Going to GSA was very exciting in the beginning. We were going to watch presentations on research that is happening in the field, making connections, meeting graduate schools, and seeing if we are really interested in our desired fields.
I enjoyed most of the talks I attended, they were informative and well presented. Basically all of the presenters spoke well, were genuinely interested in their research, and were relayed to the audience in a way that even undergraduates could understand. They understood that there were more than just professionals sitting in on the talks.
I really struggled with what talks to go see because there were so many! Hundreds of talks and presentations were given everyday. It was amazing to see so many unique projects. One forgets the sheer number of fields and opportunities when taking broad classes.
I sat in on hydrologic talks, Landslide talks, talks by the National Park Service and MANY more. I seen talks I didn't really care about (but thought I did based on the title) and talks I found very interesting and have been looking into.
For instance, asbestos is a very common secondary mineral more common than previously thought. There were talks about asbestos in Washington state and Nevada. Two places that were completely different. The projects were wonderful to sit in on because I learned so much about the role of water in the production of asbestos and how important it is to study where asbestos is and its potential to destroy natural areas as well as farmland and water sources.
Some of the talks were incredibly boring. They were mostly interpreting graphs and talking about what that means for an area. I know that some of the talks were only boring to hear about but the work itself is more fun. Going out into the field and collecting data and samples can be a lot of fun.
I really look forward to future meetings and giving my own presentation.
-Jurnee West
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