One senior’s research into geology’s role in the Middle East has won national acclaim.

Michael Bramnik, senior double major of geology and history, won the Geological Society of America’s student award in the “history of geology” category. Bramnik also spoke at the society’s annual meeting in Portland, Ore. Tuesday.

Recipients of the award have traditionally been graduate-level students. Bramnik is the first undergraduate to win the award and the second consecutive NIU student to do so.

“I’m not even sure I can describe it properly,” Bramnik said. “It’s an amazing feeling to know my research had caught the attention of experts in the field.”

The award came as a surprise to Bramnik, but it wasn’t completely out of the blue. In order to be eligible to win, Bramnik had to apply, meaning he had to submit a 300-400 word abstract regarding his research.

“It was a surprise to win,” Bramnik said. “I was doing the research anyway.”

Bramnik’s research analyzed the geologic conditions that contributed to Jerusalem’s rise as a holy city to the Jewish people. According to his analysis, Jerusalem’s karst limestone bedrock and extensive water supply played key roles in the establishment of the city as a holy place over other cities in the region.

Bramnik, who specializes in ancient history, was unable to physically travel to Jerusalem for his research. Instead, he relied on correlated data between various ancient historical and geologic records as well as the Tanakh (the Hebrew bible) to paint a picture of how geology played a role in the city’s development.

Bramnik hopes to travel to Jerusalem in the spring with the help of USOAR (Undergraduate Special Opportunities in Artistry and Research Program) grants. After that, he’s considering researching other ancient cultures in the same way, he said.

“I’m not sure anyone is doing this sort of analysis for ancient history,” Bramnik said, noting that similar methods have been used for the Civil War-era. “It’s exciting to be possibly the only person working on research in this direction.”

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