Durango School District February 25, 2019

Durango, CO

Dear Durango School District,

I am writing this letter on behalf of Julian Springer with regard to his application for a teaching
position in the Durango School District. Julian was a student of mine and an advisee who completed
a Senior Thesis under my supervision in 2011. Julian took three courses with me and did very well in
all of them, including my challenging upper level course in Sedimentation and Stratigraphy class, for
which he received an A grade. As is evident from his college transcript, Julian was an excellent
student (3.38 GPA overall; 3.42 in Geology) who did well in a wide range of courses across the
liberal arts.

Julian completed an impressive thesis with distinction working on a field-based geologic study of
ancient rocks in Wyoming. We worked long days in the field, and Julian rose to the occasion,
working well with a team of geologists. He collected samples for carbon, oxygen, and sulfur isotope
analysis, and traveled to a lab at Harvard University for a full month or so to prepare and run them.
Some of the chemical analyses required long and difficult preparations and are not commonly done
by undergraduate students. Julian did an excellent job and received praise from the staff at Harvard
for his work. Julian’s thesis was an extensive analysis of past oceanographic, geochemical, and
geological events, specifically a study of past extinctions of marine organisms. He presented his
results to our department at the end of his senior year, giving a cogent and well-delivered talk.

Julian is a clear thinker who can read and understand difficult primary literature and cogently
summarize what he has read. He has a strong native intelligence and a great work ethic. On a
personal level, Julian is upbeat, mature, and responsible person. He is extremely motivated to
complete his graduate school work, and begin a career as a teacher. I have not seen him teach, but
based on his quality of mind and communication skills I suspect that he is very good at it.

In summary, Julian has a strong native intelligence and a great work ethic. He is organized, mature,
and well spoken, and as such will be a great teacher. I strongly urge you to hire him, and I give him
my complete and unqualified support.

Sincerely,

Dr. Paul Myrow

G EOL OG Y
14 East Cache La Poudre Street, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903-3298
719-389-6395 tel 719-389-6940 fax
www.ColoradoCollege.edu