In 1921, Applin presented a paper in Amherst, Massachusetts, stating her theory that microfossils could be used in oil exploration, specifically the dating of the rock formations in the Gulf of Mexico region. Her theory was ridiculed by geologists with more experience[1] and disputed by professor J.J. Galloway of the University of Texas at Austin. Galloway was quoted saying "Gentlemen, here is this chit of a girl, right out of college, telling us that we can use Foraminifera to determine the age of formation.