Nick Van Buer, PhD (BS ’05), a geology professor at Cal Poly Pomona, trekked 530 miles across the Mojave Desert from January to March 2022 to explore its geological wonders. He documented his journey in a YouTube series called “Across the Mojave on Foot,” which tracked his work finding and collecting samples—including granite remnants that seem to be the result of ancient super-volcanoes. Despite grueling stretches, Van Buer pushed the limits of his physical and mental endurance and captured the essence of the region’s geological wonders—turning the desert into a classroom, a laboratory, and an endless source of inspiration for future geologists.