Field Research Helps Doctoral Student

Robyn Howley, a geoscience doctoral student, has benefited from the financial support she has received through the President's Graduate Research Fellowship. The fellowship has been an asset during the final year of her doctoral work because it has given her the freedom to focus on her dissertation research full-time.

“When I heard that I had received this type of support, I was ecstatic,” Howley said. “It has allowed me to spend more time synthesizing data that I collected in the field, critically examining results, and formulating new ideas and hypotheses. I've been able to work through the most difficult portions of my Ph.D. dissertation.”

With fellowship support, Howley was able to conduct field research on the ancient geologic rock formations that are abundant in the deserts of Nevada and western Utah. “Conducting field research provides me with the opportunity to apply the skills that I learned in the classroom,” Howley said.

Howley studies the banded limestone that can be seen in many of the mountain ranges of southern Nevada. Her research focuses on what this type of rock can tell us about the ancient ocean that once covered much of the western U.S. Her findings can be used in the analysis of similar rock formations located in the subsurface of areas around the world and may enhance subsurface mapping performed by the petroleum industry to locate hydrocarbon deposits.

Howley says that her graduate work has successfully prepared her for her future career in the petroleum industry. “I just accepted a job with ExxonMobil that will start after I graduate,” she said.

Howley plans to coauthor three scholarly publications with her dissertation advisor, geoscience professor Ganqing Jiang, on her research. One of the central goals of research is to share the findings, which adds to the collective body of knowledge in the field of study, notes Howley.

“As a graduate student, I feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to share my research with the top scientists in my discipline,” Howley said. “It's very rewarding to know I can make a contribution to my field of study.”