URSP Student Stephen Fabian Conducts a A Stratigraphic and Geophysical Analysis of the Former Green Run Inlet along Assateauge Island

 I have always been fascinated by the interaction between the ocean and coastal environment. It has been a blessing to have grown up in Virginia Beach, VA, and witness this on a daily basis. Surfing definitely drove my passion to study coastal environments for my undergraduate and graduate career. I was always amazed by the power of ocean and how it can change the geology of the land in a matter of hours. Being someone who enjoys the beach there was no way I could turn down an opportunity to do research on a barrier island. Also, to be doing my own research as an undergraduate really drove my passion to jump on this project. Being able to see data that I collected and then interpreting them with my own methods was something that really excited me.

This research has opened the door to a number of graduate school opportunities. I have gained the necessary skills to conduct my own research at the graduate school level and potentially beyond. It has always been my goal to attend a graduate school program and with the help of this project it will definitely solidify my passion to continue to study coastal geology. Also, with the skills and knowledge gained from this research I hope to one day pass on my methods to future scholars in my field. 

On a weekly basis I am doing a number of things. Whether it is doing grain size analysis in the lab, creating graphs and figures in Adobe Illustrator, or constantly interpreting my data. There is no break during my research. There is always new questions to answered, data to be analyzed, or writing to be done. This week, I have been putting the finishing touches on making a 2-demensional model on the North-South Transect of the former Green Run Inlet. I have been analyzing and determining different facies among five sediment cores. I have discovered the stratigraphic correlations between the five sediment cores and have successfully placed the former position of the Green Run Inlet.