Tavon Boaman stood in a friend’s bedroom holding an amethyst geode.

While he pondered how something so beautiful could form and what it was like on a molecular scale, he realized the Universe is a vast, wonderful, complicated place. He concluded that studying the Earth was a good place to start if he wanted to understand the Universe, so he decided to study geosciences. He’ll graduate from Colorado State University’s Warner College of Natural Resources with a Bachelor of Science in Geophysics on May 18.

And he’ll also earn a Bachelor of Arts in Music.

“I really wanted to study the natural order of things,” Boaman said. “I decided to pursue a degree in music to stay in touch with my passion as a musician and to further my understanding of how music occurs mathematically and why it is perceived as beauty to humans. A degree in Geophysics will help me understand how the landscapes that have surrounded me for my entire life formed, and how the Earth functions physically and energetically.”

Oh, and, just for fun and so his math didn’t get rusty, he also added a minor in physics. He figures it can only help him understand more complicated topics in geophysics further down the line.

Teaching at all levels of life

During his time as a student, Boaman was a tutor for his geosciences peers while also teaching fourth grade students through is work with the Environmental Learning Center as a Pulliam Scholar. One of his proudest moments, he says, is doing those things one semester while balancing 23 credits and earning a 3.8 GPA.

“I believe education to be a tool for furthering education,” he said. “I hope to further my education as I develop more ideas for research, and I hope to further my education by educating others.”

What’s next

This summer, Boaman will be teaching assistant for the Geosciences Field Camp in Silverton, Colo. Then he’ll enjoy some vacation time while he thinks about a couple of job opportunities and decides whether to join the full-time workforce as a geophysicist or do some seasonal work as an environmental educator and hang out in the mountains for a while.

He plans to find a master’s program to study planetary magnetism, mineral physics, or something else that inspires him, but for right now he feels good about not being locked down on any tight schedule.

“The world is in a tough spot right now, and I believe that sharing knowledge is one of the strongest ways to combat complacency, ignorance, negligence, and overall poor human behavior,” Boaman said. “I plan to teach at all levels in my life, and never stop learning along the way.”