Scholarships

Gary Babcock Memorial Scholarship

The Gary Babcock Memorial Scholarship is for graduate students only and has no restrictions or requirements. Two scholarships are awarded. The RMAG Foundation welcomes applications in any field of geoscience. The scholarship was created in 2007 in memory of Gary Babcock who is remembered not only for his successful, 40-year career in petroleum exploration and development, but for his kind spirit, caring nature, and his positive influence on others in the geologic community.

The 2026 Gary Babcock Memorial Scholarship was awarded to:

Zane Wasicko, M.S., Geophysics, University of Utah

Zane’s thesis investigates how glacier systems evolve into rock glaciers during deglaciation, focusing on the Timpanogos Rock Glacier in Utah as a natural laboratory. He examines how snow and debris are incorporated in cirque environments, testing the hypothesis that the rock glacier has continuously accumulated ice and debris throughout the Holocene via debris-on-snow processes. Building on prior work that established the feature’s age and ice content, Zane addresses key gaps in understanding its internal structure, surrounding ice distribution, and long-term evolution.

Zane combines high-resolution ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys with cosmogenic ¹⁰Be dating to map internal stratigraphy, quantify ice content, and constrain the timing of debris input. Fieldwork, geophysical imaging, and geochemical analysis are integrated to develop a 3D structural model and determine rates of mass accumulation and transport. This work provides new insight into rock glacier formation and dynamics, improving understanding of how alpine cryospheric systems store ice and evolve under warming climates, with implications for future water resources and landscape change.

Zane’s work is under the direction of Dr. Leif Anderson.

Recent winners of the Gary Babcock Memorial Scholarship:

2025 Diana Jean Urda, Texas Tech University

2024 Victor Fakaye, Colorado School of Mines

2023 David Nworie, Colorado School of Mines

2022 Christophe Simbo, Colorado State University

2022 Jacob Slawson, Colorado School of Mines