Nicole Ridlen – 2013 Wilson Memorial Scholarship

Nicole13Biography and MS Research Topic: Nicole isĀ enrolled at Mississippi State University where she is an M.S. Geosciences student. She earned her B.S. in Geology from University of Central Missouri located in Warrensburg, MO and a B.A. in Business Management from Columbia College in Columbia, MO. Nicole started caving recreationally in the limestone mines of Missouri with some friends and it quickly became a passion. She is a member of the NSS affiliated with the Chouteau Grotto and has assisted the Kansas City Area Grotto in a few restoration and mapping projects. Infatuated with speleothems she decided to get second bachelors in geology so she could dedicate a career to studying their formation and educating the world on the significance of speleothems and cave geology. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, photography, the outdoors, blogging on her website, and of course, caving.