Rogers, who joined the CSU Stanislaus Geology faculty in 2006 and has been conducting geological research in Honduras for 20 years, will participate in the dedication ceremony of the new Geoscience Institute of Honduras on January 15. CSU Stanislaus has formed a memorandum of understanding agreement with the Polytechnic University of Engineering in the Honduran capital city of Tegucigalpa that officials hope will lead to student and faculty exchanges between the two universities.
Honduras, a mountainous country with a rich geological history and a variety of natural resources, has a serious need for geoscientists with degrees which have not previously been offered at the country’s universities. The new institute to support the geosciences, along with the expertise of scientists like Rogers and those from universities in other countries, are expected to help train more qualified scientists at the Honduran university.
“Cultivation of this agreement will give students from our University and students in Honduras the opportunity to gain valuable experiences and training in the geosciences,” CSU Stanislaus President Hamid Shirvani said. “CSU Stanislaus students will benefit from the great research opportunities in Honduras and students from Honduras will have access to our outstanding faculty and geoscience programs.”
Joining Rogers for what is considered a breakthrough event for the geosciences in Honduras will be CSU Stanislaus Geology undergraduate students Kait Barber of Oakdale and Chris Hammond of Lodi. Following the dedication of the institute which Rogers has helped develop in an advisory role, the CSU Stanislaus professor and his two students will head to the Danli region in southeast Honduras for two weeks of geological research.
Rogers, who has produced geological maps of much of Honduras for government agencies there over the years, plans to introduce the two CSU Stanislaus students to an area where he has located rocks associated with the breakup of the Pangea supercontinent (what are now North and South America) about 250 million years ago. Their work is supported by a CSU Stanislaus research grant, along with logistical support from the Honduran government.
“It is hoped that this agreement and the resources at the center will lead to greater involvement from geoscientists in other countries, and in terms of research and education opportunities for students seeking careers in the geosciences,” Rogers said.
The Geoscience Institute of Honduras, with strong support from the Honduran government, is expected to focus on academic development, scientific investigation, development of studies and projects, and to provide answers to geosciences issues in Honduras. Extensive research remains to be done on the country’s physical geography, geological formations and faults, and deposits of resources such as minerals and oil.
Rogers, who came to CSU Stanislaus from the University of Puerto Rico, lived in Honduras from 1989 to 1992 while with the Peace Corps after earning his master’s degree from Colorado State University. He lived with the Tawahka Indians in 1992, learning their language and traveling by canoe and on foot while mapping the Mosquito Coast region in remote eastern Honduras. He has returned to the country each year since then to conduct more geological research and help promote the need to increase the number of Honduran geoscientists.
To follow Rogers’ blogs as a Modesto Bee contributing editor from Honduras in January, go online at http://thehive.modbee.com/blog/31855. For more on the Geoscience Institute of Honduras, go to http://www.upi.edu.hn/.