Going places with geology

Studying geology at California State University, Bakersfield has taken Maggie Izumi places, from conferences in Washington D.C. and Anaheim to research with Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in the Bay Area. Soon, it will also take her to back to her home state of Hawaii.

Born on Oahu, Izumi and her family moved to Bakersfield when she was about 5 years old. Now 30, Izumi is about to graduate with her bachelor's degree in geology, but before she can officially complete the program, one requirement remains: a field camp assignment, which Izumi will undertake on the Big Island, through the South Dakota School of Mines.

"It's like coming full circle for me," she said of returning to Hawaii.

The family moved to Bakersfield, where Izumi's mother was originally from, because there were fewer opportunities to support themselves in Hawaii, where her father was born and raised. Both teachers and CSUB alums, Izumi's parents always encouraged her curiosity and interest in science. Though Izumi first wanted to study civil engineering, there were early signs that geology would end up being her calling.

"I was going through a lot of my old childhood stuff, and I stumbled upon rocks," she recalled. "I had rocks! Oh my gosh, looking back on it now, I guess I've always just kind of liked rocks. Even growing up, I was always outside, whether I was playing sports or playing in the dirt."