Elizabeth Small, a geology master’s student at Wichita State, is turning a childhood fascination with rocks into valuable experience for her future career.
Through an applied learning position with Wichita State’s geology department, Elizabeth works as an applied learning student assistant for Geological Collection Curation. She plans to graduate in spring 2027.
In her role, Elizabeth identifies and organizes rock and mineral samples within the department’s geological collection. The work requires her to carefully examine each specimen’s physical and optical properties and maintain accurate records so the collection remains a useful resource for students, faculty and researchers.