Dr. Carrigan joined the Olivet faculty in 2004 after completing his doctoral degree in geology at the University of Michigan. He teaches courses in mineralogy, petrology, natural resources, geochemistry, and structural geology. His courses often include exciting field trips to geologically interesting sites in Tennessee, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri and Ontario, Canada.
He enjoys working with students and helping them succeed in the classroom, the laboratory and in life. He regularly works with students in the summer on undergraduate research and with students who wish to pursue University and Departmental Honors.
Dr. Carrigan's research applies the principles of chemistry to the study of Earth processes. His focus is the application of petrology, geochronology, geochemistry, and mineral reactions to unravel problems in the Southern Appalachians. He and his students are working to better understand the tectonic processes that formed these ancient mountains.
Additionally, he is researching best practices in the teaching of mineralogy and geochemistry to undergraduate students. His master's thesis at Vanderbilt University was on basement rocks of the southern Appalachians. For his dissertation research at the University of Michigan, he traveled to the eastern Alps of Bulgaria.
He has published numerous abstracts and given talks at conferences, served as a conference session co-chair at the Geological Society of America, and has published and reviewed articles for professional Earth science journals. He is a member of the Geological Society of America, the Mineralogical Society of America, and is President of the Affiliation of Christian Geologists.
Dana, his wife, works at home raising their four young daughters, Carly, Brianna, Auriella and Corinne. They attend GatheringPoint Church of the Nazarene.