the conference were graduate students, Macross and other student researchers from CSUB were among a smaller group of undergraduate presenters.

"Before the conference, my group and I were a little nervous that we would be grilled by these experts, but everyone we interacted with was very professional and provided constructive feedback," she said. "Collaboration is a key step in the advancement of sciences, and it felt great to be a piece of the puzzle."