Meet Sarah Rasor, Senior Major in Environmental Geology

Tell us something about where you grew up

I grew up in a smaller beach town along the coast of Southern California. My town’s coldest month averages in the mid-60s and warmest month averages in the high-70s. We also get over 300 sunny days a year! California has so much geological diversity and I highly recommend visiting.

What do you like about the EEPS Dept?

I think an easier question to answer would be what don’t I like about the EEPS department, which is absolutely nothing. All the faculty are absolutely amazing and don’t even get me started on the students. I’ve made spectacular friends, gone on tons of field trips, and had a fantastic time in my classes. What more could I ask for?

What’s something you don’t know about or how to do, but would like to learn?

I would love to learn how to embroider. I think it would be such a cool way to add more life to older items.

Tell us about your senior research thesis

Overseen by Dr. Ralph Harvey, my senior research is geared towards a greater understanding of the Elephant Moraine in Antarctica. I am identifying and logging thousands of rocks from a square meter of the Antarctic moraine and establishing if those rocks belong to known Antarctic lithology. Later, I will confirm my determinations though thin section petrography and analyze any anomalies more closely.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

In my free time I love listening to audio books. The Harry Potter Series and Born to Run are some of my all time favorites. I’m sure this next activity might come as a shock after listing the books… but I also love running. My running ability’s got nothing on Dr. Van Orman’s though.

What are you enthused about for your future?

I’m really excited to hopefully be doing graduate school next fall and to be checking out a new part of the United States in the process!