Toni Alexander to Receive Distinguished Diversity Research Award

Dr. Toni Alexander (Geography) recently was selected to receive a 2008 Distinguished Diversity Research Award. These newly inaugurated awards, established by the AU’s Research Initiative for the Study of Diversity and the Office of Diversity and Multi-Cultural Affairs, will be presented at a Diversity Research conference scheduled for October 2008. Dr. Alexander’s award will facilitate her current research on the nature and impacts of growing Hispanic populations in rural Alabama.

Departmental Faculty Establish a Environmental Outreach Facility

Drs. Lorraine Wolf and Ming-Kuo Lee recently employed a grant from the AU Office of Outreach to initiate a program called Water Education for Alabama. In collaboration with the AU Environmental Institute, they are establishing a permanent field station at Auburn University’s E.V. Smith Center for conducting groundwater activities for middle school children and teachers. Current outreach efforts are directed at students and teachers from Alabama’s Black Belt.

Wes Buchanan wins COSAM GTA Award

Wes Buchanan (MS ’08 Geology) recently was named one of two 2008 Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistants in the College of Sciences and Mathematics. In addition to completing a fine thesis on ultrahigh-pressure Caledonian eclogites in East Greenland in record time, Wes has done a great job as lead GTA for Physical Geology laboratories. Wes was recognized by the Dean at the COSAM Honors Convocation in April.  

George Garner Visits Chilean Ore Deposits on SEG Grant

George Garner (MS ’08 Geology) was the recipient of a Travel Grant from the Society of Economic Geologists. The grant allowed George to participate in an SEG field trip to South America. George (shown here with a rather large quartz crystal) and other students from across the globe were introduced to various gold and copper deposits in nine different mines located throughout northern Chile. Thanks SEG!

Hunter Nichols Makes Good with the Camera

Hunter Nichols, a senior in Geography, is developing a great reputation with his cameras. Hunter was only one of ten students in the U.S. to receive a scholarship to attend an international conference on Nature Photography. He also currently holds an internship with the Alabama River Alliance and is developing a documentary film on threats to water resources in the state.

Professor Dawsey Announces Retirement

Dr. Cyrus (Sonny) Dawsey announced his retirement effective June 30, 2008. Sonny contributed 33 years of meritorious service to the University, including four years as Department Chair (of the then Department of Geography, College of Liberal Arts) and a longer stint as the Director of the Institute for Latin American Studies. Sonny was awarded Emeritus Professor status at his retirement reception in May. The department is in the process of searching for someone to fill the void formed as Sonny winds down a long and productive academic career. Hopefully, Sonny will be around to teach a class or two!

Chuck Savrda named Scharnagel Professor of Physical Sciences

Dr. Chuck Savrda, Department Chair, recently was named the Marguerite Scharnagel Professor of Physical Sciences for 2007-2010. The Scharnagel Professorships, established in the College of Sciences and Mathematics in 1998, recognize outstanding accomplishments in teaching, research, and service in the biological, mathematical, and physical sciences.

Department Names 2007-08 Outstanding Junior and Senior Awardees

The Outstanding Senior and Junior in the Department of Geology and Geography were recognized at the April 2008 COSAM Honors Convocation. The Junior Award was presented to Nathan Campbell (Geology; right) while the Senior Award, or Dean’s Medal, was bestowed on Dusty Kimbrow (Geography; left). Congratulations to both of these stellar students!

Ray Tichenor wins University Undergraduate Research Fellowship

Sophomore Geology major Hal (Ray) Tichenor recently was awarded a year-long AU Undergraduate Research Fellowship to study modern-day benthic foraminifera that grow permanently attached to hard substrates such as shells and cobbles at the island of San Salvador, Bahamas. At left Ray is examining "forams" on algae at the San Salvador laboratory last March. With University funding, Ray will be doing most of his field work this June under the supervision of Dr. Ron Lewis.

Departmental Students Win AGS Scholarships

Two of the department’s graduate students received competitively awarded scholarships from the Alabama Geological Society (AGS). Nathan Layfield (right) won the John G. Newton Scholarship, which he will apply to his thesis work on Permian through Cretaceous Evolution of the Alabama-Georgia southernmost Piedmont. Lee Beasley (left) was awarded a John S. Winefordner Scholarship that will support his studies of surface-, sea-, and ground-water interactions in the Wolf Bay watershed. Congratulations to both of these students, and thanks to the AGS and its scholarship donors!

Kelli Hardesty Named a Top Ten AU Masters Student

Once again, after a campus-wide competition, a Geology student from our department has been selected as one of Auburn University’s Top Ten Masters students. Kelli Hardesty, shown here with thesis advisor Dr. Lorraine Wolf, earned this recognition based on her thesis project (a study of microtremors in the New Madrid Seismic Zone), outstanding performance as a GTA, and substantial record of outreach and service. Cheers to Kelli!

Working Waterfront Research Featured in Sea Briefs

Research by Dr. Luke Marzen and collaborators from the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology was recently featured as the cover story in Sea Briefs (Spring 2008, v. 8, no. 1), a magazine that highlights projects funded through the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium. Their study focused on the dynamics of Alabama’s working water fronts. Involving surveys, aerial photography, and the development of a GIS database, the study is helping to document current economic conditions and to predict future land-use changes in coastal areas of southwest Alabama.

Fossil-Lagerstätte Research Featured in Palaios

Auburn researchers, including graduate students Sean Bingham (MS ’07) and Terry Knight (MS ’07), are completing their NSF-funded work on a compact fossil-Lagerstätte in the Cretaceous Eutaw Formation, eastern Alabama. The deposit, dubbed the Ingersoll shale in deference to landowner Mr. Michael Ingersoll who graciously provided access to the site, contains an unusually well-preserved terrestrial biota that includes a diverse flora, amber with fossil inclusions (e.g., spiders and mites), and fossil feathers. The first of several papers describing this deposit and its fossil biota is featured as the cover article in the May-June 2008 issue of the journal Palaios.

Vulcan Materials Company Establishes New Scholarship

Vulcan Materials Company (VMC) recently established an annual scholarship fund in the Department of Geology and Geography. The fund will be used to provide scholarships for qualified current or incoming Auburn University students who are enrolled in the Geology or Geography curriculum. In the accompanying photograph, a check for 2008-09 scholarships is presented to Chuck Savrda by Joe Howle (on right), Environmental Services Manager for VMC, Southern Division. Many thanks to Joe and the VMC Foundation!

Geology Students Win 2007 COSAM Research Awards

Two departmental students recently were selected to receive COSAM Dean’s Research Awards. Germari de Villiers (MS ’07), left, earned the Outstanding Masters Research Award for her thesis research, supervised by Drs. David King and Luke Marzen, that focused on potential marine impact craters on Mars. Amanda Savrda (BS ’08), right, received the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award for her laboratory bioremediation studies of acid mine drainage, supervised by Drs. Lorraine Wolf, Ming-Kuo Lee, Vince Cammarata (Chemistry), and Mark Liles (Biology). Both of these recipients were chosen from a slate of worthy nominees forwarded from across the College of Sciences and Mathematics.

AU Geology and Geography Students Sweep GIS Poster Competition

Students from the department swept the student poster competition at the 4th Annual GIS Symposium, hosted at Troy University, November 2007. Wahid Rahman (GEOL MS, pictured here) took first place for his presentation "Rectification of an existing geologic map using SRTM digital elevation model, satellite imagery and field data: Application to the Ulatang Anticline, Bangladesh." Mac Martin (GEOG BA ’07) took second place for his poster "The Working Waterfront: A Baseline GIS,” and Chris Ploetz (GEOG BA) captured third place with his presentation of "Geomorphologic impact of hurricane Ivan and Katrina on Dauphin Island." Congratulations to all three students!

Jessica Horwitz receives AFMS Scholarship

Graduate student Jessica Horwitz recently received a scholarship from the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies Foundation. The scholarship will facilitate her thesis field mapping and laboratory analyses. Jessica's thesis project, supervised by Dr. Bob Cook, is designed to evaluate the mineralogical association of uranium in the metamorphic Higgins Ferry Formation, Inner Piedmont, Alabama. Congratulations to Jessica, and special thanks to AMFS Foundation donor Wayne Leicht.

Jessica Morgan wins COSAM Golf Classic Scholarship

Ms. Jessica Morgan, a senior geology major, recently was awarded a 2007 Dean's Invitational Golf Classic Scholarship from the College of Sciences and Mathematics. Seen hear holding her giant check at the COSAM golf tournament reception on September 21, Jessica received the scholarship not for her golf game but for her outstanding academic performance. Jessica, as an AU Undergraduate Research Fellow, is working with Dr. Ron Lewis on the ecology and taphonomy of foraminifera at Cut Cay, San Salvador, Bahamas. Congratulations to Jessica!

Research on Groundwater Arsenic in Bangladesh Receives Recognition

The research accomplishments of graduate student M. Shamsudduha (aka Shams) recently received university and national recognition. Shams’ thesis on groundwater arsenic in Bangladesh, completed under the supervision of Dr. Ashraf Uddin and with NSF funding, was  selected as the Best AU Masters’ Thesis for 2007 by the Sigma Xi- the Scientific Research Society. Shams also was the recipient of a 2007 COSAM Dean's Research Award and was one of four students in the nation selected for special recognition by Hydrogeology Division of Geological Society of America at its 2006 National Meeting in Philadelphia.  

Geology and Geography Boasts
Four Undergraduate Research Fellows

This year has been an exceptional one for undergraduate research. Four Departmental students have served or are serving as undergraduate research fellows.

Thomas Key, recipient of the first Hargett-Dunston Undergraduate Field Research grant and now a graduate student in the program, held a COSAM Undergraduate Research Fellowship that supported studies of the Norwegian Caledonides under the supervision of Dr. Mark Steltenpohl.

Jessica Morgan was awarded an AU Undergraduate Research Fellowship and is working with Dr. Ron Lewis on benthic foraminfera from Cut Cay, San Salvador, Bahamas.

Amanda Savrda also holds a COSAM fellowship and, under the direction of Drs. Mark Steltenpohl and Lorraine Wolf, is engaged in petrographic analyses and geophysical modeling of basement rocks beneath the Alabama coastal plain.

Chris Ploetz also holds an AU fellowship and, with Dr. Phil Chaney, is studying the impacts of hurricanes Ivan and Katrina on Dauphin Island, Alabama.

Department Welcomes New Research
Staff and Visiting Scientists

Dr. Zeki Billor recently joined the Departmental staff as a Research Fellow. Zeki, who completed a PhD dissertation on the geochemistry of chromite deposits at Çukurova University, Turkey, has been a visiting scientist in the department since 2005. In his new appointment, Zeki’s main role will be to support the research activities of the Auburn Noble Isotope Mass Analysis Laboratory (ANIMAL) under the direction of Dr. Bill Hames.

The Department also is playing host to two Visiting Scientists. Scott Harris, who is completing his PhD dissertation at Brown University on impact glasses in Argentine loess, is working with Dr. David King and his students on the petrography of high-temperature phases in impact-produced materials. Dr. Mark Anderson, University of Plymouth (England) is collaborating with Drs. Mark Steltenpohl and Bill Hames on tectonic research in the northern Caledonides.

Dr. Joshua Inwood Joins the Faculty

. The Department welcomed Dr. Joshua (Josh) Inwood to the faculty in August 2007. After obtaining his BA at Michigan State (‘00) and MA at Kent State (‘02), Josh completed his PhD dissertation, Sweet Auburn: Contesting the Racial Identity of Atlanta’s Most Historically Significant African American Neighborhood, at the University of Georgia in Spring 2007. An Urban Geographer with research interests in urban development, social justice, and racialization of place, Josh adds to existing Department strengths in human geography.

Josh will be teaching courses such as Urban Geography, Africa, and Global Geography, and will play an important role in the proposed new MS program in applied geography.

Faculty Retirements

Two of our veteran faculty members, - Robert B. Cook (Geology) and Tom Martinson (Geography) - opted to retire during Summer 2007. Bob Cook retired at the end of June after 35 years of service, including 21 years as Department Head. At his retirement reception in May, Bob was awarded Emeritus Professor status. Although Bob plans to do a lot more travel, he stills maintains an office in Petrie Hall and, in his new role, continues to advise graduate students. The Department is currently searching for an Igneous/Economic Geologist to fill Bob’s shoes.

Dr. Tom Martinson retired at the end of August after 20 years of service, including 7 plus years as Department Head of Geography. Tom also celebrated Emeritus Professor status with colleagues, family, and friends at a reception this Summer. Tom plans to do some traveling, but hopefully he will be around the Department to lend his expertise in the years to come. Tom’s position has been filled by Urban Geographer Dr. Joshua Inwood (UGA, ’07).

Congratulations to both Bob and Tom for long and productive careers!

Mark Steltenpohl wins COSAM's 2007
Outstanding Teaching Award

With the help of numerous supporting letters from colleagues, current and former students, and other friends, Dr. Mark Steltenpohl rose to the top of an impressive slate of nominees for the 2007 Dean's Award for Outstanding Teaching in the College of Sciences and Mathematics. Dean Stew Schneller presented the award to Mark at the Spring Awards Convocation. Although Mark is also an excellent classroom instructor, he is recognized foremost for his consistent and dedicated efforts as a mentor to undergraduate and graduate students in field-based research. Mark currently is supervising nine students in their studies of structural geology and tectonics in the southern Appalachians, Norway, and Greenland.

David T. King Leads International Field Forum

Dr. David T. King, Jr. and colleague Jens Ormo, Center for Astrobiology in Madrid, Spain, led a well-received international field forum titled Marine Impact Craters on Earth. The forum, sponsored by the Geological Society of America, was he ld in Wetumpka, Alabama, on March 8-11, 2007. The focus of the forum was to explore the origins, development, preservation, and recognition of marine impact craters.

Approximately 40 individuals from 9 countries participated in oral and poster sessions, as well as field excursions. Field trips focused on the Wetumpka impact crater and distal impact ejecta and tsunami deposits related to the K-T boundary impact event. The field forum was recognized by a proclamation from Alabama's governor Bob Riley. For more on this trip, see the GSA web page (geosociety.org) under field forum reports.

Dr. Robert B. Cook receives 2006
Salotti Earth Science Education Award

Dr. Robert B. (Bob) Cook was selected as the recipient of the Charles A. Salotti Earth Science Education Award. The award, which recognizes excellence in education in the Earth Sciences, is annually sponsored by the Seaman Mineral Museum Society, the Salotti Family, and the Edith Dunn and E.W. Heinrich Mineralogical Research Trust. Bob and his wife (Betty) traveled to Michigan Tech to receive the award at the “ Tanzanite Ball” on September 30, 2006.

Stan the T. Rex is back!

The Department is happy to report that a brand new cast of the skull of “Stan” the T. rex (Stan II) has been acquired from Black Hills Institute (South Dakota) and is now on display in the foyer of Petrie Hall. In December 2005, the original cast (Stan I) was stolen, significantly damaged, and a few days later emerged at a local golf course. Thanks to the vigilance of the Auburn City Police Department (special kudos to Detective Lee Hodge), the T. rex thieves were apprehended and, as restitution, supplied the funds for the new cast. The original “Stan” was purchased in 2000 from a grant from the AU Concessions Board awarded to Dr. Bill Hames. With a little time and funds for repair, we hope to utilize Stan I in Departmental outreach efforts.

Alumnus Robert S. Fousek establishes
undergraduate scholarship

Robert S. (Bob) Fousek (MS '96) recently established a scholarship that will be awarded each year to a geology major with interests in a career in the mineral-resources field. The first recipient of this annual scholarship will named Spring semester 2007. Bob, owner and president of FMR Inc., headquartered in Auburn, provides general geologic, petrographic, and quality control services to the mining and construction industries. We are very grateful for his continued support of the Department and its students.

Alumni Jacob Dunston and Robert Hargett
establish field grant

Jacob F. Dunston (BS '99) and Robert N. (Rob) Hargett (BS' 99), both at ConocoPhillips, Houston, Texas, recently established a fund to support undergraduate research. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to geology majors engaged in research projects that have a significant field geology/mapping component. The Department recently had the opportunity to thank Jacob and Rob personally. Both were in Auburn in October to talk with students about career opportunities at ConocoPhillips and to interview students for internships.

Alumni Herb Martin and Art Merkle receive
inaugural Alumni Service Awards

Herb Martin (BS '79; Devon Oil and Gas, Houston, TX) and Art Merkle (BS '79; DDS, Florida) were the recipients of the Department's first Alumni service awards. Both Herb and Art were on hand to receive their awards at an informal Departmental reception during the Fall 2006 meeting of COSAM's Science Advisory Council (now the Dean's Leadership Council). Herb and Art are recognized for their long-term service on the Council, their establishment of and contributions to the endowed Geology Alumni Undergraduate Scholarship fund, and their ongoing development efforts on behalf of the College and the Department of Geology and Geography. From the Departmental faculty and students (past, present, and future), thanks again, Herb and Art!