Scholarships
Philip J. McKenna Memorial Scholarship For a Rising Senior Geology Major at Colorado College
The Philip J. McKenna Memorial Scholarship is given to a Colorado College geology major to support geologic studies in the Rocky Mountain region and to reward excellence in geologic achievement. The recipient is nominated by the faculty at Colorado College. This scholarship was established by Don and Elizabeth McKenna in honor of their father and husband, respectively. Philip McKenna was a geology major at Colorado College, served as President of RMAG in 1984, received the Distinguished Service Award in 1986, became an Honorary Member in 1989, and was named the Outstanding Explorer by RMAG in 1991.
The 2026 Philip J. McKenna Memorial Scholarship was awarded to:
Elizabeth Spradlin, BA student, Colorado College (Photo and project descriptions coming soon!)
Juniper Berry, B.A., Geology, Colorado College
Juniper’s thesis topic is “Rock Glacier Response to Seasonal and Climatic Change in Colorado, USA: A Kinematic and Hydrologic Investigation”. Though rock glaciers are the primary cryospheric landforms in Colorado and North America, their response to warming climates is understudied. The mechanisms and diversity of rock glacier surface movement are poorly constrained. Likewise, given that rock glaciers likely store over 1000 times the freshwater as ice glaciers in North America, their meltwater contribution to regional water systems requires more investigation. Juniper’s research will examine rock glaciers across Colorado to better constrain their kinematic and meltwater flow regime response to warming. She will integrate remote sensing, kinematic calculations, and aqueous geochemistry to understand how rock glaciers respond to climatic and seasonal changes. This approach will provide a quantitative benchmark for analyzing the future of the cryosphere in Colorado.
Juniper’s work is under the direction of Dr. Sarah Schanz
Juniper is a Junior at Colorado College
Recent winners of the Philip J. McKenna Memorial Scholarship:
2025 Harold Oppenheim and Sadie Almgren
2024 Annie Breyak, Colorado College
2023 Mackenzie Boyd and Emma Revenaugh, Colorado College
2022 Spencer Shaw, Colorado College
Nominated by Faculty