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About Environmental GeosciencesNews
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Morgantown geographer establishes seed preservation library
Mehmet Oztan, GeographyFocus on cultural representation in education leads to WVU's 24th Truman Scholar
Kassandra Colón, a WVU student committed to improving cultural
representation in the classroom, has been named the University’s 24th Truman
Scholar, the nation’s top graduate fellowship award for aspiring public service
leaders. Colón is one of 62 chosen from 840 candidates for this award. She will
receive a $30,000 scholarship for graduate school and the opportunity to
participate in professional development programming. Colón aspires to
eventually pursue a doctorate and teach future generations about
socio-political movements in Latin America and advocacy skills to get involved
in their own communities. Read more about Colón.
Congratulations!
WVU geography alumna Dr. Yaqian He was selected to receive the 2018 Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Student Abroad. The highest award given by Chinese government to graduate students studying aboard was established by the China Scholarship Council in 2003. Recipients are chosen worldwide each year for their outstanding accomplishments in academia. The number of Chinese students leaving China to study abroad is more than half a million each year, making this prestigious award highly competitive. Currently, 500 students are awarded yearly. The award includes a one-time $6000 cash award and a certificate.
This past Saturday (April 13th) 180 poster presentations were given at the the 3rd Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. First place in the Agricultural and Environmental Science field was given to Kailee Gokey, Chase Mowery, and Erin Mates for their research titled: Urban Legacies - Linking Glass Manufacturing to Soil Pollution in Morgantown, WV.
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Kathleen Benison (Geology & Geography), will be exhibiting her photographs of ancient rocks in the Downtown Library, from May 9 - July 31, 2019. These photographs depict red muds, blue gypsum, and clear halite, along with entrapped microcapsules of Permian water, atmosphere, and microorganisms. All reflect remnants of acidic, salty lakes and groundwaters, which existed in Kansas about 270 million years ago. Dr. Benison will discuss her work in an artist talk on Monday, May 13, 2019, at 1:00 PM in Room 1020 of the Downtown Library.
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Congratulations!
WVU’s team of Geology graduate students won second place at
the AAPG Imperial Barrel Award Competition in Pittsburg on April 13, 2019,
with their Evaluación de la Cuenca Basca-Cantabrica, España.
The team members, from left to right, are Luke Fritz, Kaitlin Evans, Tobi
Ore, Randy Toth and Jarrett Smith. They were ably supported by Jackson Jakeway.
Congratulate them if you see them wearing their medals around Brooks Hall.
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New hydrogeologist joins the faculty
We are happy to announce that Dr. Chris Russoniello will be joining the WVU Geology Program in the Fall. Chris is a physical hydrogeologist interested in how environmental variability affects water flowing on and through the earth. He has carried out innovative research on how waves, currents, and climate drive groundwater flow in coastal and marine aquifers. He also studies the potential effects of climate change on the quantity and quality of groundwater in aquifers. Dr. Russoniello uses a combination of field, laboratory, and numerical modeling techniques and collaborates with engineers, biogeochemists and geophysicists to carry out his research which spans scales from centimeters-to-globe and seconds-to-centuries.
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WVU's Next Generation of GIS Professionals visit Michael Baker
Once again we thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to visit with the next generation of GIS Professionals from West Virginia University's (WVU) GIS Applications class. The annual event was held at our Moon Township, PA office and afforded Dr. Harris' budding professionals the opportunity to see real world applications of geospatial technologies and tour our innovative Mobile LiDAR/Pavement Inventory collection vehicle.http://www.mobilelidar.com/2019/03/wvus-next-generation-of-gis.html
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Atlas of the 2016 Elections
Atlas of the 2016 Elections, co-edited by Dr. Ken Martis, received one of the Best Reference Books of the Year award by the Library Journal.
https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=best-reference-2018
Atlas of the 2016 Elections. Rowman & Littlefield. 280p. ed. by Robert H. Watrel & others. maps. index. ISBN 9781538104224. Future generations will be discussing the contentious 2016 presidential election for years to come; congressional, state, and local elections are covered here as well. This work is an excellent place to begin an analysis, with 131 figures and 17 tables of astounding quality, along with short, astute essays that interpret the data. Simple to browse and a wonderful source for reports, the book is a bonanza for political junkies and professionals alike. ( LJ 7/18)
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Dengliang Gao ( Geology & Geography) received a grant from the Occidental Research Corporation for the Bright-Spot Technology (BST) Research and Development Consortium .
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Jonathan Hall (Geology & Geography) received a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to continue the California Condor Flight Response in a Variable Meteorological and Topographic Environment project.
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Through trees and ice
The National Science Foundation awarded a three-year, $219,263 grant to Amy Hessl, professor in the Department of Geology and Geography, to reconstruct the history of the Southern Annular Mode wind belt over the last 2,000 years. Hessl and her research team will study the movement of the westerly wind belt circling Antartica that influences the climate of the Southern Hemisphere, carbon and heat uptake and the ice melt in Antartica. Read more about her research.*******************************************************
Unearthing an ice age in the African desert
A field trip to Namibia to study volcanic rocks led to an unexpected discovery by WVU geologists Graham Andrews and Sarah Brown. While exploring the desert country located in southern Africa, they stumbled upon a peculiar land formation—flat desert scattered with hundreds of long, steep hills. They quickly realized the bumpy landscape was shaped by drumlins, a type of hill often found in places once covered in glaciers, an abnormal characteristic for desert landscapes. Read more about the research from Africa.
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Professors co-author book about West Virginia's geology
Watch This Video
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Dr. Brenden McNeil - New research suggests forests, like humans, require a balanced diet
The world’s forests are on a fast food diet of carbon dioxide, which is currently causing them to grow faster. But a researcher at West Virginia University, along with an international team of scientists, finds evidence suggesting that forest growth may soon peak as the trees deplete nitrogen in the soil over longer growing seasons.
West Virginia’s wildlands are a “canary in the coal mine for climate change” because
of the forests’ biodiversity, which, along with rich soils and abundant rainfall,
make them among the strongest forests globally, according to
Brenden McNeil, an associate professor of
geography at WVU’s
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. The state’s forests have been resilient
to a barrage of logging and acid rain in the 19th and 20th centuries but are
now exhibiting symptoms of declining health because of climate change.
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Dr. Kathleen Benison's research is featured in Morgantown Magazine
Kathy Benison’s research on acid salt lakes could help the search for life on Mars. A professor of geology at WVU, Benison examines halite and gypsum that form in rare acid salt lakes in Chile and western Australia. As the salts grow, they trap pockets of lake water, air, and microorganisms that accurately document their environments. She and colleagues applied this knowledge to salt deposits from ancient lakes in the U.S. Great Plains and Northern Ireland to learn about conditions on Earth’s early continent Pangaea. Take it two giant leaps farther, and the research could point to the answer to one of humanity’s biggest questions...Dr. Brenden McNeil's interview - "It’s now or never on climate change"
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Geology grad receives GeoCUR Award for Outstanding Research
Alumna Holly Pettus (BS Geology, 2018) is among 15 undergraduate students from
universities across the nation to be recognized for her outstanding research with
the 2018 GeoCUR Award for Excellence in Student Research. Her research focused
on investigating the origin of potassium feldspar (K-feldspar) megacrysts from a
small granitoid intrusion in western Nevada.
Kenneth Brown, a teaching assistant professor of geology, said he nominated Pettus because he was impressed with her work and dedication to science.
“Beyond being a great student, Holly is very motivated and has shown a remarkable
sense of curiosity, enthusiasm and interest in the fields of igneous
petrology, volcanology and geochemistry,” Brown said. “She is an excellent role
model for other young, female students entering the STEM fields.”
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Lions, Zebras and Geography, Oh My!
Among the lions and zebras in Tanzania in the summer heat, a West Virginia University environmental geoscience student explored the geography of the land.
Weirton, West Virginia, native Francesca Basil (BA Environmental Geoscience, 2018) traveled to the East African country in summer 2018 with support from the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences’ Academic Enrichment Program.**********************************************************
Geography class featured in WVU Magazine
This spring, a Geography 102 class made a project for extra credit that has turned into a testament to West Virginia's staying power throughout the world. The students searched for videos of people around the world singing what may be your favorite song: “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” They put their research into an online map displaying more than 50 versions of the song. Read more about the project in the magazine.
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Dr. Brent McCusker has recently contributed to a major study of migration
projections in the developing world.
https://eberly.wvu.edu/news-events/eberly-news/2018/04/05/wvu-geographer-helps-prepare-for-internal-climate-migration-through-new-world-bank-report
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Jing Chen, RRI GRA and Ph.D. candidate in Geography, wins 2018 Barry M. Moriarty Award
https://enews.wvu.edu/articles/2018/03/29/jing-chen-rri-gra-and-ph-d-candidate-in-geography-wins-2018-barry-m-moriarty-award**********************************************************
West Virginia University alumnus Jothiganesh Shanmugasundaram received an Outstanding Scientist Award during the National Conference on Climate Resilience for Sustainable Livelihood in Annamalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu, India on Wednesday, Feb. 28. https://eberly.wvu.edu/news-events/eberly-news/2018/03/20/wvu-geography-alumnus-receives-outstanding-scientist-award-at-national-conference?mc_cid=4555a71da2&mc_eid=935733f21e
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- Dr. Hessl's research was recently highlighted on WVU Today!
- Ancient trees in Mongolia dating back more than 2,000 years are helping place current and future climate change in context, according to a new West Virginia University-led study.
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- Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Dr. Helen Lang
To find out more on Dr. Lang's legacy please go here: https://www.geo.wvu.edu/home/helen-lang-memorial/life-and-legacy
- Dr. Helen M. Lang passed away December 17, 2017, from the effects of cardiac arrest.
Her family was by her side at Ruby Memorial Hospital at West Virginia University
(WVU). She was a valued member of the WVU Geology faculty for 32 years, from
1984-2016, retiring as Emeritus Associate Professor.
Helen M Lang Obituary
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US Dep't of Labor projects 29% increase in geography jobs through 2022.
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- Caitlin Ahrens, a Fairmont native and West Virginia University alumnus was recently honored as the Jaycees' (U.S. Junior Chamber) Outstanding Young West Virginian of 2018. See here for more.
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- Former geography MA student Pete Clark’s thesis research is in the news: Is Rock Climbing Bad for Cliffs?
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- Drs Amy Hessl and Jonathan Hall's research spotlighted in EOS: Citation: Witman, S. (2018), Critical role of grazing animals in an ecosystem, Eos, 99, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018EO091093. Published on 30 January 2018.
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The Department of Geology and Geography is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive community. We echo Provost McConnell’s statement from August 16.
“Each year brings new challenges and opportunities, but this year we face a very particular challenge revealed by last weekend’s events in Charlottesville. We strongly condemn white supremacist, neo-Nazi, and other hate groups. These groups understand the role of public universities as venues for free speech and seek to exploit our campuses for their own purposes using racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, anti-immigrant, misogynist, and anti-Muslim speech and violence. They know that free speech is their right; we know that it is also a responsibility. As a public land-grant university, we have an obligation to promote free speech but to also do everything in our power to oppose bigotry, hate, and violence, to keep our community safe, and to use education to inspire our students to seek justice for all.”
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Bridget Walter, a Geology undergrad, was the recipient of the 2017 Marshall Miller Field Camp Award for her performance as the top student in Geology 404, Geology Field Camp. -
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WVU geography professor featured in DP for grant in food security: http://www.dominionpost.com/Food-Justice-Lab-re--ceives-$30K
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PhD student Kristen de Graauw publishes paper: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1125786517301005
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Former undergrad, current MA in geography Shawn Cockrel publishes paper on Cook’s Mill (WV) and gets the cover shot: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S112578651730019X
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WVU Geography professor wins Fulbright to Australia https://eberly.wvu.edu/news-events/eberly-news/2017/05/18/wvu-geography-professor-awarded-fulbright-senior-scholarship
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Lucy Aistis an Environmental Geosciences at West Virginia University won a scholarship from the Mid Atlantic Chapter of the International Erosion Control Society. Lucy is a senior, and has been on the Dean’s List as well as the President’s List, is a member of numerous organizations, and has been an intern for the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.
Research
LIVE - WEATHER AT BROOKS HALL
Jobs
- Wanted: Assistant Professor in Hydrogeoscience (posted August 2018) - more information here.
