Jay Bridgeman’s experience with USGS exploring Mineral and Geothermal Potential

2012_SV_groupJay Bridgeman, 2012 graduate from EES, spent the summer working on an internship with the US Geological Survey western region branch in Menlo Park, CA. He worked with the geophysics unit investigating mineral and geothermal potential in several locations in Nevada, California and Oregon. Jay worked with several geophysical techniques including gravity, magnetic, paleomagnetic and electrical methods to image structures in the subsurface.

He says, “we would spend between 10-15 days in the field locations doing long days of field work, collection and processing of geophysical data, and physical rock property measurements. We even got to do a joint venture with NASA flying a magnetic survey with an unmanned aerial vehicle, which was featured in a Scientific American expedition blog. I really enjoyed my internship with the USGS, and felt that Furman had definitely prepared me and given me the skills necessary to excel.”

Jay is currently working with Unimin Corporation as a Geologist doing core logging and sampling in Wisconsin, Minnesota and a few other Midwest states, primarily with their silica division.

For more information on Jay Bridgeman’s work with USGS, visit the Scientific American blog.

Amy Williams (’07) awarded NASA fellowship.

amy and rocksAmy Williams (2007) was recently awarded a prestigious NASA Fellowship, awarded to only 14 students in the country. The fellowship will fund the completion of Amy’s Ph.D. degree at the University of California – Davis. Amy’s research focuses on the characterization of microbial processes in pyrite weathering in dry environments that are relevant to Mars. It ties together mineralogy, microbial ecology, and planetary science, and she will apply her results to data relayed by the Mars Science Laboratory rover, which will land on Mars in fall 2012. Amy received a M.S. in Geology in 2009 from the University of New Mexico.  Congratulations Amy!

If you like us, you will Like Us on Facebook too!

The department of Earth and Environmental sciences is excited to announce that we are now on Facebook.  If this doesn’t excite you, then hear this – Dr. Garihan now has a Facebook page too.  If you don’t believe me, go and search.  Well, we have posted lots of photos from the good old days out there for your pleasure.  We hope you will like us and keep in touch.  Post images and update us on your status.

As always, we would love to see you here – come any time.

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Earth and Environmental Sciences Facebook Page

Extreme Science: Meteorite Impact on the Atlantic Coast

2011-04-04_Extreme Science Talk HortonAbout 35 million years ago, an asteroid or comet nucleus collided with Earth at the present mouth of Chesapeake Bay. The product of this environmental catastrophe, known as the Chesapeake Bay impact structure, is now concealed beneath sediments on the Atlantic continental margin. This 53-mile-wide feature is one of Earth’s largest and best-preserved examples of an impact crater that formed in a near-shore marine environment. It has profound influence on modern ground-water quality, notably salinity, in one of the fastest growing urban centers on the east coast. Drilling a mile-deep core hole and studies in geology, hydrology, geophysical imaging, computer modeling, and deep-biosphere microbiology provide insight into this catastrophic event, its consequences for life, ground-water resources, hazard implications, and significance for other planetary bodies.

This was the synopsis of the presentation made by Dr. Wright Horton, who graduated from Furman in 1972 and later earned a Ph.D. from UNC-Chapel Hill.  He has spent most of his career as a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).  His interests include geology of the Appalachian Piedmont and Mountains, rocks buried under the Atlantic Coastal Plain, and meteorite impact craters.  In connection with this talk, he served as project chief of the USGS Chesapeake Bay impact crater project and co-principal investigator of a related international deep drilling project. 

This event was sponsored by Bartram Society and the department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. 

More photos here.

TJ Fleming’s “The Good House”

photoThe department congratulates our very own TJ Fleming (Class of 2010) for the publication of his first book – The Good House.  This book is TJ’s reflections on the topics of nature, conservation, design principles, green culture, environmental movement, public perceptions, challenges ahead, and some solutions to current problems.  TJ also has an art studio where he creates custom artwork for people on demand.

Take a moment to visit his virtual workspace/gallery – www.tjfleming.com

Premiering EES YouTube Channel

We are working hard to find as many ways as possible to connect and keep in touch with our students, alumni, and friends.  Over the years, our collection of videos and photographs from field trips and study away trips have been growing, and we have launched our own video streaming channel on YouTube to share those with you.  This collection will be growing over the weeks and months to come as we slowly sort and upload the videos.  We hope these are helpful not only for alumni to reminisce your days at Furman but also for any one else in the world that want to see the places of geologic interest that we have been to and learn more about our student research projects.  So go on, explore them.

Click on the following link to visit the channel with a lot more videos.

EES_You_Tube

Student Publication – Amy Williams

Amy Williams, class of 2007, is the lead author of a paper just published in the Journal of Hydrology:

Williams, A.J., C.B. Andersen, and G.P. Lewis, 2009, Evaluating the effects of sample processing treatments on alkalinity measurements, Journal of Hydrology, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2009.09.007
Brannon Andersen and Greg Lewis (Biology) are the co-authors.

The paper is based on NSF-REU sponsored RBRI research she completed as part of her senior thesis.  Amy just completed her master’s thesis at the University of New Mexico and is now a PhD student at the University of California-Davis.

A year after graduation…

Well, it’s been over a year since I left the "Furman Bubble" and I certainly miss it! ISunny Rae Granger am working as a Graduate Environmental Scientist for URS Corporation in the Philadelphia suburbs. I currently split my time between field work and office work, which I love. A typical day in the office may include anything from writing remedial action reports to the State, drawing contour maps, making graphs and figures, and logging soil characteristics. So far, my field work has included a plethora of groundwater sampling events, using GeoProbe direct push, RotoSonic Drilling, oily sludge recovery, various land restoration activities (i.e. rebuilding vegetation), and cone penetration testing. For me, the field work is much more exciting and feels less like "work" than being in the office.

I have used a lot more from my undergraduate education at Furman than I ever imagined! My professors and diverse course work sent me off into the Environmental Industry very well prepared. The experience of writing an undergraduate thesis was particularly helpful in showing my Project Managers and other colleagues that I knew how to write scientifically. Many young people have limited writing skills, which ultimately limits the work they can perform. One thing I might suggest to Furman seniors and/or recent graduates looking for jobs in the industry is FIELD CAMP. Field camp isn’t just for those going to graduate school. It may cost you up front, but it will pay off if you plan to work as a geologist/environmental scientist. Many real-world projects include tasks like hiking and mapping, interpreting geologic structures, using a Brunton, etc. If you are waiting to hear from employers about jobs and are looking for something to do – go to field camp! It will look great on your resume and boost your confidence when you eventually work on those types of projects. The first year out of college flew by, as everyone said it would, but I am very satisfied with the start of my career!

– SunnyRae Granger