UK Earth and Environmental Sciences

In April, Dr. Andrea Erhardt ran an Orbitrap Isotope Applications Workshop at Technische Universität Münchenand Institute for Advanced Study (TUM-IAS) in Munich, Germany. While there, she also gave a seminar at University of Göttingen 📷. She's currently spending another summer in Munich but will be back to kick off EES graduate student orientation next month (in English, we presume, not German 😉).

On that note, graduate students, don't forget to mark your calendars for Aug. 15th and 16th for all things EES! 🌏🦺🧹

Student paper alert! 🥳

This paper is the MS research of Autumn Helfrich (2020) who combined modeling with apatite thermochronology to resolve the displacement history of the Teton fault. This work not only helps geoscientists better understand one of the most spectacular North American landscapes, but demonstrates how a methodology previously used for thrust belts can provide insights into extensional systems.

You can find the paper in the July issue of Tectonics or using this link: https://tr.ee/OgaQPY0bsM

It's the season of turnover here at EES. As new students begin to arrive, we are also saying farewell to others.

While we're sad when members of our department move on, we're thrilled by the successes we're seeing. This is a reflection of their years of hard work, the time advisors put in preparing students and postdocs for the job search process, and, as always, a little bit of luck and good timing.

From left to right:
1. Ryan Goldsby (finishing his PhD with Dr. Thigpen) recently began a position with the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
2. Edward Lo (2023 PhD with Dr. McGlue) is headed to a tenure-track Assistant Professor appointment at Georgia Southern University
3. Giliane Rasbold (Postdoc with Dr. McGlue) will also be entering a tenure-track Assistant Professor appointment, at Western Kentucky University
4. Leandro Luz (finishing his PhD with Dr. McGlue) will be working with the Continental Scientific Drilling Facility at the University of Minnesota

Congratulations on your next chapters and thank you for your contributions to our science, your mentorship of other students in EES, and the many years of friendship. Cheers to you all and to our other students beginning new careers and degrees this summer!

(Thanks for the photo, Giliane! 📷)

Student publication alert! 🥳

PhD candidate John Dilworth's newest paper is now available in Quaternary Science Reviews. This work is one of many ongoing EES student projects in Grand Teton National Park (student names are in bold). John's portion explores the past 10,000+ years of climate-driven lake changes and the earthquake history of the Teton fault. If you'd like to read more about the Holocene paleoenvironmental history of Jackson Lake, you can access the paper here for free for the next month and a half: https://tr.ee/wvawyj66jW

Quick reminder that if you are an EES faculty member or student doing field work or at field camp this summer, don’t forget to send us pics of your adventures!

📷: Dr. Thigpen and PhD student Sarah Morse taking an espresso break to review their sampling strategy in Scotland last month

Interest them with the flashy drone, then sprinkle in those seeds and hope they take root by the time they sign up for college classes.

geologist and UK Earth and Environmental Sciences student Hudson Koch took time out of his busy schedule to speak with campers at the UK STEM Experiences camp. He spoke with two separate groups, 5th graders and 8th graders, about how KGS uses unmanned aircraft system applications (aka drones) in our work.

The STEM camps are a collaboration between the UK College of Education, University of Kentucky Pigman College of Engineering, and UK College of Arts and Sciences with the goal of exposing students to a variety of positive learning experiences and career options in the STEM fields.

We're #1! We're #1!

is now the first state in the nation ( #1 of 50) to have the entire state captured by oblique (aka from an angle, not just straight down) aerial photography. Oblique photography provides the viewer with more information by recreating the landscape from the point of view of a human, providing multiple angles of ground features (buildings, bridges, landscapes, etc.).

Practical use of this imagery includes urban management, land resource management, geological hazards evaluation, emergency response, utility inspection, security, and more.

A huge shout-out to the Kentucky Aerial Photography and Elevation Data Program (aka KyFromAbove) in the Kentucky Division of Geographic Information Systems for leading and managing this project.

https://www.weku.org/the-commonwealth/2024-05-08/kentucky-the-first-state-to-capture-oblique-photography-of-its-entire-geography-from-the-sky

You can check out the viewer here (only eastern and southern Kentucky available at this time): https://explore.kyfromabove.ky.gov/

Four weeks ago we were all celebrating at the end-of-semester picnic 🥳

Aside from giving out EES scholarships, we also recognize the hard work and achievements of our students at the end of every year. This includes announcing the recipients of the Outstanding TA awards. This year we recognized three TAs for their dedication to teaching and to EES:

Terri Zach for EES 230 and EES 235
Zach Walton for EES 220
Maxwell Mickelson for EES 170

Join us in thanking these graduate students for helping make EES even better! 🏆

UK leading $20 million, 5-year NSF collaborative project to build climate resilience in Kentucky Kentucky NSF EPSCoR is a statewide program to build research infrastructure and increase national competitiveness in obtaining research funding to tackle the Commonwealth’s most important issues.

We’re excited to share that NSF has just announced a new $20 million EPSCoR award to improve climate resilience in Kentucky!

While many tend to think of coastal states as the most vulnerable to climate change, the U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index ranks Kentucky as 6th in the nation for climate impacts. Kentucky’s increasing susceptibility to extreme weather events and landslides has scientists concerned. Led by UK, researchers at universities across the state will work together to help improve climate resilience across multiple sectors while boosting economic growth and building a workforce ready to tackle some of our biggest challenges.

As many of our colleagues and students know, we’ve been working hard for a couple of years to make this a reality and we look forward to sharing even more with you over the coming months. For now, you can read more about the award and the EPSCoR program at https://tr.ee/NSNqaIgAkE

Did you miss the EES Student Photo and Art Show? Don’t worry, you can find the submissions (and see the winners) in the Slone Community Room for the next few weeks!

Congratulations, Class of 2024! 💙 🌍 🎓

Another EES student headed to KGS this summer!

We find the lack of 'Taylor Swift + geology' content to be sad, bordering on abysmal, so we're glad to have John Thomas Gribbins joining this summer.

John Thomas is our fourth (of six!) 2024 Paul Edwin Potter summer interns.

, UK Earth and Environmental Sciences

The UK Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) interviewed assistant research scientist and EES graduate student Vivian Edwards about the technological advances that transform coal into graphite for lithium-ion batteries or into the precursor for carbon fiber.

In addition to some science, you'll also learn a bit about some of Vivian's interests, meet her pet tarantula, and see a great wig!

Watch the interview here: https://tr.ee/M6DEDJ2CRB

We're only THREE days away from the best day of the year!

For more info and location, check your email for listserv announcements, the EES majors Canvas group, or one of the many flyers in Slone. We can't wait to celebrate all of your hard work this year! 🥳

A few weeks ago, students in Dr. Sarah Johnson’s geomorphology class headed to the Red River Gorge for a field trip. Graduate students prepared a field guide, and each led a field stop on an aspect of the geomorphology of Red River Gorge, including karst features, landslides, fluvial features, the development of different types of arches, fracture orientation and arch development, and the influence of the lithology on gorge geomorphology. Students are preparing posters for presentation at the next Rocktoberfest this coming fall. It's just one of many opportunities our students have to get outside and learn from and connect with our amazing planet!

Speaking of our amazing planet... there's no better day than Earth Day to enjoy Kentucky, even if you aren't on a cool field trip! Try a sunny coffee break by the Slone rock and butterfly gardens or take a walk through Matthew's Garden. And, since this year's Earth Day theme is Planet vs. Plastic, don't forget to bring your own cup for that refill or pick up some trash on your stroll 🌏

Today is the deadline! ⏰

This is your final reminder that submissions close tonight for the EES Student Photo and Art Exhibition!

We currently have a number of submissions in the photo categories but far fewer submissions in the art categories. If you have cool figures, maps, or even abstract designs made using data (think anything you'd make in ArcMap, Illustrator, modeling software, etc), submit those to the Data Designs category. If you have geo-inspired art, whether digital or with a more conventional medium (like acrylic or watercolors), submit that to the GeoArt category. Don't forget, there are category winners and prizes associated with this exhibition and it's free to enter.

Looking for details on requirements? Ready to submit? Do so here or at the link in our bio: https://tr.ee/RsTYUetFCs

( 📷 by Ethan Davis, submitted to the 2023 EES Photo and Art Exhibition)

Some of our majors have big plans for this summer, like Abbie who will be one of the KGS Potter interns!

is so excited to introduce our second (of six!) 2024 Paul Edwin Potter summer interns: Abbie Grzynkowicz.

We're going to test her rock Pokémon knowledge on day #1. Hope she really knows her Grotles from her Rhyperiors.

, UK Earth and Environmental Sciences

One Day for UK is happening now!

Want to join in on helping make EES and UK even better for our students? Consider supporting our initiatives through the GEOFund!

Make your donation at https://tr.ee/FS3DYLAigO

Geology Club needs your help! 👀

The University of Kentucky Geology Club is seeking donations for the prize fund for the upcoming EES Photo and Art Show. All donations are welcome and appreciated, no matter how small. The initial goal is $50 for each winner in the five categories although this could increase or also be split to runners-up if funds allow.

We'd also love to recognize any people or companies who help sponsor, so please include with your donation the name or company you'd like recognized or state that you'd like to remain anonymous.

Please send donations to Venmo via Prof. Alan Fryar's account (-Fryar or scan QR code) or contact the Geology Club at [email protected] for other options.

Thank you in advance and we look forward to sharing the winning images and art with you in the coming weeks!

Join us for the EES Rast-Holbrook seminar tomorrow!

Dr. Ben Rostron, the 2024 GSA Birdsall-Dreiss Distinguished Lecturer, will be giving his talk “Lithium in brines (Duperow aquifer) in southeast Saskatchewan: a modern-day gold rush” at 4 PM in 102 MMRB.

We hope to see you there!

The 2024 EES Student Photo & Art Exhibition is now open for entries! 🎉

Like last year, this year's exhibition will take place on EES Day. This is the day of the EES Alumni Board meeting, the EES Awards Lunch and Ceremony, ReSEES, and the EES end-of-semester picnic (mark your calendars!). However, there are some exciting changes this year!

As requested, categories have been expanded and prizes will be awarded for the best entries in each category:

1. In the Field - Hand sample, outcrop, or people-focused photos
2. Down the Microscope - Photomicrography
3. Data Designs - Maps, figures, or anything else digitally made to display data
4. Amazing Landscapes - Scenery or landscapes that you've seen while in the field or traveling for EES classes or research
5. Geo Art - Non-photo artwork. Can be digital but no data or research was used to create it. Created purely for artistic expression

Each student can submit once to each category. Please fill out a new form for each submission: https://tr.ee/RsTYUetFCs (note, this is a Google Form and you will need to sign in to submit)

The Geology Club will be printing and matting each submission on letter-sized glossy paper and they will be displayed on April 26th at EES Day. Judging will occur on that day and prizes awarded at the end of the day.

Geology Club will be seeking donations for prizes, so more information to come on that soon!

Join as at 12:30 PM TODAY for this week's Rast-Holbrook Seminar, given by the Mineralogical Society of America Distinguished Lecturer Dr. Juan Carlos de Obeso. The seminar is titled “Sparkling water and peridotite: Serpentinization and carbonation in the mantle wedge” and pizza will be provided. We hope to see you there!

Looking to fill some time between classes? A recent renovation has turned Slone into one of the most popular buildings on campus! We currently offer Connect Four but will be switching to Plinko for the fall semester.

Student paper alert! 🎉

In this paper, Bailee Hodelka used techniques in ostracod paleoecology to assess the response of Mono Lake's benthic ecosystem to changes in hydroclimate in the Late Quaternary.

Ostracods are microscopic crustaceans that form calcite shells - they tend to preserve very well in lake sediments, and the different species have a range of environmental tolerances that give us clues about water temperature, water chemistry, water level, nearshore substrate type, spring discharge, and the presence of plant macrophytes. The work shows evidence for major changes in Mono Lake, one of the oldest lakes in North America, across the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Mono Lake's ostracod population crashed as water levels declined in the Holocene - this result suggests that climatic changes favoring less precipitation and/or higher temperatures has implications for biodiversity and ecosystem structuring.

You can find this paper in the Journal of Quaternary Science or at this link: https://tr.ee/lOuwZc63_n

Alumni, this one's for you!

We have a new alumni update form on our website! We would love for you to take a few minutes and let us know what you are up to and if you have any news you'd like to share. It would be great to keep in touch and also have a better idea of where our alumni are now. Please share with your friends from EES!

You can find the link here: https://tr.ee/y2yfhvraj-

(colorized photo from Professor Miller's 1900 geology class)

A 2021 paper by Gray et al. described how only 39% of undergraduate earth science degrees in the US were awarded to women, notably smaller than the half of science and engineering degrees overall. In an effort to improve this number, they asked some pretty basic questions: What does it take to get women interested in majoring in earth science? What does it take to retain female majors?

Gray and coauthors found that a passion for the environment, love of the outdoors, and positive experiences in non-major introductory courses were often important for attracting women to the geosciences. However, equally, if not more important, is providing a space that ensures women stay in the major. They wrote that “departmental factors were the most influential on retaining them in the major" and specifically noted "the influence of strong female faculty role models, faculty mentorship (often by female faculty members), and a strong overall sense of community.”

A strong, supportive community is one of the most powerful tools we have in advancing our science. Can you imagine how much further along we’d be if we had decades or centuries of gender parity in the geosciences?

Today, we celebrate the women in EES, those female students, staff, and faculty members who help make EES what it is. Not only do you make our department a more welcoming, inspiring place, but by doing so, you help make our science that much stronger!

Don't forget that today is seminar day! 🕓

Dr. Craig Dietsch, from University of Cincinnati, will be delivering this week's seminar this afternoon at 4 PM in MMRB 102. We'll see you there!

📣 Recent student paper alert! 📣

The third and final installment of his PhD at UK, Dr. Gustavo Martins' paper on his tectonics work on the Barents Sea Shelf was published in January in Frontiers in Earth Science. Gustavo is now working as a geophysicist for PGS. Nice work, all!

You can find this and other student research on our website at https://tr.ee/BAtlvo0VvM