Student Research

Since 2002 I have supervised students working on a range of fascinating projects, typically involving igneous rocks
of some type, and often involving microanalysis. These include studies of a diverse set of volcanic systems
(MORB, various Cascade volcanoes, Hawaii), as well as plutonic rocks (North Cascades, Nevada)
Below I have listed current and past students and their projects.

Many opportunities exist for other studies, so please contact me if you are interested in graduate school at OSU.

At present I have the following students feverishly working away ...

Brad Pitcher (Ph.D.): Deschutes Basin ignimbrites: age, volumes, petrogenesis and the big picture

Richard Bradshaw (Ph.D.): Formation and evolution of magmatic mush zones via mineral studies

Jenny DiGuilio (M.S.): Structure of the magmatic system at Mount Jefferson, OR

Bobby Cruze (senior thesis): U-Pb zircon age of dykes in the Blackpeak Pluton, North Cascades

Clockwise from the top left: Matt Loewen scrambling around Mount St. Helens, Christine Chan playing with the locals in the North Cascades;
Dan Eungard taking notes on an elevated perch below a large ignimbrite of the Deschutes Formation, Alison Koleszar hanging out in the carpark
at Mount Hood, OR

We few, we lucky few...

Dan Eungard (MS): Deschutes Basin ignimbrites and related rocks
Christine Chan (MS): Formation of a sheeted marginal zone in the Cretaceous Ten Peak pluton, North Cascades.
Luc Farmer (MS): Trace element chemistry in zircons related to Eocene gold mineralization, Carlin Trend, Nevada (joint with John Dilles)
Matthew Loewen (PhD): Volatile trace metal systematics in ocean floor and arc-related volcanic rocks
Corey Carlson-Ham (Senior thesis): Identity of tephra horizons at Hydrate Ridge, OR.
David Burney (Senior Thesis): Mineral Chemistry of the Indian Creek phase of the Ten Peak pluton, North Cascades

Morgan Salisbury (Ph.D.). Origin and correlation of tephra from offshore Sumatra (2011)
Matthew Loewen (MS). Volatile metals measurements and systematics in Hawaiian magmas (2011)
Alison Koleszar (Ph.D)    Volatile contents and crystal residence times of Mount Hood magmas (2011)
Allison Weinsteiger (Ph.D.). Relation between plagioclase megacrysts and melt inclusions from MORB and formation of ocean crust at slow spreading ridges. (2010; joint with Roger Nielsen)
Ashley Hatfield (MS). Age and petrology of Snow Peak, Oregon Western Cascades (2008; joint with Roger Nielsen)
Cris Darr (MS).  Petrology, mineral chemistry and plagioclase crystal size distributions of recent Mt Hood lavas (2007!)
Jeremiah Oxford (MS).  Petrology and geochronology of weird Oligocene alkaline rocks in the Oregon Coast Range (2006)
Mike Rowe (Ph.D.). Oxygen fugacity variations across the cascade arc and Ash chemistry from Mount St Helens 2004 eruption (2006; joint with Roger Nielsen)

(Left) Cris Darr pretends to laugh at one of my great jokes near Timberline Lodge, Mt Hood.

(Below). Say "orthopyroxene". Jeremiah Oxford counting layers at the Stillwater Intrusion, Montana.