Page 6 - 2020 GGE Newsletter

Page 6

GGE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT SPOTLIGHT:
JOSHUA EBNER (BS STUDENT, PIRET PLINK-BJORKLUND)

My name is Joshua Ebner and I am an undergraduate senior in
the Mineral and Petroleum Exploration Track, majoring in Geo-
logical Engineering, and minoring in Mining Engineering.
Through several research opportunities here at the Colorado
School of Mines, I have developed a passion for economic geolo-
gy and enthusiasm for geoscience research. Under Dr. Zhaoshan
Chang and one of his Ph.D. candidates Kairan Liu, I was intro-
duced to the operation of an LA-ICP-MS last spring where I
identified analytical targets and learned how to operate the in-
strumentation. That same semester, I also had the fortune of
being a part of a research project under Dr. Thomas Monecke
and one of his Ph.D. candidates Garrett Gissler. There I helped
to further deduce the nature of deep-seated structural defor-
mation within his field area.

Following the completion of field camp this past summer, I was
employed as an undergraduate research fellow. Working with
Dr. Katharina Pfaff, I learned how to operate many of the in-
struments in her lab and studied the theories behind their oper-
ation. My research focused on applying the analytical tech-
niques I had learned to better characterize the distribution of
germanium in core samples provided from an exploration pro-
ject in western Alaska. By utilizing an array of hyperspectral
instrumentation, I was able to provide new insights and aid in Joshua Ebner “happily standing next to my favorite rock
updating previously completed mineralogical studies. formation (Baraboo Quartzite)”
This summer I also set up and operated the department’s new
3D rock scanner. From a rock sample, I would digitize it into a 3-dimensional model which could be used in place of the
original hand sample for instructional purposes. Being able to help the department transition into a remote environment
was gratifying and something I’m thankful to have been a part of. I’ve had the opportunity to continue this position
throughout this past semester, handling some incredible samples as a consequence of my work. Aside from operating the
3D scanner, I’ve spent considerable time working in the Ransome Room reorganizing samples, and I also oversee a part-
time desk staff at Mines Park. I am the president of Earthworks, a gardening and sustainability club here on campus, and
the secretary of the Mines SEG student chapter.
If it weren’t for our SEG student chapter, I never would have discovered my passion for economic geology. During my
sophomore year, unsure if I had chosen the right major, I joined a suite of professional geologic societies and sought to at-
tend as many meetings as I could. After attending the first SEG student chapter meeting of the Fall 2018 semester, I had
my answer; I was captivated. The field trip SEG took that semester to visit active mining operations in Montana exposed
me to environments that I could see myself working in, and applications of geology that fascinated me. From the under-
ground operations at the Stillwater Complex to the gaping open pit at the Golden Sunlight Mine, I was enthralled and have
since sought to emulate in my work the same passion I had developed by the end of that four-day trip.

Better understanding the dynamics of ore deposits, their quirks, and elusiveness is a puzzle I’m apprehensive to begin
working on in graduate school. Combining disciplines such as mineralogy, structural geology, and petrology to solve dy-
namic geologic problems engages my academic interests and provides me with the opportunity to conduct research with
real-world implications. I wish to make a difference in the world by becoming a productive member of the mining industry.
To use what I’ve learned at Mines to aid in securing mineral resources for the next generation and to be a part of a sustaina-
ble future of technological and scientific growth.