Congratulations to all those that entered the GeoPRISMS Student Prize. Of all the quality entries, this page recognizes those that were most highly rated by the judges. Many of the outstanding presentations are available to download via the links from this page.
The GeoPRISMS Prize accepts international entries from any student who can establish a topical link between their research and a stated aim of a GeoPRISMS Program Initiative. To date, winners and honorable mentions have come from both the U.S. and abroad and have gone to around the same number of male and female entrants, and poster and oral presentations.
Thank you to the Judges and the students who entered, whose efforts allow the GeoPRISMS Student Prize to take place.
Poster Presentation Winner

Elenora van Rijsingen – University Roma Tre, University of Montpellier
How does subduction interface roughness infuence megathrust earthquakes? Insights from natural data and analogue models
Coauthors: S. Lallemand, M. Peyret, F. Corbi, F. Funiciello, D. Arcay, A. Heuret
From the Judges: “Elenora has a thorough understanding of the methodology and handled questions and discussions quite effectively” “presentation covered an important topic of great interest to GeoPRISMS and the research used a clever blend of observation and analogue modeling. The student was enthusiastic and engaged very effectively with the audience. She handled questions very well and made her case with confidence” “This was one of the best posters I saw at the meeting”
Oral Presentation Winner
Natalie Accardo – LDEO, Columbia University
The growth and interaction of large border faults in the Malawi Rift from 3D seismic refraction imaging
Coauthors: D.J. Shillington, J.B. Gaherty, C.A. Scholz, C.J. Ebinger, A.A. Nyblade, P.R.N. Chindandali, G. Kamihanda, T. McCartney, D. Wood, R. Wambura Ferdinand
From the Judges:“This was an *OUTSTANDING* talk. […] clearly introduced the tectonic area and why the region of study was important, explaining in detail the newly collected dataset and method of analyses, and exploring the key results and conclusions” “This presentation was a perfect combination of thoughtful design and prepared delivery, and it was the best talk I saw at the entire meeting” “really interesting and well-delivered talk”
Honorable Mention
James Biemiller – Institute for Geophysics – UT Austin
The influence of tectonic inheritance on crustal extension style following failed subduction of continental crust: Applications to metamorphic core complexes in Papua New Guinea
Coauthors: S. Ellis, T. Little, M. Mizera, L Wallace, L. Lavier
From the Judges:“James gave an excellent oral presentation at AGU. He had well designed slides, gave a compelling motivation, spoke clearly and connected with his audience” “He presented exciting results with relevance to the GeoPRISMS community”
Honorable Mention
Jessie Bersson – Whitman College
Explosive to effusive transition in intermediate volcanism: An analysis of changing magma system conditions in Dominica
Coauthors: L.E. Waters, H.M. Frey, K.P. Nicolaysen, M.R.F. Manon
From the Judges:“Jessie has an impressive knowledge of her field and an awareness of the implications of her work for the volcanic hazard faced by residents of the capital city of Dominica [..] This was an excellent undergraduate contribution “Jessie was an engaging speaker who presented her poster clearly. She did an impressive job answering questions and showed a depth of knowledge about her subject that was impressive for an undergraduate”
Honorable Mention
Brandon Shuck – Institute for Geophysics – UT Austin
Constraints on mantle dynamics during Jurassic rifting in the ENAM area from seismic and petrological modeling of the oldest oceanic crust
Coauthors: H. Van Avendonk
From the Judges: “Brandon’s presentation was extremely well done.[…] He was cognizant of work being done in the same field area, as well as in different GeoPRISMS focus sites, which I think demonstrates a very mature sense of awareness. Very enthusiastic, interesting project, and excellent presentation.” “Knowledgable and engaging presentation of the results. […] Brandon sought out ways to combine multi-disciplinary constraints, consistent with the GeoPRISMS scientific goals”
Honorable Mention
Aude Lavayssiere – University of Southampton
Imaging rifting at the lithospheric scale in the northern East African Rift using S-to-P receiver functions
Coauthors: C. Rychert, D. Keir, N. Harmon, , J. Hammond, M. Kendall, S. Leroy, C. Doubre
From the Judges: “Aude gave an excellent presentation, which generated a lot of interest” “spoke clearly and concisely. Great execution. Slides were well designed and to the point. Excellent job answering questions “