2012 News Archives

Dec 17, 2012

G&G Research featured at the California Academy of Science

LSU Geology & Geophysics Assistant Professor Dr. Sophie Warny and her student Kate Griener are currently having their research featured at the Earthquake! exhibit at the California Academy of Science Kimball Natural History Musuem. The exhibit takes an in-depth look at the science of earthquakes and how tectonic movements  have shaped the earth's landscape. Dr. Warny and Ms. Griener are featured for a photo of fossilized Antarctic red beech pollen found in that prove a connection between Antarctica and New Zealand existed long ago.

View more information on the Earthquake! exhibit and the California Academy of Science.

Dec 03, 2012

Forensic Expert visits Palynology students

Students in GEOL 4012 Introduction to Micropaleontology were recently treated to two guests who are applying Palynology concepts in forensic science. Andy Lawrence, a PhD student studying at Texas A&M, began the class discussions with his work with the Department of Homeland Security. To end the class, Mr. Edward W. Wallace Jr. discussed his work with the New York Police Department's crime scene investigations unit. Throughout his 20 years of experience Mr. Wallace became an expert on DNA/biological evidence recovery, latent fingerprint recovery, along with Haz-Mat, arson, post-blast, and crime scene investigations. 

Thanks go to the LSU Stephenson Nation Center for Security Research and Training for flying Mr. Wallace to Baton Rouge. 

 

Nov 29, 2012

2011-12 Alumni Magazine

See for yourself what the department has been up to the last year in the latest installment of the G&G Alumni Magazine. You'll find  updates from student organizations such as the Geology Club and the AAPG Student Chapter, scholarship winners, faculty research spotlights, and many other interesting stories. We hope you enjoy!

Access the Alumni Magazine

Nov 07, 2012

Huiming Bao wins EPA Award

The Department of Geology & Geophysics would like to congratulate Dr. Huiming Bao on winning the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2011 Scientific and Technological Achievement Award. Dr. Bao co-authored the winning publication "Massive Volcanic SO2 Oxidation and Sulphate Aerosol Deposition in Cenozoic North America" which was evaluated and recommended for Level II recognition by the EPA Science Advisory Board. 

Dr. Bao's research was conducted in regions of Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. They utilized the oxidation of SO2 into sulphate to gain insight on past volcanic eruptions and the atmospheric conditions surrounding them. The authors found that atmospheric conditions in the Cenozoic era could have been frequently alkaline leading them to conclude that the atmospheric secondary sulphate in the continental deposits can be further investigated to link volcanism and the atmospheric conditions of the past.

Read Dr. Bao's publication in the journal Nature, volume 465.

Oct 29, 2012

2012 Rock Star Poster Competition

The Department of Geology & Geophysics in conjunction with the LSU Geology Club hosted the 4th annual Rock Star Poster Competition Friday October 26, 2012. Over 20 participants submitted posters detailing research on a subject of their choosing which was then evaluated based on the content and appearance of the poster. Judges included Lia O'Black from Schlumberger, Angela Thomas from Shell, Art Saller from Cobalt International, and faculty judge Dr. Sam Bentley.  

Scholarships were awarded to the winners of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places for the undergraduate and graduate student categories.

Undergraduate Winners:

1st-Shane Cone, 2nd-Lindsay Prothro, 3rd-Ian Cannon

Graduate Winners:

1st-Jillian Bambrick Banks, 2nd-Kate Griener, 3rd-Ashley Howell

Catering for this year's event and scholarships for each winner were provided by Marathon Oil. 

Congratulations to our winners and thank you to all our participants, judges, and Marathon Oil!

Sep 13, 2012

G&G Students Recieve NOGS Scholarship Awards

Four LSU Geology & Geophysics students have been selected as 2012-2013 New Orleans Geological Society (NOGS) Scholarship Award winners. 

Logan Kirst received the Lee H. Meltzer Graduate Award valued at $3000

Thomas Schramm received the NOGS Memorial Foundation Scholarship valued at $2500

Sara Ates received the Jules & Olga Braunstein Junior Award valued at $2000

Lindsay Prothro received the Jules & Olga Braunstein Senior Award valued at $2500

Each student has been invited to attend the NOGS awards luncheon to have their achievements formally recognized. Congratulations to each of these hard working students! 

View more information about the New Orleans Geological Society.

Aug 24, 2012

Field Trip: Bayou Corne Sinkhole

Dr. Juan Lorenzo is planning a research field trip to examine the Bayou Corne Sinkhole in Assumption Parish. The hole lies on the edge of salt dome near Pierre Part, LA and has grown to roughly 476 x 640 feet. Dr. Lorenzo's group has proposed mapping the sinkhole using a seismic noise test aimed at finding gas-bearing aquifer sands. Their tests could help locate future wells for venting natural accumulations of gas. 

View more information about the Bayou Corne Sinkhole.

More to come from Dr. Lorenzo and his team.

Aug 06, 2012

Congratulations Summer Graduates

On Friday August 3rd, LSU celebrated its 278th Commencement Exercises. The Summer semester brought with it three Master of Science graduates: Austin Cardneaux, Elizabeth Chamberlain, and Scott Tipple. Eight students received their Bachelor of Science degree including: Kolawole Bello, John Craig, Jacob Dantin, Trevor Fanning, Christopher Garcia, Todd Landry, Michael Ruiz, and Austin White.

Congratulations to all of our graduates!! Best of luck on your future endeavors.

Jul 30, 2012

Kate Griener wins L.R. Wilson Best Student Paper Award

Geology & Geophysics PhD student Kate Griener was recently awarded the L. R. Wilson Best Student Paper Award by AASP – The Palynological Society. Kate presented her paper titled, “Carbon isotopic analysis of Southern beech (Nothofagus) pollen reveals shifts in Antarctic hydrology during the late Eocene“ at the AASP Annual Meeting in Lexington, Kentucky. 

View more information about AASP and the L.R. Wilson Award.

Apr 18, 2012

Kathryn Denommee Awarded the AAPG Foundation Edward B. Picou, Jr., Named Grant

The LSU Department of Geology & Geophysics is pleased to welcome Dr. Peter Clift, the Charles T. McCord Chair in Petroleum Geology.  Dr. Clift joined the Department this January and is already settling in.  He is teaching Basin Analysis to a roomful of eager LSU graduate students and is busy setting up his research laboratory. Before joining LSU, Dr. Clift was at the University of Aberdeen working on the geology of continental margin basins.

Clift has previously worked with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Ocean Drilling Program at Texas A&M, and was a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh where he was sponsored by BP.  He obtained his bachelor’s degree at Oxford and completed his PhD at University of Edinburgh.  

The McCord Chair is named in honor of Charles T. McCord, Jr. who was a 1933 LSU geology graduate and who had a long and distinguished career in industry.

Jan 19, 2012

Sam Bentley Featured in Fall 2011 LSU Research Magazine