Grant Colip
Grant Colip is a Physical Scientist with the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center (FBGC) at the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia.
I am a geologist at the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center in Reston, Virginia, where I work on the USGS Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project with Dr. Brandon Graham and other USGS scientists. Our research focuses on applying methods in stratigraphy, sedimentology, chronology, and geophysics to conduct Quaternary geologic mapping and associated research projects. These mapping and research efforts aim to address societally relevant issues and inform decisions surrounding aggregate resources and infrastructure for national defense. I also manage the Bascom Laser Diffraction Sedimentology Laboratory in Reston, which includes pXRF, microscopy, sieving, and laser diffraction particle size analysis instrumentation for use in a wide variety of geologic mapping and research applications. For more information, please visit the Laser Diffraction Lab website.
I joined the U.S. Geological Survey in 2018 during my time at James Madison University as an undergraduate Pathways student trainee, and became a full-time researcher in 2023 after completing my master's degree at North Carolina State University.
Employment
2018 - present: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Reston, Virginia.
- Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project (2024-present)
- Glaciated Regions Geologic Mapping Project (2022 - 2024)
- Great Lakes Geologic Mapping Project (2019 - 2022)
- Geology of the Appalachian and Illinois Basins (2018 - 2019)
2020 - 2023: Graduate Research / Teaching Assistant, North Carolina State University, Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina.
- Master's Thesis: "Interpreting seismic reflection imagery to reconstruct late Quaternary earthquake history at Lake Crescent, Washington, USA." Advisors: Dr. Elana Leithold & Dr. Karl Wegmann
2017 - 2019: Undergraduate Laboratory Assistant, James Madison University, Department of Geology & Environmental Science, Harrisonburg, Virginia.
- Honors Thesis: "Grain size and vegetation as controlling variables for stream channel morphology." Advisor: Dr. L Scott Eaton
Professional Experience
2023 - present: Physical Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Reston, Virginia
2018 - 2023: Student Trainee (Physical Science), U.S. Geological Survey, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Reston, Virginia
Education and Certifications
M.S. (2023) - Earth Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
B.S. (2019) - Geology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia
B.A. (2019) - Modern Foreign Languages - Spanish, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia
Honors and Awards
2023 - USGS STAR Award, for outstanding educational outreach efforts and facilitation of land access for geologic mapping
2022 - CSD Facility Visiting Graduate Student Travel Grant, for carrying out ICD (initial core description) work at the CSD (Continental Scientific Drilling) facility at UMN, Minneapolis, Minnesota
2019 - Philip R. Cosminsky Award, for outstanding service to the Geology department and the University
2018 - Spade Field Camp Scholarship, for the JMU Geology Field Course in Ireland
2017 - Fred Schaefermeyer Scholarship, for excelling in the Mineralogy course & showing enthusiasm for mineral collecting
2017 - Inducted into Sigma Gamma Epsilon, national earth science honor society
2015 - Second Century Scholarship, 75% of in-state tuition cost for all four years of undergraduate study, for showing outstanding promise as an incoming STEM major with a GPA of over 3.5
Abstracts and Presentations
Graham, B., Mahan, S., Colip, G., Stone, B., and DiGiacomo-Cohen, M. (2025) Characterization of variations in optically-stimulated luminescence response in different pro-glacial environments: Fort Drum, NY as a proving ground. Geological Society of America Joint Northeastern/North-Central Section Meeting in Erie, Pennsylvania, March 27-30, 2025.
Leithold, E., Wegmann, K., and Colip, G. (2024) An 8,000-year Holocene earthquake record from the northern Cascadia forearc: evidence for multiple sources at Lake Crescent, Washington. Seismological Society of America Annual Meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, April 29 - May 3, 2024.
Colip, G., Swezey, C., Mahan, S., Toomey, M., and Rodysill, J. (2023) Quaternary permafrost-fluvial and lacustrine sediments deposited during glacial intervals in the Water Sinks depression, a prominent karst sinkhole in Silurian-Devonian limestone, Highland County, Virginia. Geological Society of America Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 15-18, 2023.
Colip, G., Leithold, E., Wegmann, K., Brothers, D., and Burr, R. (2023) Seismic reflection imagery aids late Quaternary earthquake reconstructions at Lake Crescent, Washington, USA. Geological Society of America Joint Northeastern/Southeastern Section Meeting in Reston, Virginia, March 17-19, 2023.
Swezey, C., Brent, E., Colip, G., and Mahan, S. (2021). Luminescence dating of sand in Butler Cave (Burnsville Cove, Bath and Highland Counties, Virginia) reveals a sedimentary record from the last glaciation. Geological Society of America Northeastern Section Meeting (Online), March 14-15, 2021.
Colip, G., Swezey, C., Rodysill, J., Toomey, M., and Hayslett, M. (2020). Holocene sediments at Browns Pond, a vernal pool located within a karst sinkhole in the Silurian Tonoloway Limestone in Bath County, Virginia. Geological Society of America Northeast-Southeast Join Section Meeting in Reston, Virginia, March 20-22, 2020.