Nicole West, a recent alumna of the Department of Geosciences, was the winner of the 2008 William Preston Society Thesis Award in Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Engineering for her thesis titled "Arsenic release from chlorine promoted oxidation of pyrite in the St. Peter Sandstone Aquifer, eastern Wisconsin". The Preston Thesis Award is given to a graduate student whose master's thesis presents the best original research with potential to benefit all people. As recipient of the award, Nicole was recognized at the Fall semester William Preston Society Weekend awards banquet and automatically becomes a nominee for the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools annual Master's Thesis Award competition.