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Dr. Ben Johnson
he/him/his Assistant Professor NSF Postdoc, University of Colorado Boulder: 2017-2019 PhD, University of Victoria: 2012 MS, University of Utah: 2009 BS, University of Puget Sound: 2006 Ben is a geologist and geochemist with broad interests that span Earth History and Earth System Science. He uses a variety of rock archives, including chemical sediments, glacial tills, and igneous rocks as records of the interactions between life, the oceans, the atmosphere, and the solid Earth over deep time. He uses field work, analytical and isotope geochemistry, and numerical modeling to investigate deep time questions about Earth history. He is also interested in astrobiology and planetary science! . Click here to visit my Google Scholar page. Click here to visit my Research Gate profile. Click here for my CV. 
Samuel Duncanson He/him/his PhD student Sam received his B.S. in Geology from the University of St. Thomas and a M.Sc. in Geological Sciences from the University of Minnesota Duluth. While at UMD, Sam studied mineralogy in ~1.9 Ga iron formation to constrain Paleoproterozoic seawater chemistry. At ISU, he will continue sedimentology and geochemistry research with Dr. Ben Johnson, focusing on Nitrogen cycling and redox conditions during periods of glacial activity throughout Earth History. |
Dana Mineart
she/her/hers MS Student Dana received her B.S. degree in Geology and Anthropology from Iowa State University in 2020. Her interests in geology involve deep time and Earth history. She is currently working towards her M.S. in geological sciences with Dr. Ben Johnson. Her collaborative research involves adapting a microfluorination technique to improve ability to measure oxygen isotopes in silicate rocks. Dana has also worked on archaeological digs with the Center for American Archeology, involving geospatial data and ArcGIS to map historic sites. Dana is the teaching assistant for History of the Earth (GEOL 102) during the spring semester. 
Alexandra Grajales
she/her/hers MS Student Alex received her B.S. degree in Geology and Minor in Science Education from the University of Puerto Rico- Mayaguez Campus in 2021. Her interests in geology involve studying the evolution of the Earth’s surface and atmospheric conditions through the geologic time record using fossils. She is currently starting her M.S. in geological sciences with Dr. Ben Johnson. Her research involves studying nitrogen isotopes in fossilized plant matter from the Phanerozoic era as well as modern plants to retrieve atmospheric nitrogen level fluctuations throughout Earths History. Alex is the teaching assistant for Introduction to Geology for Engineering and Environmental Sciences (GEOL 201) during the fall semester. 
Kate Preibisch
she/her/hers Undergraduate researcher Kate is a sophomore majoring in Geology and minoring in Geographic Information Science at Iowa State University. She is Girl Scout Gold Award recipient, having done a large educational project for elementary students on the impact of invasive species on native habitats, and she is a graduate of Charles B. Whitnall High School in Greenfield, Wisconsin. Kate is currently working on a project characterizing nitrogen isotopes in plants and plant fossils through the Phanerozoic. |
Former members
Emily Meinert, undergraduate researcher
(Fall 2020) |
Haley Bix, undergraduate researcher
(Spring 2021) |
Ben Boesen, undergraduate researcher (2020-2021)
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Justin Glenn, undergraduate researcher
(2021)
(2021)