Gain Field Experience...

Russell White is now a graduate student New Mexico Tech, where he studies core samples obtained from the middle of the Pacific Ocean. His education is fully funded, thanks to the rigorous experience he received from LSSU.

"My senior thesis project studied the magnetic fabric of rocks from central Australia," he says. "It led to a better understanding of how rocks deform at great depths."

White got an early jump, thanks to LSSU's "go-for-it" approach.

"I was a sophomore when I overheard Professor Paul Kelso and a senior talking about some pretty interesting stuff," he recalls. "I stuck my head through the door and, without even dropping a beat, Dr. Kelso explained what research they were doing."

White thought he could handle an ambitious research project as well, and within a few weeks he was working on samples from a mine in South Africa.

"Professor Kelso had no qualms in throwing me into stuff that’s usually done for senior research," White says. "It was an opportunity that was instrumental to my success as a student and a pivotal moment in my life."