Congratulations to Geology major Ciara Sailar for being this year’s recipient of “The Carolinas Scholarship” through the Association of Engineering and Environmental Geologists Foundation. The scholarship is awarded annually to a student in the Carolinas who is pursuing a geoscience-related undergraduate degree. Ciara, who is doing the paleontology track, received $2000, which will go towards her next year’s field camp in Italy. We're extremely proud of you Ciara!
We asked her about why she chose geology as a major and how she found her passion...
"My favorite aspect of geology is how broad geology can be, covering so many subjects and career paths. As a paleontology concentration, my focus is mostly centered around understanding the biological and environmental processes during the time of an organism's life, whereas some of my peers study subjects like geochemistry, geophysics, etc. I love that geology can be so variable and interdisciplinary. My passion for geology started when I was very young. I would collect rocks from all over my neighborhood, and by the time I was in the first grade I was teaching my younger sister to dig for dinosaurs in our backyard. Around this time, I learned what a paleontologist was, and I knew then that is the career I wanted to pursue. Last summer I had the chance to volunteer for my first excavation and it was everything I've ever dreamed of doing. It reinforced that I am doing exactly what I always wanted to do."- Ciara
Ciara with a Maiasaura metatarsal she excavated during a dig near Choteau, Montana in 2019.
About the scholarship: “Established in 2015 by the Carolinas Section of AEG with funds for the gift from the surplus of a very successful Vapor Intrusion Conference held by the Carolinas Section in January 2014. The Carolinas Scholarship Fund supports geologic studies by students at the undergraduate level. Recipients of grants must be undergraduate students enrolled in an accredited university in North Carolina or South Carolina and majoring in Geology or a related Geoscience program.” (From the AEG website: https://www.aegfoundation.org/funds/carolinas.php)
