Mike Braunagel is a Ph.D. student advised by Dr. Ashley Griffith. Here he describes how the Friends of Orton Hall furthered his academic career.
I received funds from Friends of Orton Hall to present my research at the American Association of Petroleum Geologists’ Annual Student Expo held in Houston, Texas. The Friends of Orton Hall helped to cover my travel expenses, as well as the conference registration fees. The research I presented focuses on developing new experimental techniques to evaluate the effect of rapid stress cycling on the dynamic strength and fragmentation behavior of rocks. Numerous processes, including rock drilling and operational blasting, often subject rocks to load paths of greater complexity than we have traditionally simulated in laboratory tests, though theoretical studies suggest this complex loading can greatly affect the constitutive behavior of geologic materials. During the expo, I had the opportunity to share my research with professionals working in the energy industry and discuss possible links to their projects. This experience gave me the opportunity to practice communicating science to broad audiences and also introduced me to many potential career options. In addition to presenting my work, I was able to network with industry professionals, meet other early-career scientists, and learn new skills through a variety of short courses. I am extremely grateful to the Friends of Orton Hall and its donors for making all of this possible.