Chad Martin, Class of 2007
“I discovered an atmosphere at Wittenberg that helped me remain focused and stay on track. The professors have been approachable and interested in my success. A National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates and research funded by Wittenberg’s Floyd R. Nave Award have fed my passion for geology. My ultimate goal is a post-graduate degree in structural tectonics.”
“I transferred to Wittenberg where I could be a name, not a number,” Martin said, “and I discovered an atmosphere that helped me remain focused and stay on track. The professors have been approachable and interested in my success.”
Martin said that his original life-plan was to become an architect, but when he took a geology class, his passion was ignited, and his new course was set.
“When I took my first geology course, it reminded me of a how much interest I had in geology as a child,” Martin said. “I also discovered an innate ability to see the two dimensional in three dimensions.”
His passion took him to Maine to participate in a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates where nine students worked on individual research projects. In addition to ocean kayaking and camping, Martin used GPS to digitally map island outcroppings and recently presented his project findings at The Geological Society of America Annual Conference, Northeast Section, in New Hampshire.
His years at Wittenberg weren’t just rocks and earth. Martin was also on the swim team for two years, discovered a fascination with democracy and politics, and realized that he dislikes writing.
“I don’t like making a commitment to such a final form – one I can’t argue with,” he explained.
Martin plans to take a year off to work in the oil industry as he prepares for graduate school where he will study structural tectonics.