Geology: A Most Valuable Major (Forbes 5/15/2012)

According to PayScale's massive compensation database and job growth projections through 2020 from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Geology is the 7th most valuable college major in terms of salary and career prospects. They are ranked by median starting pay, median mid-career pay (at least 10 years experience), percentage growth in pay and projected growth of job opportunities.

No. 7: Geology
Starting Median Pay: $45,300
Mid-Career Median Pay: $83,300
Growth In Pay: 84%
Projected Job Growth: 19.3%

New Research Funding and Projects Updates

• Development of an expanded pigment spectral library for identification of phytoplankton by visible derivative spectroscopy
• Stark Campus Acquisition of an Intuitive Multi-Touch Scanning Electron Microscope to Enhance Research as well as Undergraduate Student Research and Natural Science Courses
• Rock Mass Characterization and Stability Evaluation of Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Keystone, South Dakota
• Response of the Harmful Algal Species Microcystis (Cyanophyceae) to Variable Environmental Conditions
• Characterizing Stream Restoration's Water Quality Improvement Potential Through Hyporheic Enhancement
• Assessing the Effects of Green Infrastructure on Metals Concentrations in Stormwater Runoff

Sabrina Tucker awarded Woodrow Wilson Ohio Teaching Fellow

KSU Geology Alumnus Sabrina Tucker (BS 2013) was among 79 Woodrow Wilson Ohio Teaching Fellows recently named at the Ohio Statehouse by the Ohio Board of Regents, the Ohio Department of Education, and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. The Woodrow Wilson Ohio Teaching Fellowship recruits top-quality teacher candidates to teach math and science in high-need Ohio schools. The Fellows include both accomplished career changers and outstanding recent college graduates, all with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, math and medicine (the STEMM fields). Ms Tucker will receive a $30,000 stipend while completing a rigorous master’s program at the University of Akron that includes a full year of practical experience in local classrooms. Following this, she will commit to teach for three years in Ohio’s high-need schools with ongoing mentoring and support. Congratulations Sabrina!

STEM Scholarships

KSU Scholarships for Broadening Participation in the Sciences annually provides 21 undergraduate scholarships, averaging $5,000 each to promising science students.

Applications are accepted beginning in early March for undergraduates pursing a STEM major for the following academic year. For more scholarship opportunities, search Pathways to Science for opportunities to do research at the undergraduate level, here and abroad. The Institute for Broadening Participation in the STEM sciences also offers free online search tools to encourage minority participation in STEM sciences.