IMPACT - December 2016

From the College of Geosciences

Dear friends,

We have much to be thankful for and so many achievements to celebrate as we close 2016 - many of them are detailed in the stories in this edition of IMPACT News.

In 2016, our proud 322 graduates have joined the more than 10,000 of our former students who work in some of the most critical professions that we depend on every single day. We remain optimistic and confident about our future because of the quality and commitment our graduates possess and the critical skills they will bring to boldly address global challenges such as access to clean air and water, disaster planning and recovery, securing energy resources and mapping the spread of disease, storm prediction and preparedness, and fueling our economy. We look forward to a very bright future!

From all of us at the College of Geosciences, the faculty and staff who make up the Departments of Atmospheric Sciences, Geography, Geology & Geophysics, and Oceanography, we wish you, our current and former students and friends, the very happiest of holidays and a new year filled with joy! We appreciate your interest, support, passion, and participation in what we believe is a calling to educate the Aggie geoscientist leaders of the future.

Happy 2017!

Upcoming

On The Leading Edge

Renyi Zhang Recognized As 2016 AAAS Fellow

Dr. Renyi Zhang, University Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Sciences in the College of Geosciences at Texas A&M University, has been recognized as a 2016 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Texas A&M To Establish Premier Stable Isotope Capabilities

$1 million grant enables purchase of two highly technical instruments.

Laboratory Sharing To Improve Rock Deformation Research

An ever-growing group of scientists seeks to integrate rock deformation labs from across the United States into one shared national facility.

Texas A&M Expert: Polar Vortex Has Cold Air, But What Does It Really Mean?

State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon sets the record straight on what exactly a polar vortex is.

Researchers Solve Mystery of Historic 1952 London Fog and Current Chinese Haze

Few Americans may be aware of it, but in 1952 a killer fog that contained pollutants covered London for five days, causing breathing problems and killing thousands of residents. The exact cause and nature of the fog has remained mostly unknown for decades, but an international team of scientists that includes several Texas A&M University-affiliated researchers believes that the mystery has been solved.

IODP Drilling Project Studies Fault Behind Devastating Japanese Earthquake

Research from Dr. Patrick Fulton of Geology & Geophysics, along with Emily Brodsky of the University of California, Santa Cruz, reveals that earthquakes redistribute fluid pressures within fault zones – possibly leading to triggering other earthquakes.

Students Measure Methane Leaks From Pipelines In Bryan/College Station

Fifteen students in the College of Geosciences participated in projects on atmospheric methane, the second most important emitted greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide.

6,000 Years Ago The Sahara Desert Was Tropical, So What Happened?

Robert Korty, associate professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, along with colleague William Boos of Yale University, have had their work published in the current issue of 'Nature Geoscience'.

Texas A&M Launches New Zika-Fighting App

How Texas A&M is adding a tool to the mosquito control arsenal, encouraging communities to clean up their yards to prevent standing water.

Texas A&M Program Stresses Research Experience For Undergraduates

Bright undergraduate students who are interested in marine science and oceanography are getting hooked into a program that may be the catch of the day – a new Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at Texas A&M University that is attracting students from across the country.

Texas A&M Team Examines Role Of Dispersants In 2010 Gulf Oil Spill

Following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, dispersants were used to keep the oil from coming ashore by dispersing and diluting it. According to a new study led by a Texas A&M University at Galveston researcher, “marine oil snow formation” – a natural process whereby sticky materials excreted by plankton and bacteria can help to enhance dispersing effects by providing a microhabitat for oil degradation – was observed for the first time.

Angela And Kerry Stein Establish Scholarship Endowments

The giving Spirit of Aggieland is alive and well with Angela M. ’85 and Kerry W. Stein ’85. When the opportunity came along for the couple to continue the kindness that was once given to them from other fellow Aggies, they didn’t hesitate.

2016 Faculty and Staff Awards

We would like to take the opportunity to recognize and celebrate the contributions and from our faculty and staff that have been made throughout this momentous year.

Texas A&M Chooses Faculty And Administrators For SEC Leadership Program

Texas A&M University has selected four faculty and administrators to participate in the 2016-17 Southeastern Conference Academic Leadership Development Program (SEC ALDP), a professional growth initiative that seeks to identify, prepare and advance academic leaders for roles within SEC institutions and beyond.

David Cairns receives Barry Bishop Career Achievement Award

Congratulations to Dr. David M. Cairns on receiving the Barry Bishop Career Achievement Award from the Mountain Geography Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers (AAG).

Kaytan Kelkar wins 2016 AGU Data Visualization Storytelling Competition

Kaytan Kelkar, a geology graduate student, wins grand prize at the 2016 AGU Data Visualization Storytelling Competition

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