University of Delaware alumna Sierra Patterson reflects on her time at UD, her love of rocks and her recently published research project looking at the alteration of mineral assemblages from Gakkel Ridge, a tectonic plate boundary located on the floor of the Arctic Ocean. Rock alterations Article by Adam Thomas Photos and illustration courtesy of Jessica Warren and Tammy Beeson May 20, 2021 Alumna turns hobby into career via UD geological sciences program Recent University of Delaware graduate Sierra Pattersonâs interest in rocks began when she was a child and her great uncle would mail Pattersonâs grandmother letters from his home in Arizona. With those letters, he would also send a rock. Her grandmother would read Patterson the letters, show her the rocks and, eventually, started giving her the rocks to keep.