• In 2010, Geology major Jamie Beauilieu of Jay, Maine was named a Michael D. Wilson Research Scholar and used his scholarship funding to conduct a self-designed research project documenting the geometry of glaciated bedrock surfaces in the Farmington area, and analyzing related glacial till, to determine if increased water pressure could have contributed to accelerated glacial retreat locally. He presented his findings at UMF's annual Michael D. Wilson Symposium. The Michael D. Wilson Research Scholars program awards funding to students to conduct undergraduate research.

• In 2010, Geology major Michael Webb of Farmington, Maine was named a Michael D. Wilson Research Scholar and used his scholarship funding to conduct a self-designed research project conducting a petrographic and geochemical investigation of the Rome-Norridgewock pluton in west-central Maine. The Michael D. Wilson Research Scholars program awards funding to students to conduct undergraduate research.

• In 2010, UMF Geology graduate Levi Ladd, a GIS Technician at Kleinschmidt Associates, Energy & Water Resource Consultants in Pittsfield, Maine, was a guest lecturer in Professor Eastler's Intro. to GIS class as part of the program's guest speaker series. Levi discussed the practical applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and how his company uses it on a routine basis.

• In 2010, State of Maine Geologist Dr. Robert Marvinney was a guest lecturer in Professor Eastler's Intro. to GIS class as part of the program's guest speaker series. He discussed how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is used in geological map making in the state. On that same day, Dan Walters, former head of the Maine Office of GIS and now U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) GIS liaison to the State, spoke to the class about the USGS's application of GIS technology in Maine.

• In 2009, UMF's Dept. of Geology was awarded a $20,000 Quimby Family Foundation grant to study the effects of climate change on high elevation ponds in Maine. The grant was awarded to Assoc. Professor of Geology Julia Daly, and is one of only two Quimby Family Foundation grants to be received by a University of Maine System campus since the grant's inception. The grant will provide stipends for three Farmington students, purchase new weather station monitoring equipment and help pay for related research expenses. The students were chosen for the selective undergraduate research project based on their academic standing and level of outdoor skills and experience.

• In 2009, 14 students (Geology majors and non-Geology majors alike) accompanied Professor of Geology David Gibson and Assoc. Professor of Geology Julia Daly to Connemara, Donegal, Giant's Causeway, Edinburgh, the Scottish Highlands, the Isle of Skye as part of a 21-day Geology trip to Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland. This exciting May Term course allowed students to study the geology and learn field mapping techniques, as well as the history and culture of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

• In fall 2009, the University hosted the UMF Climate Forum, a semester-long series of lectures, presentations, panel discussions, and an observation of the International Day of Climate Action. The Forum brought the campus and surrounding community together over the course of three months to consider the effects of global climate change - from a variety of perspectives: scientific, historical, political, sociological, economic and others. UMF speakers, panelists and presenters included Assoc. Professor of Geology Julia Daly, Professor of Biology Drew Barton, Assoc. Professor of Political Science Linda Beck, Professor of Political Science Scott Erb, Assoc. Professor of Political Science James Melcher, Assoc. Provost and Dean of Academic Services Rob Lively, Professor of Geology Thomas Eastler, Assoc. Professor of Physics Paul Stancioff, and other experts from outside UMF.

• In 2009, Professor of Geology David Gibson was named a University of Maine System 2009-2010 Trustee Professor. His year-long research project, using Farmington's exclusive X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer lab, will provide data that can be used to investigate the role volcanic eruptions may play in impacting climate variations. David will focus on learning more about the geologic events that contributed to volcanic deposits in Patagonia and the South Shetland Islands.

• The Michael D. Wilson Research Scholars program awards funding to students to conduct undergraduate research. Geology major Ian Putnam of Farmington, Maine was named a 2009 Michael D. Wilson Research Scholar which allowed him to receive scholarship funding to conduct his self-designed Geology research project entitled, "Testing a New, Non-Destructive Method of Chemical Analysis of Lithic Fragments."

• Geology major Monica Hall of Orono, Maine was named a 2008 Michael D. Wilson Research Fellow and used her scholarship funding to conduct her self-designed research entitled "Magmatism and Crustal Evolution of the Northern Appalachians." She delivered her research at the 2008 Geological Society spring meeting where she was awarded "Best Poster Presentation."

• Our location at the foothills of the mountains in western Maine gives you access to some of the finest geological formations in the northeast. In fact, geologists from across the globe come to the region to study and explore. Here, our spectacular location becomes your outdoor laboratory.

• To you develop a deeper understanding of earth processes and events, you will conduct original research in the field, in the lab and on the computer. For example, our Geology students are involved with The Sandy River Project, a multi-year, field-based project that tracks erosion patterns in Farmington's Sandy River and students in a Structural Geology class recently conducted detailed mapping of bedrock outcrops on Bald Mountain in nearby Weld, Maine.

• Geology students regularly visit the Sandy River in Farmington to study hydrology and sedimentology, Daggett's Rock in nearby Phillips to examine glacial geology, nearby Smalls Falls and Coos Canyon to study bedrock geology.

• UMF Geology students conduct rigorous research. Recently, Geology student Mary Newall of Farmington investigated the origin of Daggett's Rock in Phillips, Maine; and Tom Gregg of Mapleton, Maine investigated volcanic rocks near The Forks, in Maine.

• Our Geology program will prepare you for post-graduate study in geology, geochemistry, geophysics, geomorphology, hydrology, environmental studies and law. In fact, recent Geology graduates from UMF have gone on to attend graduate programs at schools such as Brown Univ., Cornell Univ., Dartmouth College, Temple Univ., Texas A&M Univ. and others across the nation.

• Internships will be an important part of your Geology studies at UMF. Students have interned with the Maine Geological Survey, the Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection, the Maine Dept. of Transportation and other public and private agencies -- gaining real-world, on-site experience while making valuable professional contacts.

• Here, you will learn to use professional geologists' tools of the trade early and often. Our state-of-the-art X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer, used to analyze the compositions of a wide range of materials, is the only instrument of its kind operated by a college in Maine.

• The University's specialized Geology Computer lab has 8 computers running ArcMap 9.2. The lab also has a plotter, scanners, and digitizing table; several handheld GPS units, and a backpack GPS unit -- all available for your coursework and research projects.

• Geology travel-abroad field trips are among the most popular offered at UMF. Our faculty regularly takes groups of students (Geology majors as well as non-Geology majors) on 3-week field trips to places such as Galway and Donegal, Ireland; the Scottish Highlands; Newfoundland and more to study geological formations.

• Summer field study courses provide additional opportunities for research travel. Recent trips have included Mount St. Helens, Yellowstone National Park, and Dinosaur National Park and Scotland.

• Our faculty helps Geology students participate in professional geological organizations, frequently taking students to professional conferences in Boston, Harrisburg, PA; Saratoga Springs, NY; Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 2008 four Geology students presented their research in Buffalo, NY at the Northeast Section meeting of the Geological Society of America.

For additional information about Geology at the University of Maine at Farmington, just contact the Office of Admission:

Office of Admission
University of Maine at Farmington
246 Main Street
Farmington, Maine 04938-1994
US tel 207-778-7050
Intl. tel 00-1-207-778-7050
fax 207-778-8182
TDD/TTY 207-778-7275
umfadmit@maine.edu