Department – Page 2 – Earth and Environmental Sciences Blog

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.

Virginia Batts Receives 2011 Compton Mentor Fellowship

smuthukrishnan / April 29, 2011 / Awards, Department, Furman, Student News

Virginia Batts, a graduating senior (May, 2011) at the Earth and Environmental Sciences department has been awarded the prestigious 2011 Compton Mentor Fellowship. This fellowship promotes innovative project development and implementation in areas of environment and sustainability, and climate change and energy policy among others. This will take Virginia to the western part of India for a year-long project in collaboration with Watershed Organization Trust (WOTR) involving 1) research and implementation of water harvesting infrastructure, 2) installing weather stations and start collecting long-term climate data, and 3) develop a community oriented water resources management plan.

Virginia says: “The Compton Mentor Fellowship is a rare and unique opportunity for young graduates to apply their educational experience to some of the greatest challenges of a globalized world. While the project is the focal point of the fellowship, the Compton Foundation is also interested in providing eye-opening experiences that will shape each fellow into a catalyst for positive change. I am eternally grateful for having been honored with this opportunity, and especially for the support from friends and faculty who have encouraged me through and through. Wherever this flight takes me, it will always be the Furman years that served as my launching pad.”

Compton Web Page: http://www.comptonmentorfellowship.org/

Watershed Organization Trust: http://www.wotr.org/

It should be noted that Virginia Batts recently won the Fallow Outstanding Senior Award in the department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Furman.

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

2011 EES Award Winners Announced

smuthukrishnan / April 18, 2011 / Awards, Department, Furman, Student News

The much awaited annual awards ceremony was held last week at Furman University. The following are the EES award winners for the year 2011. Congratulations seniors – keep up the good work. We are proud of all your accomplishments.

Alyssa Wickard – Winner of Earth and Environmental Sciences Research Award, that is given to a senior who shows exceptional promise as a scientist by producing an outstanding senior thesis

Virginia Batts – Winner of Fallaw Outstanding Senior Award, that is given to a student who exhibits great professional potential and that has shown leadership in the department

Reece Lyerly – Winner of Earth and Environmental Sciences Scholar Award, that is given to the senior that shows the greatest scholarly ability

Steven Hovdesven – Winner of George C. Marshall Excellence in Military Science and Leadership Award, presented annually to the top senior cadet in each of Cadet Command’s programs whose outstanding accomplishments in military studies best exemplifies the private life and public career of General of the Army George C. Marshal.

2011 Awards Ceremony Photos

Extreme Science: Meteorite Impact on the Atlantic Coast

smuthukrishnan / April 7, 2011 / Alumni News, Bartram Society, CLP Event, Department, Earthscience News, Presentations

About 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.

Research Presentation at Southeastern Geological Society of America Meeting

smuthukrishnan / March 30, 2011 / Department, Presentations, RBRI Research, Student News

Students and faculty from Furman University attended the annual meeting of the Southeastern Geological Society of America held in Wilmington, NC. Nine students presented their research work in the form of posters. Students in attendance at the conference were: Virginia Batts, Rhonda Chan Soo, Ruthanne Coffey, Elizabeth Johnston, Brittany Lins, Molly McGee, Hannah Pearcy, Alyssa Wickard, and Summer Arrowood.

Click on the photo or here to see additional photos.

Bartram Society’s Spring Hike and Dinner

smuthukrishnan / March 22, 2011 / Bartram Society, Department

Bartram Society, a student organization within the Earth and Environmental Sciences held their spring hike and dinner on Saturday, 19th March. A hike in the woods at the nearby Paris Mountain State Park with a thunder shower accompanying the students on their descent was not even the highlight of the day because we were expecting a visual treat from the “super” moon. However cloudy conditions didn’t help much at moonrise. Dinner was held at Dr. Muthukrishnan’s resident and was well attended by a large group of Bartram members, faculty, and friends. Bartram leaders Jay Bridgeman, Andrea Tripplit, and Ruthanne Coffey made announcements on the upcoming elections and urged the members to take part in future activities.

TJ Fleming’s “The Good House”

smuthukrishnan / March 21, 2011 / Alumni News, Department

The 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

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.

Sustainability Science Curriculum

smuthukrishnan / March 13, 2011 / Department, Earthscience News, Furman, Sustainability

The EES department has released a brochure that contains all necessary information regarding the new degree program in Sustainability Science. Students interested in pursuing B.S. degree in Sustainability Science are advised to meet with one of the faculty advisors in the EES department at the earliest convenient time. Depending on the individual’s interest, the faculty advisor can provide critical advice on course selection and long-term career plans of the students. Click on the link below to download the brochure.

PDF Brochure: Bachelor of Science in Sustainability Science

For more details, please visit the department web page: http://ees.furman.edu