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:
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
Elizabeth Spradlin, B.A., Geology, Colorado College
Elizabeth’s project investigates how Earth’s continental crust formed in non-arc settings, addressing a key paradox in modern petrology: while most continental crust today forms in subduction zones, this process requires preexisting crust. Focusing on the Wet Mountains of southern Colorado, Elizabeth examines Mesoproterozoic migmatites and associated plutons to better understand crustal anatexis and melt generation during crustal thickening. The region preserves evidence of partial melting during the Picuris Orogeny (ca. 1.45–1.35 Ga), and she hypothesizes that melts generated from a heterogeneous lower crust were mobilized and accumulated to form plutons such as the San Isabel and Oak Creek bodies. This work aims to clarify the processes responsible for generating felsic to intermediate continental crust and provide insight into the formation of Earth’s earliest crust.
To test these ideas, Elizabeth combines microstructural and geochemical approaches. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) will be used to distinguish melt-derived and residual domains within migmatites, while oxygen isotope (δ¹⁸O) analysis of garnet will help identify the source lithologies of the melts and evaluate potential genetic links between migmatites and plutons. The results will determine whether melts were derived from sedimentary, mafic, or mantle sources and whether the plutons represent coalesced crustal melts. This research forms the basis of Elizabeth’s senior thesis, with fieldwork, laboratory analysis, and data interpretation planned through 2027, and results to be presented at a national scientific conference.
Elizabeth’s work is under the direction of Michelle Gevedon.
Elizabeth is a Junior at Colorado College.
Recent winners of the Philip J. McKenna Memorial Scholarship:
2025 Harold Oppenheim and Sadie Almgren
2024 Annie Breyak
2023 Mackenzie Boyd and Emma Revenaugh
Nominated by Faculty