Jon Duchette '06 of Turner, Maine, came to Bates intending to major in history. But although he has nine history courses tucked under his belt it turns out his heart belongs to geology.

"I was good at it," he says. As a sophomore, Duchette took his first geology course with Professor Mike Retelle. After a second geology course, with Professor Dyk Eusden, "I was pretty much hooked. They're both good professors and good people to work with."

Of course, geology is history. A summer 2005 community-based research grant from the Bates College Harward Center for Community Partnerships allowed Duchette to work for the Maine Geological Survey investigating sediment deposits from the last ice age in the nearby Buckfield Quadrangle. Duchette's senior thesis focuses on a period about 12,000 years ago in Androscoggin County's Martin Stream River Valley, where he's researching the glacial movements and deposits.

The only child of a Maine Guide, Duchette loves the outdoors. Since the age of 7, he has awakened at 7 a.m. every Saturday in November to go deer hunting, a pursuit he still enjoys with his father and paternal grandparents. "It feeds us for a while," he says.

Although Duchette's parents live a mere 10 minutes from Bates, there's plenty to keep him on campus. "I'm well-rounded," he says. A devoted member of the Ultimate Frisbee Team, he directs the Outing Club equipment room and coordinates Bates volunteers who work with disabled Maine skiers at Auburn's Lost Valley. This year, he founded the Competitive Ski Club, which provides competition for skiers who don't participate at the Division I level.

A resident of the college's environmental theme house for three years, Duchette enjoys the closeness of living with 18 people who are devoted to "green" projects such as distributing energy-saving light bulbs and cleaning up Seawall Beach at Bates-Morse Mountain.