Shelby Frost Plitzuweit ‘08 Samuel Plitzuweit ‘07
Anyone who has spent even a nominal amount of time in Minnesota in the winter knows the tale of the Edmund Fitzgerald and understands singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot when he croons of the gales of November. They are powerful…
Each and every day, the dance of life revolves around the use of petroleum products. It powers our vehicles, lends our immune system a helping hand (antiseptics), and puts a roof over our heads. Polymers clothe us, encapsulate our medication, paint our lips in crimson, and provide a third set of teeth. Even “the almighty dollar” pays homage to petroleum. And you can thank WSU graduates for such innovative products (philosophically speaking).
WSU graduates create positive impact. They are a WSU “GALE” force when they come together to make a real difference in the lives of young people.
Last November, four recent WSU Geoscience alumni established the Geoscience Alumni Leadership Endowment (GALE), to inspire and support students majoring in Geoscience at WSU. GALE is designed to enhance learning by providing funding opportunities for motivated students through focused, independent research.
Samuel Plitzuweit ‘07, a senior petroleum geologist at ExxonMobil, is working with the South America New Opportunities exploration team investigating crustal evolution and syndeformational deposition along the Atlantic rift margin of Brazil.
His wife, whom he met at WSU, Shelby Frost Plitzuweit ‘08, is a petrophysicist at Apache Corporation, and works with the International New Ventures team integrating petrophysics, petrology, and geology in the Cook Inlet basin in Alaska.
Carl Matzek ‘10, is also a petroleum geoscientist for ExxonMobil, working as a GIS specialist for the Geoscience Computing Company, serving as technical support for geosciences applications and workflow.
Douglas Portis ‘07, a senior petroleum geoscientist at Pioneer Natural Resources, is manager of the Permian Operations Geology group drilling operations in the Spraberry and Wolfcamp intervals in the Midland Basin.
All four WSU Alumni live in Texas and return to campus periodically to volunteer as speakers in classrooms of soon-to-be scientists.
“Our experiences at Winona State University readied us for the challenges we encountered in graduate school and Industry,” reads the biographical motivation for the endowment. “The Geoscience department, and research conducted within, prepared us to think independently, instilled confidence in our scientific development and ability to communicate our research effectively, as well as provided the exposure toa multitude of geologic terrains and problems.”
Sam, Shelby, Carl, and Doug are making a statement about the quality of the education they received at WSU by pooling their resources to establish this endowed scholarship, and with their gift they hope to inspire other alumni to think outside the box when it comes to establishing WSU scholarships. Their individual gifts, together with matching gifts from their employers, will provide future students with a research opportunity that will prepare them well for their future careers in the field of Geoscience. Their gifts are making a real difference in students’ lives.
There is power in numbers.
