PEOPLE
Jay Zambito
Associate Professor of Geology, Beloit College
Jay’s research focuses on identifying and characterizing climatically-induced extinction events recorded in the Paleozoic rock record using a combination of geochemistry, paleontology, stratigraphy, sedimentology, and fluid inclusion analysis. He also studies the geochemistry and mineralogy of Cambrian-age frac sand deposits in Wisconsin in order to understand the potential environmental impacts of sand mining, and more recently the geology of critical minerals and REEs.
Olivia Farbarik
2019-present
Olivia started in the Beloit Paleo Lab during her first year at Beloit College, and we've been fortunate that she's continued to work with us throughout her time at Beloit!
Senior Thesis:
Using the A-12 Drill Core (Bullitt County, KY) to Interpret Devonian Carbon Cycle Dynamics
Conference Abstracts:
Emma May
2022-present
Senior Thesis:
Beloit College La Brea Tar Pit Fossil Collection Taxonomy and Taphonomy: Insights into Predation
Daniel Bolin
2022-present
Senior Thesis:
Litho- and Chemostratigraphic Reconstruction of the New Albany Shale (SDH-273 core, Indianapolis, IN)
Anna Weldon
2021-present
Senior Thesis:
The Impact of Forest Evolution on the Organic Matter Composition of Illinois Basin Devonian Black Shale
Conference Abstracts:
Laura Hughson
2021-2022
Senior Thesis:
Local and Regional Patterns of Marine Black Shale Organic Matter in the Devonian Appalachian Basin
Conference Abstracts:
Morgan Fries
2020-2021
Senior Thesis:
The Reliability of Outcrops for Organic Geochemical Data: A Case Study Using Devonian Black Shales
Conference Abstracts:
Walker Weyland
2019-2021
Senior Thesis:
Determining the Direction of Early Trilobite Environmental Migration
Post-Beloit:
Walker is currently a master's student in the Droser PaleoEcology lab at the University of California, Riverside studying variability across the most mature ecosystems of the Ediacaran Period in the Ediacara Hills of South Australia.
Delaney McCarthy
2020-2021
Senior Thesis:
Devonian Organic Matter Variability within the Appalachian Basin
Conference Abstracts:
Post-Beloit:
Delaney is currently a GIS Technician at Invenergy.
Maddie Holicky
2019-2021
Maddie joined the lab at the beginning of our ACS PRF-funded Appalachian Basin black shale project. She helped develop the methods we used and collected and analyzed some of the initial samples for the project.
Conference Abstracts:
Post-Beloit:
Maddie is a Project Geologist at TRC Companies.
Emily Clinkscales
2019-2021
Emily joined the lab at the beginning of our ACS PRF-funded Appalachian Basin black shale project. She helped develop the methods we used and collected and analyzed some of the initial samples for the project.
Conference Abstracts:
Post-Beloit:
Emily is currently undertaking her MS degree in Geology at the University of Wyoming, studying the geochemistry of CO2-fluid-rock interactions.
Andy Rich
2019-2020
Senior Thesis:
Taphonomy and Biodiversity of Fish Fossils from the Middle Devonian Milwaukee Formation
Publications:
2022 Rich and Zambito, PALAIOS
Conference Abstracts:
Post-Beloit:
In 2023, Andy earned a MS degree in Paleontology from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT); his thesis focused on mosasaur taphonomy in the Pierre Shale. He is currently working at the Montana Dinosaur Center.
Zowie Fox
2019-2020
Senior Thesis:
Reconstructing the Cambrian Carbon Cycle Using ~500 million-year-old Phosphatic Brachiopods
Conference Abstracts:
Philippe Rollet
2019-2020
Senior Thesis:
Constraining the Depositional Environment of Triassic Halite from the Röt Basin, Netherlands
Jennifer Pantelios
2018-2019
Senior Thesis:
Implications of Cambrian sandstone phosphorus runoff on eutrophic waters, Dunn County, WI
Post-Beloit:
Jennifer is a Ecological Gardening Instructor at After School Matters where she design daily lessons and activities that are hands-on and provide leadership opportunities for teens as they learn about sustainable methods of producing food in harmony with our local ecosystems.
Christine Shonnard
2018-2019
Senior Thesis:
Evaluating cycles in distal floodplain deposition within the Early Paleogene Hanna Basin, Wyoming, U.S.A.
Publications:
2019 Shonnard et al., Keck Geology Consortium Short Contributions
Conference Abstracts:
2019 SC-NS-RM GSA Manhattan, KS
Post-Beloit:
After graduating from Beloit College, Christine worked as a Physical Scientist at the EPA. She is currently climbing volcanoes in Mexico.