Winter, 2005 - St. Lawrence University

St. Lawrence University
Geology Newsletter
Winter, 2005
Brett Harvey ‘02’ reporting from the bush of Western Kenya!!!
I have mostly been in Bondo, Kenya working with the ICROSS home based care program. It is a very wild, impoverished place, unlike the Kenya that I have visited before. Tons and tons of people of the same generation (in fact the
one that is usually the most active and income generating) have been wiped out due to the rapid spread of HIV/
Aids. Orphans are everywhere---literally everywhere I turn is some vulnerable child. A little overwhelming, and I
know that no change will obviously occur overnight. So, ICROSS works through a number of community based
organizations (CBOs), who ICROSS has trained in home based care (i.e. monitoring sick patients and diagnosing as
best as possible), because there are not many roads and getting the needy to better care clinics is nearly impossible. It
is a great idea, and working pretty well. I have been trying to get into the field as much as possible, and so far I have
managed only a few days, mostly because when I got to this branch office, all the Kenyans working here got fired due
to the misuse of resources. So now it is I, an Irishman, and a Japanese girl who are running the show here. And I
have to admit that, this is a bit odd and uncomfortable. However, we hope to do some hiring a.s.a.p., and get this
place running smoothly before I head onto another of many other projects that ICROSS runs here in Kenya/
Tanzania. Although the field visits were hard emotionally at first, I have found a way to make them enjoyable,
mostly because it really makes their day to have someone from afar actually visiting them in person. So I bought a
huge heavy bicycle and have been pedaling that around and fixing the chain every half mile, but it seems to get me
there. From there a rep from the CBO has shown me the clients and I have been distributing mosquito nets (because
in reality malaria is the big killer, also tuberculosis) blankets, sheets. Seems crazy, but these people lying on their
death beds have some very dirty and lacking comforts. I'm even dishing out drugs from the office and am
somewhat of a pharmacist now. Yikes!!!
Straight from Robert G. Davis (Bob) ‘71’
I graduated from St. Lawrence University with a BS in geology in 1971. I received a Masters Degree in Geology and
Geochemistry from Virginia Tech (VPI&SU) in March 1974. I worked with Dr. A.K. Sinha to build and operate a mass
spectrometer at Virginia Tech and specialized in radiometric age dating of rock in the Appalachian Mountains. We used
both Uranium-lead and Rubidium-Strontium methods. I began working for Amoco Production Company in New Orleans,
Louisiana in April 1974 as a geologist and have worked all over the world. Most of my 26 year career was spent as a New
Ventures geologist, getting Amoco involved in projects in more than a dozen countries. I worked continental margins,
interior basins, rift basins, over thrust margins and foreland basins; carbonate platforms and island arc collision zones. I
loved every minute of those years. I lived in Cairo, Egypt and Jakarta, Indonesia and traveled to 36 other countries.
I am now extracting key geological information out of pre-stack migrated seismic gathers (a far cry from hard rock
geology) to help explorationists more efficiently find and develop oil and gas reserves. I owe all that I have been able to do
(geologically) to Dr. Robert O. Bloomer, Dr. Elberty, and Dr. Street. The solid geologic foundation that they instilled has
served me very well!
Friends: We have added $5,556.88 to the Street Fund this
year through gifts from 15 alumni and friends. In the two
years since we began the drive to double the Street Fund
Endowment we have added $24,532. You will recall our
goal is $120,000, and we presently have $92,000+ in the
endowment. Every gift continues to grow the endowment
when you designate your contribution to do so.
The Geology Department recognizes your foresight to
ensure the growth and continued success of our program.
Thank you, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Hello all!
It has been a great year so far...I have had the
pleasure of teaching a new course, Volcanology, in
which we did a fabulous experiment to mimic a
silicic eruption. It involved liquid nitrogen and
bricks, so you cannot go wrong.
Here was the result:
In October, I was one of the many Geology Department folks who
migrated westward to attend the GSA conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.
It was a wonderful time, not only to present my research, but to also
renew friendships and help the students who attended with us network. I
especially enjoyed seeing the alumni who made it out for the conference
as well - good to see you all again! On top of all of the socializing, we
managed to squeeze in a trip to the Great Salt Lake with several students,
an alum (hi, Diana) and fellow faculty. Not only was it fantastic to see
the lake, but I was able to nab a bagful of ooids and several bottles of
water. I will have my Sedimentology class work on a viscosity analysis
of the water later this semester as a lab exercise.
Currently, I am enjoying an extended Fall in Canton – would you believe
it is November 4th and the outside temperature is 60 degrees (F)? Makes
you all want to move back, I am sure. I hope this newsletter finds all of
you happy and healthy.
http://www.cheston.com/pbf/archive.html
There are
more than 500
active volcanoes in
the world. More than
half of these volcanoes are
part of the “Ring of Fire," a region
that encircles the Pacific Ocean.
http://www.fema.gov/kids/volfacts.htm
Diane Burns
Class
of 49’
LET’S HEAR FROM CHRIS PLOPPER ‘71’
It HAS been quite a while, and I don't recall what information I have
provided to the department in the past, so here is a brief recap:
Sue (Whitnall '71) and I were married the day before graduation, and
are still happily married after nearly 35 years. We have a son (Ben-a
writer), who is married and living in Fort Worth, and a daughter (Amy
- Classical Archaeology) who is a senior at the University of Texas. Ben
is also a University Texas grad.
After my Ph. D. from Syracuse in 1978 (where we lived in John
Bursnall's attic for several months - "Hi John!"), we moved to New
Orleans and I started my career with Chevron. After New Orleans, we
have lived in La Habra CA, Lafayette LA, Hobbs NM, and now
Houston TX for the past 17+ years. When Amy graduates next May,
we plan to move back to NYS and buy a house on Canandaigua Lake.
After 28+ years in the oil industry (all with Chevron), I intend to earn a
modest paycheck by working at Home Depot or driving a UPS truck
(or something to that effect). We can't wait to get back to having 4
different seasons, although most of our friends think we're nuts to
willingly face hard winters again!
Francis G. Stehli
Retired geologist, former Dean of Science and
Engineering, Case Western Reserves. Former
Dean of Graduate Studies and Research,
University of Florida, Former Dean, College of
Geoscience, University of Oklahoma. Former
AAPG Distinguished lecturer, former member
of Energy Research Advisory Board to U.S.
Secretary of Energy, former President, Paleo
Soc. Former Chairman, NSF Geology
Advisory Committee.
Dr. Stehli has seen Dr. Richard Rezak several
times lately-former SLU Professor, now
retired from Texas A&M. Dr. Stehli has also
corresponded with Dr. Robert Wright, former
SLU Professor and NRC Official, now retired
in Bethlehem, PA. Both from early Bloomer
era.
We all know about volcanoes—they erupt red-hot lava, but one volcano does not. Oldoinyo Lengai, in
Tanzania spews black lava, as liquid as fresh roofing tar and not really much hotter. You can Google
search carbonate volcano, or Oldoinyo Lengai, if you would like to see it.
***Cathy and some of our majors have visited this spot.
http://geology.about.com/cs/volcanoes/a/aa031499.htm
Greetings from Canton (with winter rapidly approaching).
It’s been almost 5 years since I arrived at St. Lawrence as the new guy on faculty. The campus, students, and alumni have made me feel very welcome, so I thank all of you. As each year passes I meet
more of you at events like SLUGAC and GSA. I’m really starting to feel as a long term member of this
community, and must say that, tenure pending, I’m here to stay.
Again it’s been a very busy year on campus. Taking students into the field to see the landforms and
features that they hear about in the lectures is my passion. Once again this past August, I had the
opportunity to take a group of 10 students to Alaska for 12 days. Our departmental technician Matt
VanBrocklin came along as medical guy and cook. Starting in the Anchorage area, we spent several
days at the Matanuska Glacier examining contemporary glacial processes. We then moved our camp
eastward to the small town of Chitina where we looked at fluvial processes, lahars, permafrost, and even
visited the ghost town of McCarthy in Wrangel-St. Elias National Park. I suppose that I should inform
everyone that Uncle Tom, the proprietor of Uncle Tom’s Cabin in Chitina, has been made an honorary
member of the St. Lawrence Geology community for making us feel so at home in his establishment (ok,
we took the place over) and presenting us with some fantastic Pacific salmon. Just a warning to watch
out if he ever appears at a SLUGAC conference. We also spent some time in Valdez and the Thompson Pass area looking at
contemporary glaciation and the impacts of the 1964 earthquake. I hope to run this course every two years from now on as the
students really get a great opportunity to make the link between contemporary glacial processes and the older evidence that we
see on a regular basis in Northern New York.
I also had a great opportunity to travel to China this past summer on a research project with two students, Camille Partin ’05 and
Ben Meade ’05. Funded by the Asian Studies Initiative, we traveled to two World Geoparks and two National Geological Parks
to evaluate the preservation of geological heritage in China as well as educational initiatives within the parks. We spanned the
country from Beijing, to Hunan Province and the Three Gorges, to Yunnan and Jiangxi Provinces, meeting park managers,
employees, and local people that have all benefited from the development of these unique geological parks. The results of our
study were presented at the Geological Society of America conference in Salt Lake City, and we are working on an article for
the magazine Focus on Geography. I couldn’t have asked for better travel companions than Ben and Camille, who put up with
stinking hot temperatures, strange food, and disgruntled guides along the way. They’re both off to graduate school next year, so
I wish them the best of luck!
You may or not know that John Bursnall’s retirement is imminent. I would just like to express my appreciation to John for
hiring me, mentoring me, and being a fantastic colleague over the past few years. He has been a major force in the success of
the Geology Department. John, I wish you well in retirement and future endeavors.
Cheers,
Stephen Robinson
Meet A Future Geologist——Jack.
Class of 95’
David Egan
Recently moved to
Houston, TX
Marlene Egan
Matt VanBrocklin
Hello folks,
We are well into fall semester 2005 with lots happening here on campus and within the Geology Department. We here
in Brown Hall have a front row seat to the raising of the new Science Complex. What a process! Steel beams floating
ghostly at the end of a thin cable suspended high into the air with the aid of a crane. One half of the
structure is now framed with a roof going on while the other half is now well under way. The structure is taking shape
and is not unlike a huge skeleton of a beast rising from the large pit where it was born. Has been interesting watching
this building taking shape realizing this very structure will shape the sciences for the foreseeable future here at SLU.
The department is enjoying some new faces this year with Dr. Erickson, Dr. Bursnall, and Dr. Shrady all on
sabbatical. Enter stage left Diane Burns, Matty Strine, and Sean Cornell. Diane was with us last semester, at that
time filling in for Dr. Owen while he was on sabbatical, and has graciously returned to help us out for another year.
Matty is doing the structure thing while Cathy is away and Sean is stepping into the well worn field boots of
Dr. Erickson while he is busy with his sabbatical. These folks have been fantastic and enjoyable to work with. It is a
uniquely interesting experience interacting with new folks while the usual gang is away. The differing
personalities, styles and techniques of teaching the new folks bring ultimately influences my department experience.
Keeps me busy and out of trouble for sure. Job security I call it… aiding the new folks with everything from where to
find and how to use equipment to ordering needed materials for their work. Sabbaticals might be intended for the faculty but the change is good for me too I think.
And speaking of change… Last year Dr. Robinson asked me to help him out with the Alaska field trip this past
August. My dual duties of camp medic and camp cook in the wilds of Alaska for a crew of lucky 13 kept me on my
toes. To be camp medic required that I attend and pass a Wilderness First Responder course that is offered annually
here at SLU through the Outdoor Program. If you enjoy the back country and often find yourself in a position of
being away from any sort of medical attention I highly recommend this course. Phil Royce of the Outdoor Program,
along with a fellow by the name of Cabet Stone, do a first rate job teaching wilderness first aid skills. We are very
fortunate here at SLU to have this and many other opportunities. As for camp cook, well…. being raised here in the
woods of the North Country has given me plenty of opportunity to hone my camp fire cooking skills. I’d like to think
most of the gang ate better out in the woods than they might eat in the comfort of their own kitchen… In any event,
the trip was a success with daily field trips and nightly camp fires in the raw and rugged country of the Talkeetna,
Chugach and Wrangell Mountains with their accompanying glaciers. In a word… awesome!
Dr. Robinson really shines out in that country and seems as at home walking glaciers,
Matanuska and Worthington to name but a few, passes and peaks as he does walking the
streets here in the city of Canton.
As I finish jotting down my thoughts Dr. Bursnall has just come in on his motorcycle. Not bad
for the 4th of November… So far beats my late date riding for the year… Well folks, other
than that it is pretty much business as usual in our little corner of SLU. Hope this finds you all
well and in good spirits. Wishing for you all the best over the soon to be here holiday season
and the up coming new year.
WE’VE HEARD FROM TORI KOHN ‘05’!!!
Well I thought I would update you on my life. Things are ok, nothing as grand as Yellowstone or as hot as the badlands; but lying
somewhere in the middle. Currently I am still in ArkanSASsssss, working for the U.S. forest service,
Ouachita National Forest, and not hating it but not loving it either. I am getting training though and experience on an engine. I
recently adopted a dog and named him Glacier. He is a great companion. Life is different now as a wild land firefighter, I don't
have to work with the public very much. I find myself giving interpretive programs to my coworkers though (God only knows
what they think of me) I am the junior here between 10-30 years-so I am definitely the baby. I miss the park service a bit and I
miss the flat hat (I know can you believe it.) Hey did you know the forest service cuts trees down for lumber --- man where have I
been? - hahhhaha. It has been a tough adjustment but I said “Ya'll” for the 1st time yesterday and it felt normal.
I went on a detail to the Black Hills of South Dakota and got some action on fires there and we have been busy here as well. Driest
part of the country!!!
I have recently tallied my states and I need 11 to hit all 50-=not bad for being 23 (Yes Liz I just gave myself props).
There is still some gypsy in me and I am feeling the urge to move---> but I am fighting it. I must say it feels good to get a pay-
Straight from Sean Cornell
What a legacy you have left!
Please allow me to introduce myself, my name is Sean Cornell and I am a Ph.D. candidate at the University
of Cincinnati and Dr. Erickson’s sabbatical replacement for this academic year. Yes he is still here and
working very hard on several projects that I am sure he will talk about himself. Maybe he will decide he can
get more work done in retirement? Hint Mark, Hint!
A little bit about me: although having lived in the Midwest for the past 6 years, the move in August to Canton has brought
me home so to speak. I was born and raised in the North Country and spent my youth between Chaumont, NY on Lake
Ontario, and North Bangor, NY on my grandparent’s dairy farm. Canton of course… is half way between so it was a
strategic move.
I think it is quite remarkable to have this opportunity to come back to northern New York to study some old rocks, and work
with a remarkable set of students! My interests in geology were not with me when I was traipsing around the Adirondacks as
a child, and it took me a couple of years at the University of Rochester to figure out that my interests in history (Native
American and early American), and wildlife (biology and ecology) might be combined through geology… Hmmm how are
these connected? Well here I am anyway, an echinoderm wannabe paleontologist (Edrioasteroids are cool!), a carbonate
sedimentologist, and sequence stratigrapher. Of course, Canton and the Adirondacks are great for all of these things! Well,
actually I see Canton as a strategic half-way point here too, half way to my rocks. Straddling the Frontenac Arch (almost),
SLU sits in a location where the Ordovician-aged carbonates (M.S. and Ph.D. work) are relatively close in both the
east/northeast and westerly directions. For my research, I have been working on a sequence stratigraphic model for the
response of the carbonate platform to the Taconic Orogeny during the Late Ordovician.
Although time is limited for continued field work, (there is a good reason for 4’ of snow – I am trying to finish my dissertation!) I have had the opportunity this fall to get a few days of field work in and participate on some field trips. In September
I co-led 2 field trips to see Ordovician rocks for the New York State Geological Association hosted by SUNY Oswego, and
spent a day showing new colleague Matty Strine some of the structural complexities of these Ordovician rocks. Ok, so they
are not “The Snake” or the “Train Wreck” Matty, but they are faulted and dipping some!
Other activities this fall: As I am teaching Invert Paleo, and since I studied in Cincinnati, I have upheld the annual pilgrimage to the “Mecca of Paleozoic Paleontology.” On a marathon 4-day trip to Cincinnati, 13 students and myself enjoyed a
remarkable trip to study the stratigraphy and paleontology of the Upper Ordovician of northern Kentucky and southwestern
Ohio. Yes, we also found 7 complete Edrioasteroids, the first to be added to the SLU geology teaching collection! Almost had
one casualty though… A priceless slab of the Cambrian Burgess Shale with a nearly complete specimen of Ottoia (A priapulid
worm?) was dropped at the Cincinnati Museum Center Collections Facility by one of our students. No worries though.
Thankfully, the slab slammed into the student’s foot, thus breaking the fall. No casualties to the fossil or the student!
Also teaching a special topics course on Dinosaurs and spending a great deal of time trying to keep up with the many new
discoveries in recent years (T. Rex may have had feathers?). This course, led me to the American Museum of Natural History
in New York City with 11 students where we met up with one of our SLU alums Mr. Glenn Kays ’96. Glenn worked on his
M.S. at North Dakota and now is a Project Hydrogeologist with GSC|Kleinfelder. It was great to meet him and have the
opportunity to learn about some of his research interests on fossil turtles.
Looking forward to the end of the semester – I am teaching Regional Field Studies and will be taking 10 students to Curacao
in January. In addition to RFS and Stratigraphy, I will also be offering Ocean Science as well. So of course, I am looking
forward to the end of the semester so I can work diligently on my dissertation and certainly NOT because I am going to the
Caribbean before the ice pack sets in!
Well, I think I have bantered on long enough so I will close. I do however, want to express my gratitude to the several alums
I met at GSA in Salt Lake City and thank the rest of you for your support of the St. Lawrence Geology program. Your legacy
has provided an extremely rich and rewarding environment with which I am blessed to be a participant, however abbreviated. Most of all thanks for providing continued opportunities to support the studies and futures of our current students –
they are outstanding, and they make my effort so worth it!
Paleontology in the News: Discover Magazine has ranked a recent discovery by paleontologists as the number 6th most important science discovery out of 100 this year. The research by Dr. Mary Schweitzer and Dr.
Jack Horner, investigated bone microstructure of a T. rex specimen and they have been able to
recognize female tissue types! This is the first direct evidence for sexual differentiation in these groups. If
you are interested in the original research article, please see: Schweitzer MH, Wittmeyer JL, Horner
JR. 2005. Gender-specific reproductive tissue in ratites and Tyrannosaurus rex. Science 308:14561460. Otherwise see the top 100 science stories for 2005 at http://www.discover.com/issues/jan-06/cover/
Michael Owen
We are going to miss you!!!
Dear friends,
I can’t recall the last time I contributed to the newsletter, but the current edition is my last chance as a member of the
Geology Department faculty. After 22 years at St. Lawrence, I have decided to start a new career. I will be leaving Canton
at the end of this semester, moving to Syracuse to live with my family.
I interviewed with Mark Erickson at the GSA annual meeting in New Orleans in the fall of 1982 even though my
dissertation was not yet complete. Over stuffed baked potatoes, he described the culture of St. Lawrence, his vision of
undergraduate geology education, and the then-recent bifurcation of Geology and Geography. I must have said something
intelligible, because I was invited for an on-campus interview shortly thereafter. The interview itself was mostly a blur, but
I do recall the interminable drive back to the Syracuse airport through foot-deep blowing snow in the darkness. Undeterred
by the minor inconvenience of a nine-month winter, I joined Mark, Jim Street, and Russ Jacoby in the fall of 1983. With
Mark and Jim’s “encouragement,” I completed that darned dissertation promptly.
The courses in which I met most geology students were 101/103, 104, Sedimentology, and Sed. Pet. I taught a 100-level
geology course for more than 35 semesters during my career. By the end, I had discovered PowerPoint so that I no longer
had to rely on my weak artistic ability and arm-waving to illustrate lectures.
Remarriage shifted my focus away from Canton because my new wife, Deborah Bradshaw, M.D., has a thriving medical
practice at Upstate hospital in Syracuse. I commuted on weekends for nearly seven years, a less-than-optimum
configuration for being a husband and father. This fall, I received an offer of employment, an offer that I couldn’t refuse.
Beginning in January, I will be a senior system engineer with Sensis Corp., a firm that designs and builds air traffic control
systems. The job will involve no geology, but rather my background skills in satellite communications, electronics, and
computer programming. As Monty Python says, “…and now for something completely different.”
The years with students and faculty of the Geology Department have been challenging, satisfying,
and above all, fun. It’s an indescribable joy to watch students mature through their four years,
becoming self confident and capable adults, whether they end up in geology or not. Having had a
role in that development and growth has been a great privilege for which I am sincerely thankful.
Leaving the Geology Department would always be difficult, but it especially hard now. I perceive
a stronger sense of enthusiastic, healthy purpose among both faculty and students than ever before. Morale is higher, the number of majors is greater, and the sense of joy in learning is more
pervasive than at any time I can recall. The combined efforts of the geology faculty and alumni
are having a marvelous effect and I am confident that they will continue.
Heather Scott Cunningham ‘98’
I just wanted to update you on my latest adventure to Tasmania. Work? What is that? I went
with some friends who are post-doc researchers here. It was nice to get away and Tasmania is a
wild and beautiful country. And very laid back - most stores closed at 3 on Saturday and did not
open again until Monday. I was suffering from lack of a 24 hr Wal-Mart fix (right!). So among the
exciting things I did in Tasmania: hiked Mt Wellington (basalt volcano in the backdrop of Hobart),
hiked around Cradle Mt. in the snow, sleet, rain and wind, hiked to Wineglass Bay - one of the most
beautiful beaches in the world, visited the penal colony of Port Arthur and cruised around some of
the southern islands. We saw small kangaroos (pantemellons) and wombats and a scorpion who
greeted me in the shower. I am already planning for my next adventure over Christmas. Then I
think I will have to take it easy after that since I am only on a graduate student budget.
School is busy. The graduate students are required to present at a one day seminar that is scheduled for next Tuesday. In addition to a 15 min. presentation, I have to create a poster. The presentation was cake but this poster is going to require a few late nights this week for drafting and yelling
at the computer and cursing Bill Gates for not making Word Illustrator compatible. I have measured my first Nd isotopes using the TIMS. The processes is long and boring but I am told much
shorter and more enjoyable than in the past. I have crushed 27 rocks from the PNG trip I was supposed to go on but the visa fell through on. This week I am hoping to make some XRF pellets and
begin rock digestion for ICP analysis. How scary, I am already sounding like a geochemist!
Glacier speed varies,
but they generally
move less than three
feet per day. However,
in 1936-37, the Black
Rapids Glacier in
Alaska averaged more
than 100 feet a day —
the swiftest ever
recorded.
http://www.courier-journal.com/
foryourinfo/080904/080904.html
Let’s hear from Mark Erickson!!!
Greetings to all! Another summer and autumn have marched by but this has been one of those
most special occasions when I can contemplate their passage without the angst for preparing for
classes! Sabbatical years allow catch up and that is just what I am doing. I taught my mussel
course in June, but only a single student had the fortitude for it. We did make some new discoveries however, so it was not time misspent. GSA abstracts went in in mid July and then I took
some fishing breaks in Vermont with family. Fishing was mixed, but when good it was very
good. A new Vermont state record Muskie (36? lbs) was caught only a stone’s throw from one of my fishing spots – sadly not
by me! Late in August, I visited the Heritage Center in Bismarck, ND, where John Hoganson and Bud Holland and I spent
two weeks together identifying and photographing the fossil fishes of the Fox Hills Fm. which will be the basis for a major
monograph on this important group. Although we are still finding the occasional additional species, I think we have a good
handle on the fauna after working on the project together since the early 1990,s. Lots of former students will be acknowledged in that work, you may be certain.
Sometime in the summer my paper with John H. came out describing a new ratfish from the Fox Hills named in honor of Ray
Haas who has helped us in our vertebrate studies for many years. Ray and wife Katherine have put up or fed SLU geology
field parties on lots of occasions so this was a small repayment of those courtesies. A byrozoan paper with David Waugh and
Rob Crawford at Kent appeared in the summer also, so those studies are continuing. I have several papers in the works with
various colleagues and every now and then I have to meet one deadline or another for editing them, but it remains fun to collaborate with so many researchers.
It seemed as though October flew by while I was working on the shark plates so that preparation of my GSA poster almost
took me by surprise and the meeting was early this year. I was one of a group of faculty and students who traveled to Salt
Lake City for the annual meeting. Senior major Trisha Smrecak presented new results of her two-year investigation of botanical change at the K-T boundary in North Dakota. In Summer of 2004, Trisha and I were in the field together; this summer
Trisha supported her own research expenses and the Jim Street Fund of the Geology Department assisted with support for
Matt Burton-Kelly ’05, as a field assistant in North Dakota. Their GSA poster was visited by most of the paleobotanical experts present at the meeting, including Dan Peppe ’03 who is in his 3rd year of graduate work in Paleobotany at Yale. Two of
Steve Robinson’s students reported with him on ecotourism in China’s national parks based on their observations during a
trip to China last summer. The five students attended talks and visited with graduate schools to learn of programs to which
they may want to apply. Students made good use of their time, meeting researchers from around the world.
Geology faculty, too, had a significant presence at the meeting. Matt Strine and Sean Cornell who replace Drs. Shrady and
Erickson while on sabbatical, presented a research poster and paper respectively. Diane Burns and Dr. Robinson also presented research papers, and Robinson and Dr. Bursnall began the search for Bursnall’s replacement who will follow his retirement in 2006. As part of my sabbatical studies I presented a poster with co-author David Waugh ’99 which was a continuation of research on fossil Bryozoa that they began together as part of Waugh’s BS thesis at St. Lawrence. That research will
continue during the sabbatical leave.
I was pleased to host a reception for St. Lawrence alumni held on the first evening of the meeting. Seventeen alumni joined
faculty, students and friends of the university, including Emeritus Professor of Geography Bill Romey, to share information
and hear news of the department and the university. Dr. Robinson reported on progress of the science complex planning as it
affects the Geology Program. Dr. Barbara Tewksbury, ’74, Kirner Professor of Geology at Hamilton, discussed the qualities
of the new Geology building at Hamilton which is just now being occupied. It was revealing to hear what institutions like
ours are doing. West Coast and Gulf Coast alums like Andrew Fountain, ’76, and Charlie Kerans, ’77, who don’t often get to
Canton, enjoyed visits with students who learned about graduate programs and industry directions from these leaders in their
fields. Charlie gave a very interesting presentation at a symposium honoring sedimentologists Bob Ginsburg and Bob Folk.
Recent graduate Chris Stevens presented some of his really interesting GPR data from the MacKenzie Delta in the Canadian
Arctic and Dan Peppe documented the Paleocene paleomagnetic stratigraphy of western North Dakota. All and all the meeting was an exceptionally productive one for all St. Lawrence participants. As you can imagine, I enjoyed it a great deal!
Since my return I have worked steadily preparing plates for the shark study I mentioned above. As well I am responsible for
a chapter on Oribatid Mite Studies for a new Elsevier Series on Quaternary Geology. Booth Platt, a MS student in Roy Norton’s lab at SUNY-ESF, is co-authoring this with me and we have an early December due date!
Thereafter, I will be working further on the shark paper and on some unionid mussel study. Several projects are waiting in
the wings!
(Let’s hear from Mark Erickson!!! cont.)
On the home front, Mother continues to live at Church Street and though she struggles with the stairs she is doing very well
for her ninety-eight years. I am not very good company but she tolerates me pretty well. Skootie too is doing well and keeps
us good company. I hear from Lance once in a blue moon. He sounds like he is enjoying being out on his own. He is still
working at the home brew supply store in St. Paul – they also do a big web business – and still enjoys the thought of opening
a brew pub one day. He rarely thinks of graduate study in Geology, but it remains a possibility at least to humor the old
man. I look forward to shooting some pool with him again one of these days.
This year we are especially mindful of all of you who have been through the tragic hurricanes of the Gulf Coast and Florida.
We have now heard from most but not all who may have been in the path of one or more storms. I know that all who lived
in Louisiana were deeply affected and many lost homes and businesses. I hope you can rise from the difficulties with the
strengths that you all showed us so many times at St. Lawrence. If there is yet anything that we can do, please let us hear
from you. As the Holidays approach please know that our thoughts are indeed with you.
Seasons Greetings from me and from all the SLU Geology Family.
GULF COAST ALUMNI
Jeannine Fiore (Mansfield) ’97’ would like to share.
The path of a category 5 hurricane is a sight one
should never have to see in a lifetime. A number
of you have seen Katrina’s path, however, and
we had great concern for our alums on the Gulf
Coast. Many, of course, are located in New
Orleans because of industry headquaters.
Gradually we have heard from all of you that we
know were in the area, and we know you are safe.
That is not to say that you have not suffered
great loss; quite the contrary. We know better.
If you know of something we can do for you
please let us know. We would love to hear from
you.
"Congratulations to Carrie
Denesha ‘00’on passing the ASBOG
exam and becoming Professional
Geologist II !! We always knew you
could do it Carrie.”
Jeannine and Ray have sold there house and
moved to Bloomfield, NY to live near
Jeannine’s parents.
Their hands will be full with Elias learning
how to crawl and explore. (Must be the
geologist in him).
GOOD LUCK IN YOUR NEW HOME!!!
Future Geologist
Elias
Andrew “Dog” Owens ‘99’
Working as environmental consultant based in D.C. and Baltimore.
I recently married (March, 2005) to Christin Miller, have a 100+
year old farmhouse and forest (very small), a groundhog family that
we get to watch from our windows.
I have recently started investigating the ready-mix concrete and
storm water management industries to expand clients.
David Waugh ('99)
presents Erickson and
Waugh bryozoan poster at
GSA Annual Meeting in
Salt Lake City.
JME photo
Trisha Smrecak with the
Cretaceous "leaf peepers"
Dan Peppe '03 and Kirk
Johnson of the Denver
Museum.
JME photo
Stephanie Peek in front folded limestone layers outside
of Pinto, MD. Stephanie is currently doing a senior thesis project investigating the kinematics of the Blue
Ridge Anticlinorium, advised by Matty Strine.
Hello all.
I am at St. Lawrence for the academic year, replacing Cathy Shrady while she is on sabbatical. I taught Structural
Geology and Introduction to Geological Maps during the Fall semester, and will be teaching Geophysics and Mineralogy in
the Spring. In addition, I am advising a senior thesis project with a field component in the Blue Ridge Anticlinorium.
Last year I taught at Bryn Mawr College. This summer I successfully defended my PhD thesis, advised by Gautam Mitra
at the University of Rochester. For my dissertation, I studied the kinematics of the Moine Thrust zone in NW Scotland.
More recently, I have been collaborating with Christian Teyssier and Donna Whitney at the University of Minnesota
investigating the thermal and kinematic evolution of metamorphic core complexes in the North American Cordillera. I am
also collaborating with Sean Cornell (also a faculty in the St. Lawrence Geology Dept.) on a project to document the most
useful teaching outcrops within the United States and assemble a user-friendly, website-database.
In October, a slew (no pun intended) of St. Lawrence faculty and students made our way to Salt Lake City, UT for the
national GSA conference. I presented some data that I collected in South
Matty Strine
Korea in collaboration with Dr. Youngdo Park. While some of our
students were presenting and/or co-authors, other students came to check
out graduate schools and do some “networking.” I think it was a great
experience for us all.
I hope this newsletter finds you well.
Take care,
Matty Strine (Visiting Assistant Professor)
Professor Strine
and students looking at some Adirondack
deformation during
Structural Geology
lab.
Students on the Structural Geology field trip to the
Catskill Mountains, looking at synorogenic Acadian
sediments.
Cathy
Shrady
At the Museum of Natural History
in NY with SLU Dinosaur class.
Hey Glenn that’s not a dinosaur!
Close friends all through college and now
they are moms. We would like to
congratulate Megan Mazzarino ‘97’ on the birth of
her son, and we would like to congratulate Stefanie
Hooe ‘97’ on the birth of her son.
Greetings to you all and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season! I
have been enjoying my sabbatical, focusing on writing up the Peruvian
Future geologists???
research I’ve been involved in for the past 5 years or so. I made a trip to
Peru in July and plan another trip this March with a student who is doing
her senior thesis on a topic related to my interests.
all of our majors for well over the past decade. His
In September I was able to attend an environmental justice conference in efforts have ensured that our enrollments have
Talkeetna, Alaska to help prepare for a project I am becoming involved remained strong and his enthusiasm for the subject,
ability to hold the crowd without losing sight of acain looking at contaminants from Formerly Used Defense sites on
demic rigor, and genuine care for the students in these
St. Lawrence Island, Alaska and their impacts on native communities.
This year, two of our students will be applying for summer fellowships distribution courses will be a very difficult act to follow. We will miss him, and wish him well in his new
to work on this project and travel to Alaska with me.
venture. However, we just might be looking forwards
In May I will be joining with Mark MacWilliams of the Religious Stud- (hint, hint, Michael!) to using his property in Jamesville
ies dept. to take a group of 8 students to Kyoto, Japan to study Japanese as a base for some future field trips, if that’s a possibilgardens. The plan is for these students to then help design and build a
ity (one of the largest barns I have ever seen).
Japanese garden on the SLU campus and coordinate the use of rock, a
My newly found ‘free time’ over the past few months
key element in Japanese gardens with some of the rocks for the Dolan
has allowed me to concentrate on the Dolan Outdoor
outdoor laboratory project. One of our geo. majors is a part of this trip
and project and she will be applying for a summer fellowship to research Geological Laboratory project as well as relocate my
office in the X-ray lab (and to trash large volumes of
the geological materials that will be a part of the campus garden.
redundant paperwork - FYP papers from the early 90s?
Not much news to report on the home front. We still own 1 rooster and 7 Sorry folks - they’re gone!). We are about halfway
hens (who have stopped laying for the winter, so are entirely useless as through the acquisition of samples, but have at least
far as I can tell), 2 cats and Petra, the dog. The university has gotten very three more large installations to collect, and these will
strict about dogs in campus buildings these days and we can’t have them be composite arrays with estimated total weights of 30
in the dept. anymore, a real loss, but what can you do? Teya is 9 and
to 40 tons each, at a rough guess. It’s been a slow
soon will be up to my shoulder. She continues to enjoy her Appaloosa
process but well worth it. The outdoor lab will be a
pony, Dottie and contribute to the graying of my hair by now jumping in wonderful and unique teaching tool when complete –
competitions.
as, indeed, the existing ‘outcrops’ already have been.
Our thanks go to Brent LeClerc and Gary Eno of
May the new year bring you all health, happiness and peace! Please
Hanson’s quarry in Jamesville and to Dave Gordon of
continue to keep in touch with us.
Graymont in Potsdam for their enthusiasm and assisHello All,
tance – and for willingly donating about sixty tons of
Well, life is certainly full of surprises! Surgery
limestone and sandstone. Thanks are also due to Jim
(successful, I might add) in March and general ill
Gibson for trucking and placement of all of the samples
health at that time suggested that I should take
so far (no more ’45-tonners’, Jim – and I promise not to
medical leave and retire at the end of that semester.
get lost again!).
My sincere thanks to Mark for so willingly taking
My thanks, also, go to all of you who donated so much
over the chair mid-stream last spring and to Michael
to the department this past year. You are a very special
for agreeing to chair the department on his return
group. It’s this enthusiastic support and concern for the
from sabbatical this past fall. However, as of three
well-being of the department that goes such a long way
weeks ago (but somewhat anticipated), I shall be takto make this department stand out and to be so special.
ing over the chair again for the coming spring as well as teaching a comThank you.
bined petrology course. I must say, I am truly delighted to be able to do
this (and have to thank Michael for the opportunity)! On the other hand, Happy Holidays and all the very best for the New Year!
I am very sorry to see Michael leave us in order to start his new job in
Cheers
Syracuse (check his entry for details). As most of you know, he has
been the introducer to geology (through Geol 101 and 103) for virtually John Bursnall
Pilgrimage to Cincinnati in Invertebrate Paleontology
Geier Collection Center looking
at the Flexicalymene drawer.
Kope Formation, Cincinnati, Ohio
Front: Emilee Mroz, Chris Nichols Middle: Hillary Siener,
Mike Como, Matt Zabik, Brian Congiu, Jessica Klauzenberg,
Kate Zubin-Stathopoulus, Emilia Stanfill, Sarah Fuller
Back: Wade Jones, Will Jeffrey, Trisha Smrecak (TA) at
Maysville, Kentucky.
Looking over a juvenile
Diplodocus at the Cincinnati
Museum Geier Collections
Center. Okay—it’s not an
invertebrate, but we were
there!
Isorophus cincinnatiensis. Sharonville, Ohio
Brian, Chris and Matt show off
their 15 lb. Olenellid beauty
They are all winners
at our Paleo Pumpkin
carving contest!!!
Eliza, Wade, Emilee, Sarah,
and their 10 lb. Horseshoe
Crab, is it Limulus?
Emilia, Kate, Jessica and Hillary,
showing their seaweed(?) background
on their decapod pumpkin.
Geology Club Party
When you look quick, it
looks like Steve Robinson,
but if you look real close
you will see that it is
Brian Congiu.
Can anyone tell me who the man is with the
white beard, or who he’s supposed to be?
Brad Barton and Professor Strine swap identities
at the Geology club sponsored department get
together. Can you tell who is who??
GSA 2005
To us in Geology they are Professors’
Sean Cornell and Steve Robinson, to the
outside world they are professional go
kart drivers...or food service experts?
The white bison at Antelope
Island Visitors Center.
Is that U2?
Standing atop
Precambrian
quartzites—
What a view!
Pleistocene-age Lake
Bonneville Terraces
Great Salt Lake, UT.
Evolving Earth,
Vermont Field Trip
Fall, 2005
Students hard at work.
Claire Plagge and Professor Burns
Professor Strine and students examining fossils
Professor Owen
Rob (TA)
Professor Owen pointing out a Taconic
Thrust Faultto a group of students.
Professor’s Strine and
Burns wrapping up
one of the outcrops on
the 103 field trip.
Chazy fossils anyone!
Hey, Rob Menard ‘06’ aren’t you from Chazy?
Okay, can anyone tell me what this is???
Well last but certainly not least! I thought I would take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Sherrie Kelly and
I am the new departmental office assistant here in Geology. I live in Ogdensburg and have 3 children of my own, 2
stepchildren, and 2 grandsons.
Although I have been at St. Lawrence for several years working in the Dean’s Office, I am new to this position. I
currently wear two hats, one in the Outdoor Program and the other here in Geology. Working in both places keeps
me busy, but I feel that the faculty have welcomed me with open arms and have been very helpful in making my
transition..
It has been a great semester working in the Geology Department and I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting the students
and the faculty here – they are certainly an exciting bunch to work with. By the way, did you know that Diane makes
some of the best cookies – especially her Lime Meltaways! The Geology Department has offered me a very up-beat
and laid-back environment to work in, and the range of challenges given to me makes every day a different one. I
have especially enjoyed working on this newsletter; it has given me a chance to be creative with design and layout. Moreover I feel it has allowed me the opportunity to learn about the alumni of this program, the wonderful
things they do, and the amazing places they have traveled and worked. Just imagine what the current students think
when they read about all of your successes– very inspiring!
I will say good by now, but please take the time to contact me in the department via phone or email if you have any
questions or to pass along comments and suggestions regarding this newsletter. I am of course also hoping that you
will send along notice of activities in your life that you would like to contribute to upcoming newsletters, or if you
have any opportunities that you would like passed along to our students.
Again, although it has been said many times many ways… Warmest Wishes!