A "Landslide" Success: Geology Students Take Home Collaborative Research Award at Annual Conference

Their research focused on determining the reliability of remote landslide-detection models along major transportation routes in Alaska where ground instability often results in expensive repairs.   

“Our research focused on using tree rings to ground truth—basically confirm or deny—the results and accuracy of remote sensing technology used to identify landslides,” says Annabella, a geology major and anthropology minor from Troy, New York. “Trees produce darker wood called reaction wood when they are undergoing a destabilizing event, which can be caused by landslides.”  

Annabella and Audrey worked closely with their advisor, Associate Professor of Geology Alexander K. Stewart, on their collaborative research. During the spring semester, the students and their professor traveled to Alaska to collect samples, with funding support from the Clare Boothe Luce Undergraduate Research Scholar program and the geology department. 

“While traveling around the state, we were able to witness the prevalent landslide activity and understand the need for a reliable landslide model,” says Audrey, who is from Camden, Maine, and is also a geology major.  

“During a week-long field course, we spent two days hiking out to our sample site and drilling the cores ourselves,” adds Annabella, who also noted that taking cores doesn’t hurt the trees. “It was so neat being able to collect and then process the cores ourselves, and it helped me connect to the research on a more personal level.” 

Audrey’s and Annabella’s success embodies a long tradition of academic excellence in St. Lawrence’s geology department. 

“They are among many geology students who have presented award-winning research in the last decade or so. It is external proof that our model of working with students is effective,” says Stewart. “We collaborate with students from project inception to presentation and/or publication. In other words, award-winning means each step in the process must have been right and well executed!” 

“It felt so good to present my work,” says Annabella. “I was initially really worried about being taken seriously and answering questions, but I quickly realized that I just needed to relax, and it all came to me. I had a lot of fun sharing our findings and telling people what I did, and I had this huge surge of pride whenever I looked to my right and saw Audrey explaining her work as well.” 

For Audrey, conducting award-winning research is a stepping stone to diving deeper into topics that spark her curiosity.   

“I’m interested in studying climatology, and trees are an important proxy for understanding climatic changes within the last century,” she explains. “Working closely with a faculty member allows you to develop a deeper understanding of the research process which can be applied to any field you choose to go into moving forward.”