Geology students receive awards at Geoscience Foundation of Tulsa banquet

Monday, June 12, 2023

Media Contact: Elizabeth Gosney | CAS Marketing and Communications Manager | 405-744-7497 | egosney@okstate.edu

On April 20, four OSU geology students were recognized by the Geoscience Foundation of Tulsa for their dedication and perseverance in their field of study. 

Izabelle Buentello, Megan Garrett, Lauren Haygood and Silas Samuel each received awards after being identified by the Boone Pickens School of Geology (BPSoG) as having a passion for what they do and the motivation to pursue geoscience careers. Three of the four students also presented posters on their areas of research. 

“These students are the first to jump in and help in any way they can,” representatives from BPSoG wrote. “They all work so hard to maintain their GPAs and soak up as much knowledge as they can to help them succeed in their future careers.”

Izabelle Buentello | Katy, Texas

2023 Outstanding Student Award

Research Poster Presentation: Implications for Unconventional Reservoir Quality: Pore System Architecture and Analysis of Caney Shale 

“The poster is my preliminary findings for my master’s thesis research about various methods and parameters I am using to characterize the upcoming Caney Shale as an unconventional hydrocarbon reservoir,” Buentello said. “Geology is misunderstood to many and is all the motivation of why I choose to study it and spread knowledge.”  

Megan Garrett | Luther, Oklahoma

2023 Geophysical Society of Tulsa Scholarship 

Megan received a $2,500 award to use toward geology field camp.

“Through all my undergrad courses, I have looked forward to attending field camp and the experiences it will offer me,” Garrett said. “To be selected to receive this scholarship is such an honor and helps so much with expenses. I can’t wait to put this scholarship to use.”

Lauren Haygood | Owasso, Oklahoma

2023 Outstanding Geoscience Student Award

Research Poster Presentation: Investigating Deep-Water Circulation Changed Along the East Scotia Sea

“I study sediments and use geochemical proxies to reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions during the Quaternary,” Haygood said.

Silas Samuel | Jos, Nigeria

2023 Outstanding Geoscience Student Award for Academic Excellence

Research Poster Presentation: Application of Rock Physics Modeling and Post Stack Seismic Inversion for Geological Carbon Storage in the Gulf of Mexico

“Geologic carbon storage is an effective solution for mitigating the deleterious effects of greenhouse gas emissions,” Samuel said. “My research provides information on potential underground sites for carbon storage using geophysical methods.”

Story By: Jessica Floss, CAS graduate assistant | jfloss@okstate.edu