Alexander Kling '20
BS Geology

While in high school in New York City, Alexander Kling twice participated in Stony Brook University’s GeoPREP summer research program. The summers of research sparked his interest in geosciences, and when the time came to find a university to attend, Alex knew where to look. As three years of research in planetary science in the Department of Geosciences come to close, Alex reflects on his time at Stony Brook and offers some advice to future Seawolves. 

How did you hear about Stony Brook University?
I first heard about Stony Brook University from my mom, who graduated from SBU in 1977. I have a faint memory of coming to a homecoming football game when I was pretty young. I also participated in a Stony Brook research program called GeoPREP, for two summers during high school. It was designed to get high school students interested in geosciences.

Why Stony Brook?
I chose to study at Stony Brook because I was familiar with it from my time in the GeoPREP program and knew that it was strong in the fields that I was interested in at the time, particularly Planetary Science and Geology. It was also just far enough away from New York City, where I am originally from, that I felt like I was going away for college.

On his major:
I am a Geology major, although I originally declared myself as an Astronomy/Planetary Science major because I was particularly interested in studying the planets in our solar system. During Admitted Students' Day, I went to a talk called "Becoming a Scientist at Stony Brook" given by Dr. Hanna Nekvasil from the Department of Geosciences. I went up to her at the end of the talk and told her about my interests and experience working in the department in high school. We started emailing that summer and she put me in touch with the undergraduate advisor for the Department of Geosciences at the time, Dr. Deanne Rogers. I met with Dr. Rogers before my summer orientation, and she told me about the major. Since she is a planetary scientist herself, I asked her which path would be better to pursue - geology or astronomy? She explained to me that astronomers looked at the planets through telescopes and that geologists looked at the planets more closely with orbiters and rovers. That interested me a lot more and I immediately changed my major to Geology at my orientation and never looked back.

On his favorite class:
One of my favorite classes, and probably the most useful class that I've taken here was JRN 365: Talking Science. It's a science communication course for STEM majors offered through the School of Journalism in partnership with the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. I had always taken an interest in science communication since neither of my parents have a scientific background and I wanted to be able to more effectively communicate to them my interests and what my research actually meant. The structure of the course was very fun and engaging and my instructor, Nancee Moes, was amazing. Every time I give a presentation or talk to people in my everyday life about what I do, I use the skills that I developed in that class.

Interests and accomplishments:
Some of my interests include science, particularly geology and planetary science, scientific outreach, science communication, creative writing, cooking, hiking, and playing tennis. Some of my accomplishments include presenting my research at two conferences in my field, the 5th Annual NASA Exploration Science Forum, and the 50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. I was also a co-author on one of my professor's papers, MGS-TES spectra suggest a basaltic component in the regolith of Phobos published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.

Greatest achievement:
I would say that my greatest achievement was getting accepted to grad school to pursue a PhD. It proved to me that all of my long days in the lab, late nights studying, and everything else that I worked for over the last four years really paid off. I had top programs across the country, some of whom rejected me for undergrad, trying to recruit me to join them. I was able to finally step back and recognize everything that my friends, family, and mentors saw in me all along.

Awards & Accolades:

Provost's Award for Academic Excellence - SBU (2020)

AIPG National Undergraduate Scholarship - American Institute of Professional Geologists (2020)

USRA Distinguished Undergraduate, Honorable Mention - Universities Space Research Association (2019)

2019 Barry Goldwater Scholar - Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation (2019)

Angelo Tagliacozzo Memorial Geological Scholarship -  American Institute of Professional Geologists, Northeast Section (2019)

October 2018 Researcher of the Month - SBU URECA (2018)

Dean's List for all eight semesters

Presidential Scholarship - SBU (annually)

Plans for post-graduation:
I will be starting my graduate studies, pursuing a PhD in Planetary Science at Purdue University in Fall 2020.;

Career aspirations:
I hope to pursue research as a full-time career. What shape that may take, I'm not sure yet. I have learned during my undergrad career that I have a passion for mentoring and teaching. I hope to explore these more in grad school and if I find that I really enjoy them, I hope to pursue a career as a university professor, conducting research as well as teaching and inspiring future generations of students and scientists. 

Clubs and organizations:
I am President of the Stony Brook University Astronomy Club and served as its Secretary my Sophomore and Junior years. I have also been a Resident Assistant for the Department of Campus Residences working in Sanger College in Tabler Quad for the past two years. I have also been a member of the Jewish Student Association during my time at Stony Brook.

Favorite SBU memories:
One of my favorite SBU memories was racing in the Roth Regatta as the President of the Wagner College Hall Council my sophomore year. We had pulled an all-nighter finishing the construction of our boat and it was pouring rain that day so spirits weren't the highest. But we won our first heat and I can remember being interviewed by journalism students while panting for air and still full of adrenaline. We went on to win our next heat too and came in third place overall. Roth Regatta is such a fun celebration and one of my favorite events that the University holds.

Advice for future Seawolves:
I have two main pieces of advice. The first is to get involved on campus with some type of club or organization. Being involved in something like a club that you can go to every week to relax, take your mind off your studies, and do something you enjoy can make a huge difference in your undergrad experience. It can also allow you to develop socially and professionally; I made some great friends through the Astronomy Club and I also gained a lot of experience and translatable skills since joining its executive board. The second piece of advice is to apply to as many things as you can: summer programs, scholarships, job opportunities, you name it. You'll likely continue applying to things once you leave Stony Brook, and developing this skill can be invaluable. And if you get one, then it'll just lead into the next and open up new doors for you for even greater success.

Parting thoughts:
I could not have gotten to where I am without the incredible support of the mentors that I've found at Stony Brook. There are many, but I'd especially like to thank Tim Glotch, Deanne Rogers, and Jennifer Green for pushing me and believing in me.