Earth Science Alumni

Read the Spring 2014 Earth Science Newsletter! Get news about the faculty, students and activities in our department!

Keep in touch! We’d love to hear from you. You can contact individual faculty or geos@plu.edu

Dr. Steven Benham retired at the end of the 2013-2014 academic year after 32 years on the faculty at PLU. Many earth science alumni, students, and faculty attended the celebration of his career in May. View the citation about him that was read at the event.

Dr. Brian Lowes retired in May 2009 after 41 years on the faculty at PLU. Many earth science alumni attended the celebration of his career in May. View the citation about him that was read at the event.

Department Founder Retires
Brian Lowes Retires
Dr. Brian Lowes retired from PLU in May 2009 after 41 years of service to the department and the university. Honor him by donating to the Brian Lowes Endowed Field Geology Fund.

The Brian Lowes Endowed Field Geology Fund has been established to recognize his long career and contributions. Brian was devoted to getting his students out into the field to experience geology first hand. It is fitting to honor him by a fund that supports the field trips that make geology distinctive and supports student-faculty research in field-related projects. Please consider donating to this fund – see this form for more information.

Earth Science Alumni on Facebook

Join the Facebook group PLU Earth Science Alumni to get in touch with fellow alums and keep up to date about PLU activities! Click on this link to join the group. Look for familiar faces and friends in the photo gallery from the Lowes celebration event.

Alumni Profiles

We want to include some profiles of our alumni, those who have continued in Earth Science and those who have used their PLU degree to take them in new directions. Please contact us with information if you would like to be included.

Brian Hampton graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from PLU in 1997. He is currently an assistant professor of geology at Michigan State University. He has recently received funding from the National Science Foundation to conduct field work in the SW Alaska Range to study the tectonics of the region.  This project has a strong undergraduate research component as well as an outreach component for teachers/students associated with the Michigan Earth Science Teachers Association (MESTA). As a result, he is keeping a blog about the experience. Much of the focus of the posts are geared toward geology in the field and the challenges/rewards of conducting field work in remote/sensitive backcountry environments.  The science of the project is presented at a base level to be accessible for non geos as well as the general public.

Candice Hughes graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geoscience in May 2008. A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Candice came to Tacoma as part of an exchange program between PLU and the University of the West Indies. During her time at PLU she studied for a semester in Botswana and attended field camp in the Rocky Mountains – truly a global citizen! Read more about her story here.