Drew Barkoff '15

Bachelor of Science in Geology

Drew Barkoff started his academic career as a Biology major at another institution. He realized early that he was not fulfilled in his coursework. During a semester break, Barkoff enrolled in a few courses at Stockton and found his passion for geology after taking an Intro to Geology course with Dr. Michael Hozik, Professor Emeritus, Geology.

Chemistry and Geology had always been an interest of Barkoff. As a student, he quickly realized Stockton offered many courses due to the widely differing expertise of the faculty; these courses are not taught at many other institutiions, such as Geophysics and Ore Deposit Geology. 

As a Stockton student, Barkoff became interested in igneuos rocks. In his junior year, Barkoff took part of a research project, led by Dr. Matthew "Rocky" Severs, Associate Professor of Geology, collecting samples of pegmatites in West Maine. The team conducted analysis on the pegamites on the analytical equipment at Virgina Tech. Their findings were presented at the Geological Society of America Northeastern Section meeting in 2014, as well as the Geological Association of New Jersey.  

After graduating cum laude from Stockton, Barkoff attended the University of Arizona  where he earned a master's degree. While there, Barkoff worked on using Raman spectroscopy applied to mineral inclusion in skarn garnet as an alternative method of determining the pressure-temperature conditions of formations of these unique metasomatic rocks. His work was published in the scientific journal Geology. 

His work with Raman spectroscopy focused his interests on unique geochemical environments and how they are related to the formation of ore deposits. Barkoff's Ph.D. studies focus on the cutting-edge ore deposit geology, studying emplacement and concentration mechanisms of rare earth elements in igneous rocks. He is currently working on highly evolved rhyolites (a potential source of these badly needed metals) at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. His ultimate goal is to gain a better understanding how these metals are concentrated to economic grades.