UNCW Geoscience Students Earn GSA Research Awards

Seven UNC Wilmington graduate students have received prestigious 2026 Geological Society of America (GSA) Student Research awards and grants of more than $16,000 in recognition of their innovative research addressing some of today's environmental and geoscience challenges.

“UNCW is uniquely positioned to address the environmental challenges facing coastal communities,” said Ron Vetter, Dean of the College of Science and Engineering. “These GSA research awards highlight the dedication of our graduate students and the outstanding mentorship of our faculty.” The seven students are advancing scientific knowledge while focusing on real-world problems. Vetter added, “Their success reflects the collaborative, interdisciplinary environment that defines the College of Science and Engineering at UNCW.”

The awards provide important funding to advance projects spanning earthquake and tsunami hazards, coastal groundwater sustainability, environmental contaminants, carbon cycling, agricultural resilience and sedimentary records of past climate and tectonic events.

The recipients are:

• Tyler Cave, investigating the ancient Umpqua river valley sediments in Oregon to better classify and understand the deposition timing of past storms and earthquakes through radiocarbon dating.
• Yuwei Fu, utilizing multi-decadal satellite imagery and satellite data to model coastal forest decline and detect ghost forests to improve our understanding of the impacts of sea-level rise and saltwater intrusion.
• Kirsten Ivins, Parke D. Snavely, Jr. Research Award whose research maps deposits from the 1700 Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami to improve hazard maps and coastal preparedness in coastal Washington.
• Emily McGee, examining how land-use change impacts wetlands and influences carbon dynamics in southeastern North Carolina.
• Remon Ahmed Mishu, using remote sensing, GIS and artificial intelligence to predict how flooding and saltwater intrusion affect crop health and agricultural productivity in coastal North Carolina.
• Ifetayo M. Olubena, advancing methods to characterize coastal aquifers and support freshwater-saltwater dynamics on a barrier island and provide sustainable groundwater management in North Carolina's coastal communities.
• Jack Sullivan, Lipman Research Award studying previously unquantified PFAS precursor compounds with unknown concentrations within the environment that may contribute to long-term environmental and health contamination.

The GSA awards provide students with financial support for analysis, data collection, supplies and travel. The awards reflect their ability to effectively communicate their work with others who recognize the significance of their research in geoscience.

“Research is one of the most powerful ways our students make a difference,” said Professor Andrea Hawkes. “These students are tackling important scientific questions to help create more resilient communities and a deeper understanding of our changing world. Receiving these competitive GSA research awards reflects the high quality of their work.”

Together, their investigative projects showcase UNCW's leadership in geoscience research that addresses natural hazards, environmental quality, climate resilience, and sustainable management of coastal resources.