Research Group
Bill Lukens is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geology and Environmental Science at James Madison University. Bill graduated from Baylor University (PhD, Geology) and Temple University (MS and BS, Geology) and was a postdoctoral researcher at Baylor University and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. His interests include gardening, cycling, live music, and coffee.
Contact: lukenswe (at) jmu (dot) edu
Ana Venters is an undergraduate student majoring in Geology and minoring in Chemistry. She is investigating paleovegetation using stable isotopes in Early Miocene paleosols from West Turkana, Kenya. Ana is also a paid lab assistant for stable isotope analyses from the Baringo Basin, Kenya, under NSF Award 2103009. Her hobbies include hiking, cooking, and cozy video games.
Victor Petrov is an undergraduate student majoring in Geology. He is a paid lab assistant working on paleosol elemental geochemistry from the Baringo Basin, Kenya, under NSF Award 2103009.
Sam Peterman is an undergraduate student majoring in Geology. He is reconstruction seasonal paleoclimate using stable isotopes measured on late Miocene subfossil wood from the Brassington Fm., UK.
Completed Research Projects and Former Lab Assistants
Joslyn Herold, 2022-2024: Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of a Middle Miocene fossil site in the Turkana Basin, Kenya.
Annie Geoly, 2023-2024: Plio-Pleistocene paleovegetation reconstruction using bulk paleosol organic matter from the Baringo Basin, Kenya.
Erin Frederick, 2023-2024: Testing paleosol decarbonation methods for organic carbon stable isotope analysis.
Josie Hutt, 2023: Lab assistant.
Maria Petrova, 2022-2023: Lab assistant.
Kristen Malosky, 2022-2023: A widely applicable, non-destructive too for analyzing the preservation state of modern and fossil wood
Obrine Tamon, 2022-2023: Reconstructing Early Miocene Paleoclimate in West Turkana, Kenya
Kali Neydon, 2021-2022: Testing accuracy and precision of loss-on-ignition analysis for soils and paleosols.
Shelby Baumer, 2022: Reconstruction of Early Pliocene Hydroclimate from Chemeron Formation Paleosols in the Baringo Basin, Kenya.
Tara Scholberg, 2022: Morphology and Stable Isotope Geochemistry of Amber from the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary in Western Kentucky.
Leyna Young, 2021-2022: A non-destructive technique for assessing fossil wood decay using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy
Kaliyah Booker, 2021-2022: Lab assistant
Sara Patton, 2020-2021: Paleozoic terrestrial weathering patterns in Appalachian Basin paleosols
Gray Richardson, 2020-2021: Mineralogy and paleosol micromorphology from the Early Miocene Songhor locality in Kenya
Ana Shirley and Robin Maloney, 2020-2021: Dendroclimatology of chestnut oak trees in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
Zach Strasberg, 2019-2021: Placing Late Oligocene paleoclimate estimates for southern China into a modern climate framework (Honor's thesis)
Caleb Wassman, 2019-2020: Experimental Analysis of Paleosol Decarbonization Techniques
Gilberto Martínez, 2019-2020: Characterizing the Micromorphology of Paleosols from Buluk, Kenya
Angela Nebel, Fall 2019: Ichnology of the Huckleberry Ridge Ash Deposit, Meade Basin, Kansas
We thank our Kenyan friends and colleagues for their contributions to our research programs. We also thank the numerous officials, guides, field assistants, fossil finders, laborers, security guards, cooks, drivers, community members, and other personnel whose efforts make our field research possible.
If you are interested in learning more about some of the work our colleagues do to improve local communities, please visit: