Morrison Nolan, a senior majoring in geology and chemistry, is a Goldwater Scholar and Foundation Fellow who plans to continue his studies in paleontology.
Hometown:
Stone Mountain, Georgia
High School:
Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology
Degree objective:
Dual major in geology and chemistry
Expected graduation:
May 2017
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
— Goldwater Scholarship recipient
— UGA Foundation Fellow
— Presenter at Spring 2016 CURO Symposium
— Fall 2015 Laerm Research Grant Recipient
— Co-founder and treasurer of Science Olympiad Outreach at UGA; organized three tournaments
— Searched for dinosaur fossils in a summer field program in Hell Creek, Montana
— Trekked along UGA’s Interdisciplinary Field Program
Current Employment:
Senior, undergraduate researcher in the geology department, intern at the Georgia Museum of Natural History.
I chose to attend UGA because…
The Foundation Fellowship gave me phenomenal research and travel opportunities.
My favorite things to do on campus are…
I enjoy the faculty-led book discussions, the international coffeehouses and departmental colloquia. I always look forward to the end of the semester, when the herpetology society brings out animals to show and hold. I try to take advantage of UGA’s musical performances. I scour the geology department’s discard pile for interesting rocks.
When I have free time, I like…
I enjoy reading classical and comedic literature.
The craziest thing I’ve done is…
Eating raw cactus (that I had cleaned) while waiting for lightning to pass. It tasted like a bland, slightly sweet sponge.
My favorite place to study is…
… in my dorm at Rutherford Hall.
My favorite professor is…
… Sally Walker in the geology department. She has an irrepressible enthusiasm for the subjects she teaches and is a wonderful research adviser.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
I would tour a research museum’s back collections with the head curator to see the material too exciting for the public and the wonderful stories behind them.
If I knew I could not fail, I would…
… successfully go skiing (instead of having to cancel the trip because it snowed too heavily).
If money was not a consideration, I would love to…
… visit Robert W. Service’s cabin in Dawson City, Canada, then travel to the Burgess Shale in Yoho National Park.
After graduation, I plan to…
… begin my master’s studies in paleontology.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
Looking for trilobite fossils on a Moroccan hillside with a local fossil dealer.