GEO grad student Nathan W. Eichelberger is a recipient of an Outstanding Student Paper Award (OSPA) by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) at their 2013 Fall Meeting in San Francisco.  Eichelberger submitted his research "Tracking Crustal Thickness Changes During Central Andean Deformation" at the AGU's fall meeting in early December.  Eichelberger won under the under the "Tectonophysics" category.  His advisors are Nadine McQuarrie (University of Pittsburgh), Allan Rubin, and Blair Schoene. 

At the meeting, students have a selection of 24 total topic options of Geophysics.  Each student must submit an abstract in order to be selected as a participating presenter. During the presentations, a committee of three judges reviews each submission within an oral paper and poster format.  In turn, students listen to feedback and interact with judges so that they can obtain valuable experience in presenting their work within a scientific context.  Considering that all judges are volunteers, they must enjoy the process as well.

Congratulations to Eichelberger for his recognition with this AGU scientific initiation. The AGU aims to encourage young scientists to continue their work in the much-needed Earth and space sciences.