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Inside • News from the Chair • Special Announcements • Faculty • Alumni TheThe NewsletterNewsletter of of the Geological Sciences Dept. Geological Sciences Dept. Calif. State Polytechnic University Calif. State PolytechnicPomona, University Calif. Pomona, Calif.Issue 14 NovemberIssue 11 2006 The Mylonite November 2003 NEWS FROM THE CHAIR Here it is fall of 2006. This has been a very fast year. program and participate in an important university commit- There is soooo much to tee. She was making a THIRTY YEARS OF SERVICE write about. I will be as meaningful contribution brief as possible. But, it Another chapter in the history of the Geological Sciences Department to the Department. Un- certainly has been a busy has closed. Rosalie Giroux (Thompson for you fortunately, the declin- older alumni), our administrative coordinator, year full of change, great SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS ing health of both sets of accomplishments, chal- has retired after thirty extraordinary years of parents and the high cost lenge and hardship. service to the College of Science and the Geo- of living in southern logical Sciences Department. California necessitated Another original has left. Her long tenure in the Department, Brook to request a As you will read in sev- 29 years, by default, permeated all aspects of year’s leave of absence. eral articles in this My- the Program. Her service and contribution to Thus, we will be with- the Department goes beyond what words can lonite, Rosalie Giroux FACULTY out her field and sedi- convey: thirteen Mylonites, twelve alumni re- retired in August of 2006. mentary geology exper- unions, countless alumni correspondences, Rosalie was the original tise during the 06-07 faculty manuscripts, proposals, tests, etc. administrative coordina- Rosalie Giroux & academic year. We sin- tor for the Geological John Klasik Rosalie is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Margaret Claire Van cerely hope she is able Sciences Department. to return in the fall of Suffice it to say here, Buskirk Memorial Scholarship Fund. She was the first person people met as they entered the Office. Her pleasant personality quickly con- 2007. Rosalie’s 30 years of ALUMNI veyed a friendly, accepting atmosphere. In 2003, Rosalie was recog- dedicated service to the nized by her peers as the recipient of the College of Science’s Quar- On the positive side of Department has impacted change, the Department terly Staff Recognition Award. thousands of students in a August 4th was Rosalie’s last day of work at Cal Poly faculty ranks will be positive, constructive and Pomona. We have shared a lot and been through many difficult times. increasing! Geology pleasant way. She is Her efforts have been much appreciated. We all sincerely wish that has been given permis- missed! The tradition of Rosalie has a wonderful, rich, productive and long retirement. Rosalie sion to search for an fine administrative assis- applied geophysicist. If Giroux’s support, service, dedication and commitment to the students tants now falls to Ms. and faculty of the Geological Sciences Department has made a pro- the search is successful, Monica Giannini. found contribution to the success of the educational program, develop- in the fall of 2007, the ment activities, and wellbeing of the Department. Department will have Our faculty ranks took an seven tenured or tenure unexpected turn. Dr. Brook Riley came to Cal Poly in track faculty members. This will be a major milestone. the fall of 2005. Her reduced teaching load allowed her This will be the first increase in the academic size of the to get used to academia, make several new course prepa- Department since Klasik came on board in the fall of 1977! (Continued on page 2) Page 1 As of this writing, we are in the advertising phase of the San Francisco earthquake. Dr. Marshall lead the four search. The search for an applied geophysicist is a direct day central and northern California excursion. Starting result of comments from alumni and External Program in Santa Cruz and ending at Point Reyes, those in at- Reviewer reports. We do listen to you all! This position tendance got to see the central, creeping section, of the will add a new dimension to the Department. It will bet- San Andreas, visited the epicenter of the ’89 Loma ter prepare our majors for graduate school and geotechni- Prieta quake, toured key historic sites in downtown cal employment. San Francisco and finished on the northern segment of the rupture at Point Reyes. The generosity and loyalty of our alumni played a big role in Department activities in 2005 – 2006. Under the Two major important institutional initiatives consumed leadership of the Geology Club the Department hosted much of the Department’s “free” time. Two Learning two Career Symposia. The Department wanted its geo- Outcomes Assessment projects kept the Department science majors to get a more thorough, first hand under- occupied for much of the academic year. The Univer- standing and a flavor the work of practicing geologists. sity’s Prioritization and Recovery initiative consumed Our winter quarter ’06 symposium dealt with the realm the spring quarter. of hydrogeology. Our spring quarter ’06 symposium was in the field of engineering geology. Each symposia Assessment of General Education classes and assess- had three invited alumni representing different aspects of ment of our geoscience program involved the entire the profession. Each alumnus gave a short talk as to faculty. The Academic Senate has asked to have what their job entailed and the training / expertise needed courses in the various areas of Gen. Ed. to determine, to be successful at their job. At the conclusion of the assess, how they meet the broad general ideals of the presentations, the alumni gave practical, candid advice area. In Geology’s case, the Physical Sciences. Dr. regarding how to prepare for jobs and what employers Marshall served as chair of the Physical Science As- are looking for in applicants. The Department thanks all sessment Committee. Dr. Klasik joined faculty from six dedicated alumni for their time and effort. Environ- Physics, Chemistry and Geography & Anthropology to mental geology will be this fall’s Career Symposium assist Dr. Marshall formulate a method of assessing discipline. In the coming quarters careers in academia how well the disparate courses met the Gen. Ed. ideals. and mining will be explored. So, alumni in these three Dr. Nourse is chair of the Department Program As- fields get ready to be tapped for assistance! The sympo- sessment Committee. Dr. Nourse lead the faculty in sia have been well attended by our undergraduates and formulating a five year plan to assess how well our their success is due to the dedication of our alumni to the courses meet the goals and objectives of an under- Geology Department. Through these symposia, geo- graduate geoscience program. Part of formulating this science majors will be better informed regarding possible Department Assessment Plan was to have external career paths as well as making valuable contacts with our experts, Drs. Joan Fryxell of Cal State San Bernardino alumni. and Steven Semken of Arizona State, visit campus and discuss the Plan with various administrative officials We need to also recognize Mr. Peter Valles (’83). This and the faculty. Drs. Semken and Fryxell were quite was quite a year for Peter and the Department. Peter positive about the Plan and the Department. They returned to Cal Poly Pomona in February to participate offered several good suggestions as to how to make in the Alumni Professor for a Day Program. Then, in the Plan succeed. This Department Assessment Plan late April of 2006, Peter came back to Cal Poly Pomona. will be a significant undertaking. But, with consulta- This time Peter was honored by being the 2006 College tion with alumni and studying what we teach versus of Science Distinguished Alumnus. More about Peter what students actually learn and being sensitive to and his accomplishments in other Mylonite articles. changing career expectations, we will wind up with a better undergraduate program which is constantly In a similar vein to our previously mentioned Career evolving to assure we produce the very best under- Symposia, Drs. Jessey and Riley, hosted a session titled graduate geoscience majors. “Pathways to Graduate School”. This spring quarter event gave our undergraduates sage, experienced advice Prioritization and Recovery challenged the Depart- and guidance regarding how to apply, how to select and ment. The process engulfed and consumed the entire what to expect in graduate school. spring quarter of 2006. I have mentioned prioritization in a previous Mylonite. The process turned out to be Under the leadership of Dr. Jeffrey Marshall, the Geol- all consuming, draining, fraught with delays, uncom- th ogy Club, “celebrated” the 100 anniversary of the promising deadlines (Continued on page 3) Page 2 and in a couple of words, extremely frustrating. The pursuing a Masters degree at Cal State Northridge. bulk of the entire spring quarter was taken up by prepara- tion of Department reports. Two significant reports had Hardship struck the Department in the form of accident. to be prepared; one for the Geology Program; and, one In early March 2006, the field vehicle got into an acci- for the Integrated Earth Studies Program. Virtually all of dent. The vehicle was returning from Death Valley via the narrative which delved into program history, value to Highway 395. While passing a truck, it became neces- the university, development activities, etc. had to be pre- sary to swerve to avoid an unexpectedly close oncoming pared prior to receiving numerical data from various vehicle. That caused the field vehicle, still under control, campus sources. It was sort of like writing the publica- to rebound tion before doing the experiment.