TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Colton Byrne, a student pursuing a dual degree in geology and chemistry at The University of Alabama, was recently selected as a 2026-2027 Goldwater Scholar by the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program in recognition of his research contributions to marine geology and paleoclimatology.
“After he took GEO 101 with me and started researching in the Sedimentary Geology and Micropaleontology Lab, I remember telling Colton that he has what it takes to be a Goldwater Scholar,” Dr. Rebecca Totten, associate professor in the UA Department of Geological Sciences and Faculty Fellow for the Alabama Water Institute’s CONSERVE Research Group, said.
For more than 40 years, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship has supported talented undergraduate students who aspire to become the nation’s next generation of researchers in science, engineering and mathematics. Although Byrne always knew he wanted to study geology, it was his work in Totten’s lab that shaped his interests in sedimentary geology and geochemistry, particularly in newly explored areas offshore of Antarctica.
First of Its Kind Research
The Amundsen Sea, where Byrne’s research is focused, is home to the largest and fastest receding glaciers on the planet. The recession of these glaciers and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet contributes significantly to sea-level rise, a situation Totten said is one of the biggest concerns that scientists have for the future, because the majority of the world’s population lives near the coast.
During the Last Glacial Maximum, about 20,000 years ago, Antarctica’s ice sheets were much larger, and there were also ice sheets extending over North America, including Michigan, Byrne’s home state. Totten’s research team looks at both Antarctic glacial retreat following this event and the sea-level rise associated with it. Especially important to Totten, Byrne and CONSERVE is the expression of past sea-level extremes in Alabama and Mississippi that formed Mobile Bay, for example, because this information will help scientists better understand the impact of projected sea-level rise close to home.
Equally important to understanding the sea-level contribution from West Antarctica is the observation of how ecosystems are evolving in these dynamic, recently ice-free regions. Byrne’s Goldwater research project is the first to attempt to characterize the changing ecosystems of the Amundsen Sea on a regional scale and evaluate how retreating ice and ocean masses are influencing the organisms living in the ocean and on the seabed. Through an interdisciplinary project involving both observations of organism remains and chemical composition of the sediment, Byrne has created a baseline of biological productivity, particularly near the rapidly retreating Thwaites, also known as the “Doomsday Glacier.”
“This is the first study of this scale, not only because it covers such a large region and many different environments around Antarctica, but also because it is very involved in chemical, physical and biological analyses,” Totten said. “I knew when I suggested this project to Colton that he would see it through.”
Doing Good Science and Teaching Others to Do the Same
“I think the most important thing to me is doing good science and teaching other people how to do good science,” Byrne said.
Beyond his work in Totten’s lab, Byrne has dedicated himself to serving on the executive teams of different clubs across the campus, including the Sigma Gamma Epsilon Earth Sciences Honors Society and the Geology Club, in which he serves as president.
He also tutors Geology 101 and 102 for the Learning Commons in the Capstone Center for Student Success.
“I love teaching,” Byrne said. “My mom is a teacher, so she kind of set that path as well.”
This teaching and support he offers other students in the lab and department is an important part of the collaboration and connectedness Totten considers important to science.
“The human element is what drives science,” she said. “If you don’t have that, then you don’t have people participating in it with their different backgrounds and perspectives that can add something new and build knowledge, often in unexpected ways.”
According to her, Byrne has welcomed new students to science, providing training support and helping them feel like they belong.
“For the last couple of years that he has been in this lab, we’ve had many more enthusiastic students participating in geological sciences,” said Totten. “I’m really proud of Colton, not just for who he is as a scientist and hard worker, but also for who he is as a human. He’s already a role model to other students.”
From One Goldwater Scholar to Another
Totten is a previous Goldwater Scholar, which she earned in 2008 as a student at The University of Kansas researching geochemistry and marine organisms under the supportive guidance of an inspirational mentor. She described guiding Byrne through this stage as a full-circle moment.
“It really is a ‘pay it forward’ moment, you know?” she said. “It is so rewarding to mentor a student like Colton. I know Colton is going to pay it forward too. He’s already doing that now.”
For underclassmen with an interest in scientific research and even a Goldwater Scholarship someday, Byrne encourages that they try new things and explore different possibilities.
“It’s really all about reaching out to a professor and getting your toes in the water,” Byrne said. “Because even if you don’t necessarily know what research you want to do or what area you want to work in, just getting involved in research and understanding the processes behind it is really important to understand whether it’s a fit for you or not. From there, you ask lots of questions.”
Byrne was selected as an Outstanding Randall Research Scholar this year, and last year he was funded by the National Science Foundation to travel and conduct some of this research with colleagues at the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, U.K.
What’s Next?
Byrne grew up in a small town in Michigan, where he did not know many people pursuing higher degrees in STEM. Although he said research was never really a thought until working with Totten, Byrne now plans to pursue a doctorate in geology or geochemistry after completing his undergraduate degree, with particular emphasis on polar paleoclimate research.
This summer he will be in the field, taking a geology course in New Mexico and conducting sedimentology and stratigraphy research with Dr. Tom Tobin in Montana.
Eventually, Byrne hopes to become a field geologist in polar research and to teach at the university level.
The Alabama Water Institute is one of The University of Alabama’s research institutes. AWI acts as a forum for interdisciplinary research and education by bringing together University researchers, students and staff to foster collaboration and a broad interdisciplinary focus on water issues that face our world today. AWI-affiliated researchers specialize in hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, water security and quality, remote sensing, biodiversity and watershed management and human health through synergies with AWI research programs, including the NOAA Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology, the Global Water Security Center and the CONSERVE Research Group.