Will Smith (BS Geology, 2008)

I finished up my MS degree in Geology from Idaho State University last year and am now working as a research support scientist for the University of Idaho in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Still working on the Carbon Sequestration project which involves me taking various rocks (mainly basalts) and reacting them with CO2 charged fluids. I then analyze the rocks, alteration products, and reaction fluids chemically and physically and use the analyses to determine what made a given rock more reactive with the CO2 fluids. I also sample natural CO2 charged waters and analyze them to compare then to the lab reaction fluids. Through doing this research I've gotten to travel all over western Idaho and gained experience on several analytical instruments (which is where I spend a lot of my time) so all and all it hasn't been a bad five years.

I still miss the CWU geology department and fondly remember all the field trips. I also still think that CWU was good preparer for my graduate student years, though I wish I'd ran more of the analytical instruments available at CWU while I had the chance. Good bye for now and good luck.