GSA 2019 Student Awards

Dear Geobiology and Geomicrobiology (GBGM) Division Members,

It is our pleasure to announce the winners of the 2019 student presentation awards. This year we had a record number of student participants and there were many interesting talks and posters at this year's GSA Meeting, so thank you to everyone who participated! As usual, we were all impressed with the quality and diversity of research conducted by our student members! Presentation feedback has been sent out.

The many excellent entries always make it difficult to choose winners, but here are the presentations that rose to the top.

Oral presentation winners:

Remy Rovelli - Using Paleoenm to predict patterns of survivorship in the hell creek formation ecosystems across the k/pg mass extinction

Samantha Ocon - Best practices for instagram as a geoscience education tool

Poster presentation winners:

Cathryn Sephus - Shedding light on phototrophic pigment evolution: reconstruction of ancestral rhodopsins

Martina Bennick - Determining the origin of intracameral deposits in the orthocerid genusarionoceras

Honorable mention:

Jasmina Wiemann - Metazoan biomolecule fossilization products record phylogeny, physiology, and biomineralization

Kathryn Mudica - Lead burden in long bones of north american river otters

As with previous years, we'll be handing out prizes at GBGM awards luncheon next year (GSA 2020). If you think you're not going to be able to make it to the meeting, please contact Rowan Martindale, and we'll find a way to get your award sent to you.

We'd like to thank all of the students who contacted us and put their names forward for consideration; it was a real privilege to see and hear about the work you've been doing, and we encourage you to enter again next year. Recognizing the excellent work of our members is the most important aspect of the GBGM division, so please stay in touch. It is wonderful to see the faces of the student population of GSA GBGM and there is a bright future ahead for this group!

We would especially  liketo express our deepest gratitude to our members who judged this year's competition. Without your feedback and support, this endeavor would not be possible. We are also very grateful to our student representative Amanda Godbold and Andrew Putt for coordinating everything.

All the best,

Rowan, Vicky, David, Trinity, Lydia, Simon

GSA GBGM Division Executive Committee

Amanda Godbold and Andrew Putt

GSA GBGM Division Student Representatives