FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEAD
Dear former and current students, faculty and staff:
I’m happy to bring you the news of Spring 2018 from the Department of Geology & Geophysics! This issue of the newsletter will introduce you to Nick Perez, the department’s newest tectonicist, and to Trisha Fike, graduate programs advisor. We will also share some insights about the fantastic research our faculty are pursuing. It has been a long and busy spring semester, culminating in the pomp and circumstance of a huge graduation. We graduated 66 undergraduate geology & geophysics majors, 6 M.S. students and 1 Ph.D. student on Friday, May 11. This upcoming August, we expect to graduate around another 20 undergraduates.
Overall, our number of undergraduate majors have been lower since December 2014 which, of course, corresponds to when the price of oil began to drop. We expect to have approximately 230 undergrads by January 2019 which is a significant decrease from 540 majors in the Fall of 2014. Although oil prices have stabilized and now commanding over $70/barrel, jobs available in the petroleum industry remain affected. Many of our students are looking for and landing positions in the environmental industries or even outside of Geology and Geophysics altogether. As our enrollment steadies, we remain committed to graduating the best educated undergraduates hitting the market and we believe that they will perform incredibly valuable work in the future – determining how our Earth works, its history, and how to efficiently harness its resources.
If you were able to join us for the AAPG’s Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City this past May 21st, thank you! We had a great turn out. It’s always fun to reconnect, win Texas Aggie football tickets, and swap stories. We will also have a departmental booth at the fall SEG and GSA meetings and a college booth at the AGU meeting. Please make plans to join us at these exciting venues.
At our Fall Open House coming up in October, we will be delighted to showcase the game-changing renovations to our undergraduate microscopy laboratory, made possible by a generous gift from Mrs. Robbie Hughes. I hope you will stop by next time you’re in College Station!
All the best,
Faculty News
Dr. Julia Reece Named an IODP Ocean Discovery Lecturer
Congratulations to Dr. Julia Reece, who was selected as an IODP Ocean Discovery Lecturer!
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Texas A&M Geologist And Team Find First Evidence of Rapid Sea-Level Rise After Snowball Earth Era
Funded by the National Science Foundation, the project team successfully investigated and analyzed the first geologic evidence of sea-level-rise rates following the Neoproterozoic Snowball Earth.
Read MoreStudent News
Geosciences Students Win Student Research Week Awards
Undergraduate and graduate students were recognized for excellence in research posters and presentations.
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Undergraduate Research Took This Aggie Everywhere From The Eagle Ford Shale To Mars
Four undergraduate research projects helped Juan Acevedo prepare for an impactful career.
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Aggies And Geospatial Tech Helped Brenham Turn Dead End Into Historic Site
Camptown Cemetery is the oldest predominantly African American cemetery in Brenham, and Texas A&M Geosciences students helped identify the locations of its unmarked graves.
Read MoreDepartment News
Congratulations to the Geology & Geophysics Student Winners at the 2018 GGGSC Research Symposium
Congratulations to all the Geology & Geophysics students who won an award at the 11th Annual GGGSC Research Symposium!
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Texas A&M 2018 Imperial Barrel Award Team
Congratulations to the Texas A&M University Imperial Barrel Award (IBA) team for winning second place in their division at the Gulf Coast Section of the IBA Competition!
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2018 Department Picnic
The department celebrated the end of the year and honored faculty and graduate students for their achievements at the 2018 Geology & Geophysics Department Picnic
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May 2018 Graduation
Congratulations to all the students who graduated this Spring 2018 from the Department of Geology & Geophysics!
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2018 Geosciences Scholarship Appreciation Celebration
The 2018 Geosciences Scholarship Appreciation Celebration honored scholarship donors and recipients for the year
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Meet Patricia G. Fike, M. Ed.
Learn about Patricia Fike, the Graduate Academic Advisor for the Department of Geology & Geophysics
Read MoreField Trips
Field Trips
Check out the following trips hosted by the Department of Geology and Geophysics
Read MoreUpcoming Events
Giving
Supporting Geology and Geophysics
As part of the Lead By Example Campaign, the Department of Geology & Geophysics is redefining the way the world recognizes the critical career fields and the unique skillsets of our graduates. At Texas A&M, we seek to attract the best and the brightest students to our programs by offering competitive scholarships and graduate fellowships. Delivering on the promise of a little to no debt education and delivering unparalleled quality training programs.
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Department’s Field Camp Endowment Goal
Whether you make an impact by supporting the annual fund, a major gift for academic or high impact learning programs, or by establishing an endowment through a planned giving strategy, your support is critical.
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