Scholarships

Bolyard Family Scholarship

The Bolyard Family Scholarship has no restrictions or requirements. The RMAG Foundation welcomes applications in any field of geoscience, and rewards academic excellence and scientific achievement. The scholarship may be awarded to graduate students or to a rising senior at any four-year university or college that offers a degree in geology except for students attending the Colorado School of Mines or Colorado College which have their own dedicated scholarships. This scholarship was established by the Bolyards, longtime supporters of the RMAG Foundation and the geologic community. Dudley recently passed away and will be greatly missed. He served in major leadership positions with the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists and the RMAG Foundation. He is remembered for his passionate success in all his geologic endeavors and unbridled enthusiasm for geologic events.Marion has been a longtime leader in the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists Auxiliary, an organization which provides support for technical conferences, conventions, and various social events for the geologic community.

The 2026 Bolyard Family Scholarship was awarded to:

Haley Brumberger, Ph.D. Candidate, Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder

Haley’s project aims to refine understanding of the depositional environments and paleoclimate at the Willow Creek Anticline (WCA) by analyzing sediments and carbonate rocks associated with dinosaur nesting sites. It is hypothesized that different dinosaur species nested in distinct environmental settings and that some deposits previously interpreted as dry or lake-based may instead represent wetland (palustrine) conditions. To test this, she will study stratigraphy, sedimentology, paleosols, and carbonate materials across nesting horizons, including those of hadrosaurs and theropods, while improving correlations between sites using radiometric dating.

Her approach combines microscopic imaging and geochemical techniques, especially carbon, oxygen, and clumped isotope analyses, to determine how carbonates formed and what they reveal about temperature, moisture, and environmental change. By integrating these data, the project seeks to build a more precise depositional model for the WCA, clarify dinosaur nesting preferences, and evaluate whether carbonate materials, including fossilized dung, can serve as reliable indicators of ancient climate and ecosystems.

Haley’s work is under the direction of Drs. Karen Chin and Kathryn Snell

Recent winners of the Bolyard Family Scholarship:

2025 Nick R. Borders, University of Idaho

2024 Natali Kragh, Montana State University

2023 Shayla Triantafillou, Colorado State University