department of - Geosciences

DEPARTMENT OF GEOSCIENCES
Vo l u m e 3 , I s s u e 1 Greetings from Dr. Elliott
Dear Alumni and Friends: Change. We have all heard that word, in many contexts, during this past year. With the support of alumni, friends, faculty, GEOS students, and the university administration, Geosciences has experienced change in many positive ways, and has continued to grow in areas of student education, faculty research, teaching and publica‐
tion, and the addition of new faculty. We’ve been moving forward in student develop‐
ment and education in several arenas. To improve writing skills and critical thinking, Geosciences is requiring under‐
graduates to complete two upper‐level writing intensive courses as part of the university‐wide Critical Thinking and Writing Initiative, which in turn builds upon our extensive experience with the Writing Across the Curriculum Pro‐
gram. Development of field skills continues to be an im‐
portant component of undergraduate education, as well: the summer field course in Montana remains strong, and we are starting a field geography course focused on water resources in the Atlanta region this summer. At the gradu‐
ate level, we had more students graduate with Masters degrees, and several students in our collaborative Ph.D. program with Chemistry have graduated and obtained teaching, research, or tenure‐track faculty positions. We have also been working with the College of Education in the development of courses for science and social science teacher education, to create more high‐quality science and social science teachers in Georgia. Geosciences added three new faculty members this year: two new tenure‐track faculty members, and one lecturer. Dr. Suvasis Dixit, an assistant professor, is an en‐
vironmental geochemist who has come to GSU from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, after obtaining his Ph.D. from Georgia Tech. Dr. Parama Roy, an assistant professor, is an urban environmental geographer who re‐
cently completed her Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin‐
Milwaukee. Dr. Leslie Edwards, a lecturer, is a biogeogra‐
pher with a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. Begin‐
ning summer 2009, the department welcomes Dr. Dajun Dai, a geographer with expertise in medical geography and Geographic Information Systems. Beyond the activities I’ve already mentioned, this newsletter will inform you of much more that has been Faculty research and publication efforts are note‐ occurring in Geosciences as we’ve continued to change worthy. Geosciences faculty edit two nationally regarded and grow this past year. Thank you for your past and pre‐
journals: Cartographica and Journal of Earth Science Infor‐ sent support. We welcome you to visit at any time and we matics. In addition, faculty members have been competi‐ look forward to hearing from you. tive in searching out and obtaining research funding, with Sincerely, recent and substantial grants from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy and NASA. Crawford Elliott, Chair 3 Faculty News 4 An interview with Leslie Edwards CONTENTS
—Summer 2009
6 Introducing Parama Roy 14‐15 Celebrating the Department 7 Professional Presentations 16‐17 Alumni News 3‐7 Faculty News 8‐10 Student Achievements 18 Contact Us 11 GEOS goes to SEDAAG 19 Please Help Editor: Katherine Hankins Editorial Team: Dan Deocampo, Leslie Edwards, Parama Roy 12 Geology Field Camp 13 GEOS in the field Dona Stewart—Professor, Urban and Environmental Geography, Middle East Faculty W. Crawford Elliott (Chair) ‐ Associate Professor, Clay Min‐
eralogy Kenneth J. Terrell—Senior Lecturer, Geoarcheology and Vertebrate Paleontology John Allensworth—Senior Lecturer, Cultural Geography, Landforms, Latin America Visiting Lecturers & Instructors Hassan A. Babaie—Associate Professor, Structural Geology, William Bailey Geoinformatics Wayne Cook Jordan Clayton—Assistant Professor, Fluvial Geomorphol‐
ogy and Sediment Transport Scott Harris Jeremy Crampton—Associate Professor, Digital Cartogra‐
phy, Online Mapping, GIS, Geographic Visualization, Theory in Geography Dajun Dai—Assistant Professor beginning summer 2009, medical geography, GIS Staff Basirat Lawal, Business Manager Shankar Pokharel, Intermediate Tech Specialist Atieh Tajik, Laboratory Coordinator Erica Walker, Administrative Coordinator Daniel Deocampo—Assistant Professor, Sedimentology, Geochemistry, Mineralogy Adjunct Faculty Jeremy Diem—Associate Professor, Climatology Andry Bekker—University of Manitoba Suvasis Dixit—Assistant Professor, Chemical Oceanography Pamela Burnley—University of Nevada, Las Vegas Leslie Edwards—Lecturer, Biogeography John Costello—Georgia Geological Society Katherine Hankins—Assistant Professor, Urban Geography Lawrence Kiage—Assistant Professor, Remote Sensing, Bio‐
geography, Global Environmental Change, GIS Jim Henry—Professor Emeritus (Georgia Southern) Aditya Kar—Associate Professor, Fort Valley State University Hermann Lebit—Assistant Professor, University of Louisiana J. Marion Wampler—Associate Professor, Georgia Tech Eirik Krogstad—Associate Professor, Trace Element Geo‐
chemistry and Isotope Geology Emeritus Faculty Timothy LaTour—Associate Professor, Metamorphic Petrol‐
ogy Sanford Bederman—Professor Emeritus, Geography Truman Hartshorn—Professor Emeritus, Geography Parama Roy—Assistant Professor, Urban Environmental Geography Richard Pillsbury—Professor Emeritus, Geography 2 Faculty News
drological Processes. He has a manuscript, “A methodol‐
ogy for assessing the long‐termed effected of antece‐
dent rainfall upon runoff: applications to the Piedmont Dr. Jeremy Diem, Associate Professor of Geography, was featured in an August 22, 2008 Atlanta Journal‐Constitution Province, southeastern United States” in review at Jour‐
nal of Hydrology. article about his research, which has revealed that urban effects caused a 20 percent increase in the number of heavy rainfall days in Norcross. Dr. Hassan Babaie, pictured above with students at Field Camp, continues to work on developing ontolo‐
gies/knowledge bases in structural geology. The “SAFOD Brittle Microstructure and Mechanics Knowledge Base (SAFOD BM2KB)” is built and available at: http://codd.cs.gsu.edu:9999/safod/ for query and data submission. The knowledge base, which is currently be‐
ing evaluated with test data, will be populated with real data in the fall of 2009. Graduate students Cindi Broda and Anuj Kumar are also working on this project. Drs. Jeremy E. Diem and Leslie Edwards along with col‐
leagues in Physics‐Astronomy and Education will receive funding from NASA for a project titled, “Creating an Endur‐
ing Legacy of Exemplary Global Climate Change Education for Secondary Science Teachers and Underserved Students in Georgia.” Their multi‐disciplinary, multi‐institution pro‐
ject will bring together researchers and educators from Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Atlanta Public Schools. Dr. Dan Deocampo was elected Vice‐Chair of the Limno‐
geology Division of the Geological Society of America at the 2008 Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas. The Limno‐
geology Division is a specialty division representing about 300 member scientists from around the world from aca‐
demia, industry, and government who conduct research on all aspects of modern and ancient lakes. Dr. Crawford Elliott was re‐
cently elected to Fellow, Geo‐
logical Society of America. In 2009 Dr. Elliott was awarded a United States Department of Energy Grant for his proposal titled, “The natural enrichment of stable cesium in weathered micaceous minerals and its implications for Cs‐137 sorp‐
Dr. Jeremy Crampton, pictured in the cold, December tion.” Drs. Seth Rose, Eirik Krogstad and J. Marion Wampler 2008. Dr. Crampton’s book, Mapping: A Critical Intro‐
are co‐PIs on the grant. duction to Cartography and GIS is scheduled for publica‐
tion in 2009 by Wiley‐Blackwell Publishers. Currently Dr. Dr. Seth Rose recently published an article titled “Rainfall‐
Crampton has an article, “Mapping Without a Net” in runoff trends in the southeastern USA: 1938‐2005” in Hy‐
submission at Aether: The Journal of Media Geography. 3 An Interview with Leslie Edwards Current research projects I am currently lead editor of the upcoming Guide to the Natural Environments of Georgia, which is scheduled to be pub‐
lished by the University of Georgia Press in 2011. This book clas‐
sifies the landscapes of Georgia into roughly 75 environments, which are in turn organized by ecoregions (which are similar to physiographic provinces, but take into account soils and ecosys‐
tems). We characterize the geology, ecological and geomorphic processes, vegetation, fauna, species of conservation concern, and management issues for each environment. We appreciate Ken Terrell's contribution on the paleohistory of Georgia and John Costello's work on the geology of the Blue Ridge. This pro‐
ject started with Dr. Charles Wharton, who asked me to co‐
author an update to his landmark work The Natural Environ‐
ments of Georgia, which was published as Bulletin 114 by the Georgia Geologic Survey. The project has since evolved to en‐
compass a new classification system. The UGA Press video de‐
scribing the book can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyM8DTq‐ozI What classes do you teach? As a lecturer, the biggest part of my work is teaching introductory courses: Weather and Climate (Geography 1112), Landforms (Geography 1113) and Human Geography (Geography 1101). I enjoy teaching the introductory courses because they are broad‐based and give students a holistic per‐
spective. I would enjoy designing a class centered around the Guide to the Natural Environments of Georgia. We would ex‐
plore how environments function, and the conservation and management issues we face in preserving them. This would be a multi‐disciplinary approach that demonstrates how geology, geomorphic processes, ecological processes, and climate inter‐
act to form environmental systems. One goal would be to intro‐
duce students to potential research projects. For example, one Geosciences graduate student, Jennifer Dickie, has researched aeolian sand hills adjacent to the Flint River after learning about that environment. Another major goal would be to interest stu‐
dents in taking more 4000‐6000 level classes in the Geosciences. Why academics? teract is key to preserving the landscapes and natural heritage of the state, which is the main goal of the book we are writing. This work has enabled me to canoe under the screeching calls of sandhill cranes in the Okefenokee Swamp, view stunningly beautiful, remote pitcher plant bogs, and light fires under longleaf pines where red cockaded woodpeckers nest. I am glad for the opportunity to help preserve all of these places, and the biota within them, for the future. What has your first year at GSU been like…..compared to expectations ? It has been great; this first year exceeded my expecta‐
tions. It is a pleasure to be on a faculty with such congenial and professional colleagues, who care deeply about their research, their students, the department and university. And I have thor‐
oughly enjoyed teaching the students here. Academics – what’s not to like?! We are fortunate in this profession to be able to dedicate ourselves to learning about and researching fascinating, relevant issues, and then conveying that knowledge to students through teaching and mentoring, and to the world at large through publishing. So, being an aca‐
demic provides fulfillment and a strong sense of purpose, and the work itself is interesting and challenging. Why geography? I’ve always enjoyed being outdoors, and I began to be curious about what made the landscapes around me tick. Bio‐
geography provides a great perspective because the distribution of life – the heart of biogeography – is dependent upon interact‐
ing factors of geomorphology, geology, soils, vegetation dynam‐
ics and climate. Understanding these factors and how they in‐
4 Collaborative efforts in teaching and research I’m collaborating in both teaching and research efforts. The Guide to the Natural Environments of Georgia is a major collaborative effort. In addition to the co‐editors of the book, who include Dr. Kay Kirkman, a research scientist at the Joseph W. Jones Center in Ichauway, and Dr. Jon Ambrose, the assis‐
tant Chief of the Nongame Conservation Section of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, we have a number of con‐
tributing authors, formal and informal reviewers, and numer‐
ous botanists and biologists who are providing information. I am also collaborating with Jeremy Diem and Lisa Martin (in the College of Education) to revamp the Geography 1112 (Weather and Climate) laboratory, in conjunction with a major grant from NASA. Dr. Suvasis Dixit joined the faculty of Geosciences in 2008. During the 2008‐09 year, he taught Oceanogra‐
phy, Geologic Resources and the Environment, Geol‐
ogy Seminar, and Introductory Geosciences. In 2009 Dr. Dixit earned a Research Initiation Grant from Geor‐
gia State University to continue his research on arse‐
nic. With colleagues, Dr. Dixit published an article ti‐
tled, “Dissolution kinetics of biogenic silica collected from the water column and sediments of three South‐
ern California borderland basins,” in Marine Chemistry (2008). Currently he has a co‐authored paper “Spatially Resolved U(VI) Partitioning and Speciation: Implications for Plume Scale Behavior of Contaminant Above: Dr. Leslie Edwards examining beard‐tongue flow‐ U in the Hanford Vadose Zone” in review at Environ‐
ers growing among rocks in the Conasauga River, which mental Science and Technology. In June 2009, he pre‐
sented his paper “Microbial reduction of goethite by will be a featured site for Blue Ridge river and stream floodplain environment in the Guide to Natural Environ‐ Shewanella alga BrY: Effects of pH and sorbed arsenic
(III)” at the Goldschmidt Conference in Davos, Switzer‐
ments of Georgia. land.
Dr. Larry Kiage, pictured above with colleagues and students conducting fieldwork, currently has two publications in press at Palaeogeography, Palaeocli‐
matology, Palaeoecology and The Professional Ge‐
ographer. One of his articles, “Ecological Impacts of Hurricane Ivan on the Gulf Coast of Alabama: A Re‐
mote Sensing Study” co‐authored with colleagues was recently published in the Journal of Coastal Re‐
search. Dr. Jordan Clayton organized a special session, “Flow and sediment transport processes” at the An‐
nual Meeting of the Association of American Geog‐
raphers, which was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, March 2009. He presented his paper “Modeling flow in the Whitewater River Basin, Kansas” in the session. Dr. Katherine Hankins is pictured at Plant Scherer in Juliette, Georgia, in front of the largest coal pile out‐
side of the state of Wyoming. With Emily Powers, a graduate student at San Diego State University, she co‐
authored an article about the role of the state and the nature of public spaces in Atlantic Station, the coun‐
try’s largest new urbanist development. The article, titled, “The disappearance of the state from livable urban spaces,” is forthcoming in Antipode. With her colleague Dr. Robert Yarbrough of Georgia Southern University, Dr. Hankins published an article titled, “Positionality and active learning: Confronting privi‐
lege in field‐exercise design” in Journal of Geography The article won the National Council for Geographic Education 2009 Best University/College paper. 5 Introducing Parama Roy, Assistant Professor enjoyed teaching both these courses. The introduction course was really a rich ex‐
perience because of the socio‐culturally diverse stu‐
dent population and by ex‐
tension, the diversity in the student opinions that made class discussions even more interesting. The graduate class on the other hand was really enlightening because of the quality of the stu‐
dents, their inputs, and will‐
I am currently working on two papers based on my ingness to debate; that often dissertation which focused on the production of taught me something at the green spaces in the city of Milwaukee. Using primar‐
end of the class. This coming ily qualitative research methods and an urban politi‐
Fall I will be teaching a cal ecology/economy lens I explored the unequal graduate/undergraduate nature of the green spaces along class and race class on economic geography lines and examined the role played by public and which I am hoping will give private entities, primarily the non‐profit organiza‐
me a chance to interact with both these different stu‐
tions, in aggravating or ameliorating this state of dent bodies. inequality. I also worked closely with a primarily Af‐
rican‐American inner‐city community as a partici‐
Along with Dr Hankins I have introduced a new course pant observer. This work revealed a marginalized on Qualitative Research Methods to our curriculum. community’s attempt to address issues of social and We are both very excited about this course and hope environmental injustice through a community gar‐
to work together to make it a success. In the future I den effort. This summer I am hoping to follow up on would love to teach a course on nature‐society rela‐
some unexplored questions that arose from my dis‐ tionship, perhaps titled Urban Nature or Nature in the sertation work in Milwaukee. City. Not only are urban environmental issues such as access to green spaces or the urban heat island and In addition, with the support of the Research Initia‐
their implications for the society close to my interest, tion Grant, I am planning to start a new project in but are also important topics of discussion that our Atlanta. I am fascinated by the opportunity that the students should be exposed to. Atlanta BeltLine offers in terms of exploring the role I have really had a wonderful first year. The depart‐
of communities in contemporary processes of col‐
ment has been very supportive. My experience in the laborative urban environmental planning. Hence I classroom has been positive. I am beginning to see will be working with the Boulevard Crossing Park area neighborhood in order to understand how and various opportunities to pursue my research interest to what degree communities are really empowered and collaborate with other colleagues. I could not have asked for more. Given the way the department through such planning processes. faculty has evolved in the last few years I am ex‐
This was my first year at GSU and during this year I tremely hopeful that we will begin to see higher re‐
had the opportunity to teach the Introduction to cruitments and overall strengthening of our Depart‐
Human Geography course and a graduate seminar ment of Geosciences. on Urban Economic Geography. I have thoroughly Since my college days I was fascinated by the image of the extremely dedicated and focused professor buried under a sea of papers, journals and books as portrayed for instance in Jules Verne’s A Journey to the Center of the Earth. I aspired to become one myself some day. I am the happiest when I have pa‐
pers to write, research to do and readings to finish. So here I am in academics. Urban environmental geography just gave me the perfect avenue through which I could pursue my interest in issues of social and natural environments within urban settings, their inequalities, and concerns over their produc‐
tion and management. 6 Professional Presentations Dr. Parama Roy, pictured left with activists and residents of Walnut Way in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, presented her research at the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers in Las Vegas, Nevada, in March 2009. Her paper was ti‐
tled, “Walnut Way Community Gardens: Spaces of Resistance to Neoliberal Socio‐environmental In‐
justices.” Dr. Jeremy Diem, co‐presented a poster “Relationships among monsoon‐season circulation patterns, gulf surges, and rainfall within the Lower Colorado Basin” with Dr. David Brown (LSU) at the meeting. Dr. Jordan Clayton developed and hosted the Greater Atlanta Geomorphology and Hydrology Re‐
search Conference on October 25, 2008, designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and professionals with backgrounds in related fields to present research in a friendly, scientifically‐
stimulating setting and as a forum to enhance regional interdisciplinary collaboration. More than 30 partici‐
pants attended, originating from seven major cam‐
puses, the USGS, and local professional organizations, and 16 attendees presented their research (see Student Achievements, Page 10). Dr. Larry Kiage, pictured above conducting fieldwork, presented his paper, titled “The Paleohurri‐
cane Record from the Barrier Is‐
lands of Coastal Georgia” at the Annual Meeting of the Associa‐
tion of American Geographers in Las Vegas, Nevada, in March 2009. Dr. Jeremy Crampton, pic‐
tured left at the AAG meeting, where he presented his paper “Mapping without a Net? Only for Google to Rope us in”. Dr. Dan Deocampo presented two papers at the Geological Society of America's 2008 Annual Meeting. His poster was titled "Aluminum complexation and differential alteration of volcaniclastic materials: Examples from the Alban Hills, Italy, and the Sutter Buttes, California" with colleagues from California, Arizona, and It‐
aly. He also gave a talk titled "Discrimination of Multiple Authigenic Clay Phases: Coupled Mineralogy and Geochemistry in Pliocene Paleolake Olduvai, Tanzania", presenting some of his work on ancient clays from East Africa with colleagues from the UK and France. 7 Student Achievements
Eliza Andrews received the Ogren Memorial Scholarship and the Ernest Fritz Memorial Fund award. She also received the Field Camp Award, which recognizes out‐
standing performance in the field. Eliza was also a receiptient of the American Mineralogist Award. Eliza will graduate with a BS in Ge‐
ology in December 2009. Laura Wilson, MA Geography ‘09, presented her Master’s research at the Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Divi‐
sion of the Association of American Geographers. She is currently employed by the U.S. EPA examining issues of environmental injustice. Robert Cochran, MA Geogra‐
phy ‘09, defended his thesis, “Race, Place, and Identity: Examining Place Identity in the Racialized Landscape of Buckhead, Atlanta” under the direction of Dr. Katherine Hankins. Robert presented his Master’s research at the Annual Meeting of the Asso‐
ciation of American Geogra‐
phers, held in Las Vegas, Ne‐
vada, in March. Robert be‐
gins his PhD program at the University of Illinois in August 2009. Tara Prizito, a former news‐
letter editor, completed her Master’s degree in Geogra‐
phy under the direction of Dr. Dona Stewart during spring 2009. Her thesis was titled, “The Spaces of Encoun‐
ter of Female, Middle‐Eastern and Muslim Immigrants in Atlanta, Georgia.” Tara is employed in the U.S. Parks Ser‐
vice. Leslie Bienenfeld, pictured above left with Regina Ware (BA, Geography ‘09), received the Outstanding Senior Award in Geography. Leslie will complete her Honors the‐
sis on the political ecology of eco‐villages and graduate with a BA in Geography December 2009. Robyn Polinsky anticipates her Master’s degree in Decem‐
ber 2009; Richard Cartwright received his MA in geogra‐
phy during summer ’09 under the direction of Dr. Jordan Clayton; Megan Wilson completed her MA in Geography under the direction of Dr. Katherine Hankins during spring 2009. 8 Geography Graduate Students Anderson, John R. Brown, Carol J. Brown, Koya F. Buckeridge, Simone P. Cartwright, Richard J.* Chapman, Matthew B. Cochran, Robert E.* Comarova, Zoia A. Hays, Jessica C. Holmes, David C. Karimbayeva, Zhanar U. Mayoral, Helen M. Morris, Imani R. Prizito, Tara D.* Polinsky, Robyn R. Waller, Matthew T. Wilson, Laura J.* Wilson, Margarett E.* Pictured above: Adebayo Ayorinde, Richard Wittington, Jennifer Dickie, Joan Larrohondo, Barbara Smucygz, and Dr. Jessica Elzea‐
Kogel at Imerys Kaolin Mines near Sandersville, Georgia. Geology Graduate Students PhD Students (Geology) Gray, Jr, Julian C. Shulte, Kimberly Vermillion, Nicole M. GIS Certificate Students Blankley, Brent A. Blanton, Jesse D. Bryant, Julia R. Burger, Eric R. Martin, Ross H. McCrudy, Catherine D. Morrell, Susan C. Vann, Brian L. *Graduated Spring or Summer 2009 9 Ayorinde, Adebayo O. Berry, Patricia A. Broda, Cynthia M. Brown, Dana C. Burnett, Daniel* Costello, Oliver W.* Davarpanah, Armita* Dickie, Jennifer Dyarmett, Charles K. Ghelerter, Jill E. Jarrett, Robert E. Johes, John R. Naumann, Thomas E. Ivanowski, Joseph M. Smucygz, Barbara A.* Valencia, Federico A. VanTrees, Craig A. Whittington, Richard A.* Student Achievements
Barbara Smucygz, MS student in geology, presented her research “Comparison of runoff volume as a con‐
sequence of urbanization for three Chattahoochee River subbasins” at the Greater Atlanta Geomorphol‐
ogy and Hydrology Research Conference. Robyn Polinsky, MA student in geography, also presented her research “Utilizing green roofs as tools for storm‐
water management” at the conference, held at Geor‐
gia State University on October 25, 2008. Jennifer Dickie, MS student in geology, presented her work “Differences in grain size distributions of sediments adjacent to the Flint River in Pike County, Georgia, and geomorphic implications.” Richard Cartwright, MA student in geography, presented his work: “Sediment transport rates for deltas in the polar lake district of Titan.” Robert will begin the PhD program in Astronomy at Georgia State University beginning fall 2009. Eliza Andrews presented a poster titled "Lead and Other Heavy Metals in Atlanta Soils: A Preliminary Environmental Survey" at the 2009 GSU Undergradu‐
ate Research Conference held on March 13, 2009. Her co‐authors included members of the 2008 Geo‐
sciences Learning Community who helped collect samples last year, and other undergraduates working with Dr. Deocampo on studies of the urban environ‐
ment. Along with Eliza Andrews, Joseph Ivanowski and Patricia Berry received the Ernest Fritz Memorial Fund award for 2009. Mathew Threlkeld received the SGE Undergraduate student TA award, and Jo‐
seph Ivanowski received the SGE Graduate student TA award. Davis Morgan Warren and Justin Cun‐
ningham were recognized for their superior per‐
formance in geology coursework and received the Usha Kharel, MS Geology 2008, completed her thesis, SGE Tarr Award. The American Mineralogist Award was shared by Eliza Andrews and Daniel Hunt. titled, “Analysis of stream runoff trends in the Blue Ridge and Piedmont Provinces of the southeastern Leslie Bienenfeld and Shannon Lee were recognized United States” under the direction of Dr. Seth Rose. for their outstanding cartographic skills. They both Dr. Rose also directed Oliver Costello’s M.S. thesis received the 2009 Cartography Award from the de‐
titled, “Temporal variations in spring water chemistry partment.. and comparison of variable Paleozoic aquifer dis‐
charges in the Ridge and Valley Province of north‐
western Georgia.” Craig Van Trees presented a poster at the Southeast‐
ern Geological Society of America entitled, “Analysis of precipitates associated with an alkaline leachage, Gulf States Steel Property, Gadsden, Alabama.” 10 GEOS goes to SEDAAG
Ten graduate and undergraduate students from the department attended the Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Division of the Association of American Geographers (SEDAAG), held in Greensboro, North Carolina November 19‐21, 2008. Along with students from the University of West Georgia, Georgia South‐
ern, and University of Georgia, Leslie Bienenfeld, Amanda Murray, Robert Cochran, Robyn Polinsky, Richard Cartwright, Zoia Comarova, Zhanar Karim‐
bayeva, Erika Redding, Laura Wilson, Harrison Layer, Carrie Ann Starnes, represented the state in the World Geography Bowl. Picture from top left: Robin Polinsky and Richard Cartwright during a round of the World Geography Bowl. Above right, Carrie Ann Starnes; Robin Polinsky, Richard Cartwright, a UGA student, Harrison Layer, Leslie Bienenfeld, and a Georgia Southern student prepare for a round of questions; below right: Amanda Murray, Erika Redding, and Robert Cochran participate in a round; bottom left: Dr. Jordan Clayton, a Georgia Southern student, Carrie Ann Starnes, Zoia Comarova, Erika Redding, and Zhanar Karimbayeva support the Georgia team during one of the rounds. 11 2009 Geology Field Camp
In top picture: standing row, left to right: Keith Dyarmett, Tony Jaeckel, Emily Scherer, Mark Andrews, Ian Smith, Michelle Teply, Duncan Knudson, Semir Sarajlic, Jessica Raines, and Tom Naumann; Sitting row, left to right: Brent Leggett, Simon Matthew, Dr. Hassan Babaie, Phillip Reed, and Bob Jarrett. 12 GEOS in the field
Pictured from top left: Students and faculty from the Metropolitan Atlanta class at Booker T. Washington High School; top right: stu‐
dents in the geogra‐
phy senior seminar class on a tour of Plant Scherer. The class focused on under‐
standing the history of geographic thought and different ways to approach the study of coal.
Middle left photo: students in Dr. Jordan Clayton’s Field School course coring trees; middle right: geology students in a cave; bot‐
tom left: students in Dr. Jordan Clayton’s Field School course identifying the effects of weathering; bottom right: Amanda Murray, graduating geography major, on top of the main facility at Plant Scherer 13 Celebrating the department at the spring picnic
Pictured left: Dr. John Allensworth; Patti Berry, recipient of the Ernest Fritz Memorial Fund scholarship talks with Dr. Dan Deo‐
campo and his wife Dr. Joanne Deocampo. Dan and Joanne just welcomed Alexandar Michael Deocampo, who was born on July 23, 2009. Pictured left to right, middle row: Dr. Tim LaTour, Dr. Dan Deocampo, the very impressive grill meister, Leslie Bienenfeld and Eliza Andrews; Bottom row: Leslie Bienenfeld, Robin Polinsky, Laura Wilson, and Salin Pokharel, Shankar Pokharel, and Usha Kharel, celebrate the department at the spring picnic. 14 From top row: GEOS gathers for a backyard barbeque; Stuart Hardeman, geology major; Julie Moore Chapman, wife of Master’s geography graduate student Matt Chapman, and Dr. Katherine Hankins; below: Barnaby Camp and Laura Wilson; Next row: Dr. Eirik Krogstad; Beth Moulder; Dr. Leslie Edwards, Patty and David Holmes, geography graduate student, and their daughter listen to the awards presentation; Dr. Jeremy Crampton; Liz Buchanan, BA Geography ‘07; Bottom row: Kirsten Rogers Berry BA Geography ‘07 with her husband; Dr. Crawford Elliott presents Eliza Andrews with the Ogren Memorial Scholarship; Jager Hein, senior geography major. 15 Alumni News
year in the PhD program in geography at Clark Univer‐
sity, where he is developing a dissertation project about the use of remote sensing in understanding ur‐
ban change. His paper about environmental derelic‐
tion in Atlanta, co‐authored with Dr. Katherine Hankins, was recently accepted to ACME, the e‐journal of Critical Geographies. Shannon Marshall, BA Geogra‐
phy ‘07, is currently employed at the Dekalb County Department of Parks and Recreation. Liz Buchanan, BA Geography ‘07, a GIS specialist, lives in Conyers. Travis Pruitt, BA Geography ‘07, taught middle school Science for two years and is now a fire fighter in Gwin‐
nett County. Kirsten Rogers (now Kirsten Berry), BA Geography ‘07, is currently enrolled in Georgia Tech’s Master’s program in Urban Planning. Drew Parker, BA Geography ’07, currently works for Watershed Con‐
cepts in Atlanta. Dustyn Palmer, BA Geography ‘07, works at the Centers for Disease Control on a GIS and rabies surveillance project. Diane Styers, MA Geogra‐
phy ‘05, completed her PhD in Forestry from Auburn University and now lives in Seattle. Jeffrey Foor, BA Geography ’07, lives in Chicago. Robin Billings, M.S. Geology ‘07 (and former news‐
letter editor), pictured above enjoying the mini‐
reunion of the Spring Department party. Robin is currently employed by the U.S. Environmental Pro‐
tection Agency in the Atlanta office. Dwain Butler, BA Geography, ‘93, currently lives in Waycross, Georgia, where he is the District Director of Envi‐
ronmental Health for the state of Georgia. Richard Whittington, M.S. in Geology, Spring 2009, de‐
fended his thesis titled, "Clay Mineralogy of the Woodford Shale, Oklahoma" and is now employed Southwestern Energy Resources, Houston, Texas as a geologist working on natural gas resources. Wesley Green, BA Geography ‘08, is currently en‐
rolled in the Master’s in Urban Planning program at the University of Utah. Patrick Vernon, BA Geogra‐
phy ‘07 conducts software training as a “field imple‐
mentation specialist” with a software company. He creates and maintains databases and travels fre‐
quently for his job. Dan Runfola, formerly known as Dan Miller, BA Geography, ‘08, completed his first Dorian Roffe‐Hammond, B.A. Geography, ‘08, at the Earth Day Festival at King's College, Wilkes‐Barre, Pennsylvania. Dorian works for the Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining. He supervises wa‐
tershed remediation projects involving acid min drain‐
age pollution in the Anthracite region of northeastern Pennsylvania. 16 Wanted: More Alumni News
Dear Alumni, We are writing this newsletter for you, so that you may keep up with the activities of the department as it grows. Ideally, however, this newsletter should keep you con‐
nected to your classmates and to the department where you spent important time, gaining skills and developing relationships. To help us accomplish the ultimate goal of this newsletter, we need to hear from you. What are you doing? Where has your de‐
gree, your career, your life taken you? How has your geology or geography degree served you? Please get in touch with us, by sending along the enclosed letter with in‐
formation about what you’re doing. Or email the newsletter editor at geosnewslet‐
[email protected]. And, as we request on the following pages, please consider donating to the department so that we can continue to offer exciting opportunities for our current students. Get connected online. The Georgia State Alumni Association recently updated its website and launched a new online community called Georgia State Circle. The online community is a secure social and networking community available only to Georgia State University alumni, and it gives you the opportunity to communicate with other alumni—either individually or through academic groups and clubs. Register now for your online community by visiting https://gsu.affinitycircles.com 17 Come visit.
COME VISIT US. Our department is growing and changing. Stop by and see our new teaching laboratories, our undergraduate lounge, or knock on one of your professor’s doors!
In person: The Department of Geosciences office is 340 Kell Hall. Geography faculty offices are located on the third floor of Sparks Hall. Geology faculty offices are located on the third floor of Kell Hall. On the phone: Main office: 404 413‐5750, Fax: 404 413‐5768 Visit our website: http://www.cas.gsu.edu/geosciences/ 18 We need your help.
Dear Alumni and Friends, Fostering intellectual and professional community in the Department of Geosciences requires that we pro‐
vide events and opportunities for faculty and students to travel, to attend lectures, and to participate in pro‐
fessional meetings. We are asking that you consider donating an amount to the Geosciences funds, which will enable the Department to offer a variety of opportunities to future geoscientists! We appreciate your contributions to these funds. GEOS GENERAL FOUNDATION ACCOUNT
Funds contributed to this account will support Student Travel. The department would like to enable graduate students and undergraduate stu‐
dents to attend professional meetings, where they can see the depth and breadth of geography and geology. The professional meetings for the 2009‐2010 year are in places such as Knoxville and Washington, DC, which are costly for student budgets. Student Research. The department is interested in cultivating the love of and experience in original research projects. Many of our Master’s students complete strong theses, which often pave the way for Ph.D. work. The department is very interested in being able to provide a fund to assist students with the expenses associated with fieldwork. Colloquia. A strong department is one that gains national exposure through faculty publications and departmental participation in professional meetings. In addition, a strong colloquium series enables guest speakers to share their work with faculty and students. An active colloquium series is a sign of a healthy, intellectually‐engaged department. Faculty Recruitment. As our department expands, we anticipate hiring more outstanding scholars. To do so, we rely on our foundation funds to recruit and invite potential new hires to our depart‐
ment. ERNEST FRITZ MEMORIAL FUND
The Ernest Fritz Memorial Fund is devoted to supporting scholarship and instruction in conjunction with the Geology Field Courses in Montana. The fund was established to support Geology field camp with the first priority being the support for scholarships on a need basis to help defray the cost of attendance. The second priority is to provide operating support for field camp with the intent that this might lessen the cost for all students. Please designate the amount you would like to give and the desired fund you’d like to support. Checks should be made payable to “Georgia State Foundation/Geosciences” and mailed to GSU Foundation, Georgia State University, PO Box 3963, Atlanta, GA 30302. All donations are tax‐
deductible. Account GEOS GENERAL FOUNDATION $20 $50 $100 $500 Other ERNEST FRITZ MEMORIAL FUND Name ___________________________________________________________ Total gift: ____________ Address _______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ 19 20