Field Trip – Earth and Environmental Sciences Blog

75th Anniversary Meeting of the Carolina Geological Society held in Greenville

smuthukrishnan / October 19, 2012 / Appalachian Geology, Bartram Society, CGS, Department, Earthscience News, Faculty News, Field Trip, Furman

Photo to the left: Wilbur C. Holland circa 1930, founding father of the Carolina Geological Society.

It was 75 years ago, in 1937, that Wilbur C. Holland, then Geology Professor at Furman University, founded the Carolina Geological Society (CGS) to create an active community of geologists in the area. The main purpose of the society is to promote the Geosciences, encourage the study of Earth Science, promote spirit of friendship and cooperation, and encourage research and publication. At the time of its founding, Holland envisioned a full day meeting with presentations of papers in a morning session and field trip in the afternoon. Currently, the meeting is held over three days, starting with a reception on the first evening, followed by a day and a half of field trips to various localities.

As a tribute to the 75th anniversary of CGS, Furman Earth and Environmental Sciences professors Dr. Bill Ranson, Dr. Jack Garihan, and Dr. Suresh Muthukrishnan conducted the meeting in Greenville. Field trips showcased the geology, geomorphology and landslide hazards in Upstate of South Carolina. A special celebration was held at the Table Rock State Park Pavilion on Saturday evening.

Students Brooks Bailey, Claire Campbell, Stephen Campbell, Katharine Compton, Elizabeth Johnston, and Ryan Richardson assisted the leaders during the planning stages and during the field trips, ensuring the safety of participants along congested roadways. Apart from these student assistants, 15 other Furman students attended the conference. A total of 156 total participants were present making it a successful event. The edited volume of the field guide in electronic format will be available from CGS website.

The department wishes to thank all the student assistants and especially Ms. Nina Anthony for their tireless efforts and help over the last several months. We also thank our recent graduate Jay Bridgeman (‘12) for leading a part of the field trip to the Salem ultramafic body on Saturday.

Click here for photos from Carolina Geological Society annual meeting, 12-14, October 2012, Greenville, South Carolina.

Faculty attend sustainability seminar in Europe

smuthukrishnan / July 9, 2011 / Department, Faculty News, Field Trip, Sustainability, Travel

Brannon Andersen, Bill Ranson, Suresh Muthukrishnan, and our newest faculty member, Betsy Beymer-Ferris (starting in August), attended a Mellon Foundation funded travel seminar in sustainability that visited Copenhagen and Aarhus, Denmark, and Freiburg, Germany. A total of 18 faculty from 8 different colleges participated in this program. The group met with city planners, architects, and design experts in each city. We used public transportation for traveling between cities and used hired bicycles to travel within the city. Overall, we studied sustainable design in buildings, alternative energy, agriculture, and transportation. After the seminar was over, Betsy traveled on to do research in Norway and Sweden, whereas Bill, Brannon, and Suresh traveled with Dr. Becky Gould (Middlebury College) to Zermatt, Switzerland to study glaciers, glacial geomorphology, and water resource management (and lots of good hiking). The outcomes of the travel will be incorporating our experiences and learning into our curriculum and the development of a May Experience trip to Germany and Switzerland.

Click on links below to see some photographs from these places.

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

smuthukrishnan / April 29, 2011 / Alumni News, Department, Faculty News, Field Trip, Furman, Photos, Student News, Travel

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.

Earth and Environmental Sciences Facebook Page

Studying Caves, Geology, and Hydrology in Mammoth Cave National Park, KY

smuthukrishnan / March 15, 2011 / Department, Field Trip, Photos, Travel

The Surficial Processes class went to Kentucky before the spring break for a weekend field trip to study the Karst processes and landscapes in and around the Mammoth Cave National Park area. The focus of this field trip was to understand the geological, hydrological, and environmental conditions that lead to formation of more than 400 miles of interconnected cave passages making this the world’s longest cave system. We also learnt about the environmental issues that are unique to karst terrains such as groundwater pollution, sinkholes, etc. This field trip was lead by Dr. Suresh Muthukrishnan.

Premiering EES YouTube Channel

smuthukrishnan / November 21, 2010 / Alumni News, Department, Field Trip, Furman, Iceland, RBRI Research, Student News, Travel

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.

Bartram Society Initiation and Fall Camping Photos

smuthukrishnan / September 25, 2010 / Bartram Society, Camping, Department, Field Trip

Bartram Society organized their annual fall camping trip in September. The group chose Big Creek Campsite in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park located in western edge of NC. In spite of rain most of the weekend, they survived and in fact enjoyed the rain by hiking, swimming, cooking, and above all eating bugs! Yeah! It seems like this is an upscale thing to do in New York! Click on the cartoon to the left to see an article on this.

Click on the photo (on the right) to see the entire album.

Fall for India in 2011– A Semester Study Away Experience

smuthukrishnan / September 24, 2010 / Department, Faculty News, Field Trip, Furman, Travel

This program will begin with intensive six-week course work at Furman, followed by a five-week residential experience at Madras Christian College (MCC) in Chennai, India. This will then be capped with a 4 week travel program from south to north India. The Fall 2011 courses offer an array of closely connected and interdisciplinary pursuits including, but not limited to, the natural environment, natural resources, population dynamics, urbanization, natural and anthropogenic hazards, gender, developmental psychology, poverty, health, culture, and sustainability.

An ancient landslide dominates the landscape in this beautiful tea plantation along the Western Ghats (mountain) ranges of India. As one travels from Tamil Nadu (east) to Kerala (west), one can experience significant changes in the climate, vegetation, and culture. With abundant rainfall from monsoon, and relative inaccessibility, this region maintains it’s reputation as one of the top biodiversity hotspots in the world. We will learn about the origin of these mountains, agricultural practices (spice plantations!), natural hazards, health and educational issues, and sustainability challenges facing the people of this region.

An oblique aerial view of the neighboring city and large river valley from top of the hill where an ancient temple sits. South India is famous for it’s rich culture, and temples with unique architecture and exquisite statues. Geologically, the rocks used to build these temples are some of the oldest rocks one can find in India.

Courses and Credits: This program offers four interconnected courses: Introduction to Geographic Information System (EES 201), India’s Natural Resources, Hazards, and Sustainability (EES 360), Poverty, Gender and Development in India (AST 282)Urbanization, Health and Environment in India (IDS 280) and will tentatively carry Empirical Study of the Natural World (NW), Humans and the Natural Environment (NE), Human Behavior (HB), and World Cultures (WC).

For More Information, Contact: Dr. Suresh Muthukrishnan (EES) and Dr. Veena Khandke (Asian Studies) or visit the following web sites

http://furman.edu/depts/asianstudies

http://furman.edu/depts/india/

Tribes Wanted! May-X Trip to Vorovoro Island, Fiji

smuthukrishnan / September 24, 2010 / Department, Field Trip, Sustainability, Travel

On a Remote Fijian Island, a Global and Local Community Lives. Come join the Furman tribe on Vorovoro for in May 2011! Tribe Wanted is a sustainable development experiment that meshes sustainable living with community building and cultural adventure on a made-to-order castaway isle: 200 acres, surrounded by reefs, fronted by golden sand beaches, and shrouded in jungle. It sits a short boat ride from world-class surf breaks and the Great Sea Reef, which covers 77,000 square miles and is reputedly the third largest reef system in the world.

Be a part of this experience of a lifetime. Join 18 fellow Furman students and two EES faculty (Dr. Amelie Davis and Dr. Weston Dripps) as we venture to this remote South Pacific island for two weeks to experience "off the grid" eco-living while conducting basic scientific research in ecological, social and economic sustainability on the island. For more information contact Dr. Davis or Dr. Dripps.

Visit the following site for more information: http://sites.google.com/site/furmantribewanted/

2010 Spring Geomorphology Class Studies Coastal Erosion

smuthukrishnan / April 29, 2010 / Department, Field Trip, Travel

Just two weeks from the end of the semester, students taking EES 210, Surficial Processes class went on a field trip to coastal South Carolina to study Barrier Island ecosystem, coastal processes affecting them and the impacts of global sea level rise and human development on them. This weekend camping trip includes a ferry trip through the Cape Romaine Wildlife Refuge to uninhibited Bulls Island, and a kayaking trip through the salt marsh estuary to the severely eroded Morris Island.

Students witness first hand the natural coastal erosion processes acting along our coastlines by visiting developed and undeveloped beaches and observing the evidences for beach erosion and the many different ways coastal communities are addressing such problem. Stranded, dead trees on the beach (boneyard), oyster shells and estuary mud exposed on beach side, and a lighthouse that is off the coast surrounded by water are some of the most exciting evidences observed. Students and faculty discussed the causes of beach erosion and the effectiveness of commonly used methods of combating them.

Wild Caving in Mammoth Cave area, KY

smuthukrishnan / March 4, 2010 / Department, Field Trip, Travel

Surficial Processes class went to Kentucky to study karst processes and landscapes. They visited Mammoth Cave National Park and went wild caving to study different cave formations, geological history, types of cave passages, surficial geology and hydrology of the area. Dr. Suresh Muthukrishnan teaches this class in spring every year.

2010 Spring – Karst Studies in Mammoth Cave Region, KY