Summer 2008 Base camp at Amherst 17,000ft in the Little Ice Age moraines of the Quelccaya Ice Cap, Cordillera Vilcanota, Peru.

A Letter From the Department Head Faculty News Dear Geosciences Alumni, New Faculty: Hello from Amherst. Stan Stevens Page 3 I (Mike Williams) took a Faculty Notes Page 4 nine-month break from the Department Head position, Retirements: and Laurie Brown stood in Rutherford Platt Page 8 for the 2007-2008 academic James Hafner Page 8 year. Laurie was a fantastic Alumni News Department Head, guiding the department through Alumni Notes Page 9 another visible, productive, Alumni Spotlights: and successful year. This Celine Suarez, BS ‘01 Page 12 update comes from both of Mark Serreze, BS ‘82; MS ‘84 us. There’s lots happening Page 12 around the department in William Nechamen, BS ‘83 terms of faculty research, interested in conservation furniture is in. Page 13 student research, building and development, legal We now have a completely James Bradbury, PhD ‘05 Page 13 renovation, retirements, hiring, and political geographies, renovated thin section and rock and much more. Details on environmental history, and crushing lab, also equipped In Memoriam many of these items are in the the ideas and practice of with a new large cold room newsletter, but we will hit some regionalism. Eve is already for core storage. We are ready Andrew Wyse, BS ‘83 Page 11 of the highlights here. an experienced and excellent now for the cores that Julie Gerald Williams, BS ‘76, MS ‘79 We had a superbly teacher, having taught a B-G will be bringing back Page 11 successful search for a new number of courses at all levels. from Lake-E in Russia and Barry Timson, MS ‘72 Page 11 geographer this year. I am Eve will be a great addition to materials from many other Around the thrilled to report that we have our department. We can’t wait projects as well. By the way, Department hired Dr. Eve Vogel as our until she arrives this fall. the USGS just finished drilling newest human geographer. We also had a successful through a critical section of Qian Yu research trip Page 3 Eve is coming from the search for a sedimentologist the Lake Hitchcock varved Geo majors go to Iceland Page 7 University of Oregon where last year, but sadly, our new clay in Sunderland, and those News from the State Geologist she has recently finished up faculty member was unable cores are in the cold room. Page 16 her Ph.D. Eve’s research to accept the position in the One of the great things about Student Research and Awards focuses on the politics, political end. Now (summer ’08), we having our own cold room is Page 17 economy, institutions, ideals, are interviewing candidates that the research materials are Department Gifts and environmental impacts and finishing up a new search in house and thus available for Thanks to our Donors Page 18 of river development and and will hopefully have a new graduate and undergraduate Giving Opportunities Page 19 conservation. She has studied sedimentologist in house by student projects. the balance between power sometime next year. If not, we Pete Robinson was back producer and conservation will just have to recruit John for the NEIGC conference last interests and between local and Hubert back out of retirement. fall. I think he has been to more national interests especially From the way he seems around than fifty of them, literally! He with respect to electric power the department, John should is still living in Norway but generation. Her dissertation be good for at least another also still working on maps of was on the Columbia ten years of teaching and field Massachusetts geology. Don River, and she plans future work. We have already cleaned Wise, George McGill, John comparative work on other out the old sedimentology lab. Hubert, Tony Morse are all river systems, beginning with It has been renovated and retired but are all as active as the Connecticut. She’s broadly remodeled, and the new lab ever around the department. Page 2 UMass Amherst Sadly, both Jim Hafner and Rud Platt have joined the ranks of four featured alumni. If you have nominations for future featured the retired. Both intend to stay active in research and both will alumni, or if you would consider being featured yourself, just stay involved with the department (see article). It is a big loss for drop us a note. the geography program, but we wish them both the best. One Don’t forget, the new 2009 calendars will be out in the piece of good news is that Stan Stevens has been hired as an early fall. They highlight department faculty and students and Associate Professor in geography (see page 3). In addition, we are automatically given to anyone who contributes to any of the hope to begin a new faculty search for one more geographer department funds. They can also be purchased directly from the this year. Stay tuned. The real challenge is keeping up with the department office. retired faculty around here. Please visit the department webpage (www.geo.umass. Although our ultimate goal is to build a new building edu) if you have a minute and visit us in person if you get to someday, hopefully a green building, we continue to clean, Amherst. paint, renovate, and generally prop up Morrill. We have a new mass spectrometer in the stable isotope lab and a new SEM. Mike Williams and Laurie Brown Sheila Seaman has installed a new FTIR (Fourrier Transform Infra-red Spectrometer) to look at water in minerals among other Joe Hartshorn things. We will be adding cathodoluminescence capability to the It is with great sorrow that we relay news of the passing of our microprobe and SEM. The geosciences are always changing, beloved professor Joe Hartshorn. Joe died May 5th, 2008 in and we have to keep changing too. We will be outfitting a new Sarasota Florida. Joe was a passionate teacher, colleague seminar/classroom this summer. AND the best news of all, we and friend to so many, and the gift of his life to us all will will be adding one new van to our aging fleet this summer. Our live on in our memories and in the students he nurtured. In vans are still our most important classrooms! Stop by and visit if collaboration with Joe’s family, including Pat Cohen his lov- you are in the area. ing partner, the Dept of Geosciences has set up the “Joseph We are anxious to hear from our alumni. We would love H. Hartshorn Memorial Fund”. Contributions can be made to share your advice and experiences with our graduate and by sending us a check to “UMass-Amherst” with “Joe Hart- undergraduate students. We’ll share stories about the faculty too shorn Fund” written in the note line. In the next issue of this if they aren’t too embarrassing. How about sending your best Newsletter, we will provide a much larger article about Joe’s Don Wise story? We are also continuing our (new) tradition of contributions and legacy. If you would like to contribute to featuring several alumni in each newsletter. This time, we have this article, please let us know. Teaching with Authentic Deep-Sea Core Data: Lessons from “School of Rock” In 1985, I was invited by the newly hired education director at port personnel have joined the team. We have conducted mini- Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Leslie Peart, to develop and workshops at national meetings, museums, and college and lead a sea-going, hands-on discovery expedition for Earth sci- university campuses. During the summers of 2007 and 2008, ence teachers and informal educators. The goal was to expose week-long SOR workshops were held at the Gulf Coast Reposi- educators to (1) the nature of scientific ocean drilling research, tory of the IODP in College Station, TX, while the JOIDES Reso- which depends on inquiry, technology, and lution is in dry-dock. The plan is to include teamwork; and (2) the wealth of data col- sea-going SOR workshops again in the future. lected and discoveries made during four The SOR instructors have developed many decades of scientific ocean drilling (begin- hands-on, active-learning activities at the col- ning with the Deep Sea Drilling Project – lege/university level for use at the workshops DSDP in 1968, the Ocean Drilling Program and in our own classrooms. Topics include: – ODP, and now the Integrated Ocean testing the seafloor spreading hypothesis, Drilling Program – IODP). The School of deep-sea core description (lithostratigraphy), Rock (SOR) was born with the help of co- age model development (biostratigraphy, instructor Kristen St. John (James Madison magnetostratigraphy, and orbital cyclicity), University) and supporting educational the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (a and technical professionals from JOI and 4-part exercise), geophysical methods used IODP. The 11-day expedition aboard the for site selection and studies of global sea research drilling-vessel JOIDES Resolution level change (seismic stratigraphy), and down- from Victoria, British Columbia to Aca- hole logging, to mention a few. The teachers pulco, Mexico was the first time JOI had and informal educators who participate in the used a transit between ports, and between SOR workshops then develop age-appropriate drilling expeditions, for the sole purpose materials for their classrooms or museums. of education and outreach. The School These materials are available online and the of Rock was sponsored by JOI in alliance list of activities continues to grow (http://www. with Texas A&M University and the Lam- oceanleadership.org/materials/activities). ont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, who If you’re a science teacher, or know a science teacher, who jointly operate and staff the JOIDES Resolution (the JOI al- might be interested in these activities or participating in a fu- liance is now part of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership). ture SOR, please contact me ([email protected]). Since the initial expedition in 1985, other instructors and sup- Contributed by Mark Leckie Department of Geosciences Page 3 Stan Stevens hired as Associate Professor of Geography Stan Stevens, a geographer national conservation policies administrators, and NGO and main contributing au- who has been teaching in the to the geography program’s staffs on conservation and in- thor of Conservation Through Department for 10 years on new emphasis on environmen- digenous rights issues. He has Cultural Survival: Indigenous an ad hoc ba- tal geography. also long been active in inter- Peoples and Protected Areas. sis, has now Stevens is in- national efforts to link been hired on ternationally indigenous rights and a long-term, recognized for conservation through h a l f - t i m e his research in his work with IUCN’s basis. Stan the Mt. Ever- (the World Conser- earned three est region of vation Union) World degrees at Nepal, where Commission on Pro- the University he has worked tected Areas and its of California, closely with Commission on Envi- B e r k e l e y , Sherpa com- ronmental, Econom- where his ad- munities in ic, and Social Policy. visors were and around He is the author of the renowned Sagarmatha Claiming the High geographers Barney Ni- (Chomolungma/Mt. Everest) Ground: Sherpas, etschmann and James Parsons. National Park for twenty-five Subsistence, and En- Alan Marcus, Ph.D. Geography, He brings expertise in political years on collaborative research vironmental Change and Professor Richard Wilkie at ecology, cultural ecology, en- projects and as an adviser to in the Highest Hima- commencement, May 2008. vironmental history, and inter- Sherpa leaders, national park laya and the editor

Qian Yu Travels to Gulf of Mexico for Carbon Cycling Research In August 2007, Qian Yu and in a wet lab on the research cally produced and terrestrial acquired several satellite im- her graduate student Weining vessel (RV Pelican) for relat- CDOM as it enters the ocean. ages for the study area during Zhu went on an 8-day cruise ing CDOM with dissolved or- Qian measured apparent op- the field data collection. After in the Gulf of Mexico and col- ganic carbon. These inherent tical properties (AOP) using careful calibrating between lected ground truth IOP and AOP data for carbon cy- measure- cling research. Jointly ments, she with other 9 scientists aims to esti- from UMass-Boston mate riverine in an Office of Navy carbon flux Research funded proj- from satel- ect, the field experi- lite and in ment was to measure situ data. Her the chromophoric dis- study will help solved organic matter to investigate (CDOM) in the low various bio- flow period of the Mis- logical, chem- sissippi River Plume ical, physical, and Atchafalaya River and optical Plume. By deploy- processes that ing an instrumented may affect undulating vehicle CDOM in the starting at the mouth M i s s i s s i p p i of the Mississippi, the River Plume. cruise explored sever- The Missis- al cross-shelf transects sppi River from 20 m isobaths to drains 40% of 2000 m isobaths and the terrestrial provided high-resolu- area of the tion 3-dimensional mapping optical properties (IOP) of the a hyperspectral radiometer US. Therefore, this research of CDOM and sediments. Fre- natural water body are valu- from immediately above the is very important for studying quent discrete samples were able to examine the sources, water surface every 3 seconds the carbon cycle at the land- also collected and analyzed behavior, and fate of biologi- (9 meters interval). She also sea interface at a large scale. Page 4 UMass Amherst Faculty Notes Laurie Brown has contin- been especially busy this past the Journal of Paleolimnol- variations in the North Atlan- ued her paleomagnetic studies year or so and to her delight, ogy. Rob DeConto, Steve tic region over the past 2000 in South America with contin- things won’t let up for a while. Burns, Laurie Brown and years. In particular, we are in- ued interest in back-arc lava After several years of field Steve Petsch are also in- terested in extending records flows of southern Patagonia. work, numerous proposal sub- volved from UMass. Kenna of the North Atlantic Oscilla- The last three Januaries have missions and political visits to Wilkie is the first of several tion and Atlantic Multidecadal seen field trips to Santa Cruz Moscow, the Lake El’gygytgyn PhD students to be recruited Oscillation beyond the instru- province, Argentina – two with Drilling Program has finally to the project. Meanwhile, mental record of the past 150 Chris Condit as field assis- been funded. “Lake E” as we Beth Caissie (MS ’06) con- years. Prof. Rob DeConto is tant, one with undergrad Ho- all know it, is a large lake sys- tinues her PhD work on the sea also involved as we are also sanna Lilydahl-Schroder. tem lying inside a 3.6 Myr old ice history of the Bering Strait modeling how Atlantic Ocean Other interests in Patagonia meteorite crater located 100 region and Zach Lundeen temperature variations affect now include the ICDP (MS ’05) finished his work in climate in Bermuda to help drilling project PASADO, the Chukchi Sea and is now in interpret our speleothem re- an international program a PhD program at Univ. Utah. cords. I also continue to work to drill a maar lake in the Caitlin Majocka (MS ’06) on samples collected several Pali Aike volcanic field in who worked on Lake E sedi- years ago from Oman and Ye- southernmost Patagonia. ments is now employed with men and hope someday to be Laurie submitted the US the Mass. Dept of Environmen- able to continue our fieldwork proposal for funding this tal Protection in Lawrence. in Yemen. massive paleoclimate Other good news is that In other news, the Stable study to NSF this spring the Research Experience for Isotope Laboratory has ex- and she has her fingers Undergraduates Program on panded to include a second Jullie B-G sizing up pipes used for mov- crossed. When not in South Svalbard has new funding instrument, which is dedicated ing hydrothemal waters during a site visit America Laurie continues from NSF for 2008-2012. to analyzing the isotopic ratios with the ICDP in April 2007. her active collaboration with The program led by Steve of individual organic com- Suzanne McEnroe and Pete Roof (PhD ’95) of Hampshire pounds, or biomarkers. This in- Robinson at the Norwegian km north of the Arctic Circle College is a collaboration in- strument will allow us to tackle Geological Survey in Trond- in Chukotka, Northeast Russia cluding me, Al Werner (Mt Ho- a whole new range of paleo- heim. She spent 6 weeks in some 250 km from the near- lyoke College), Mike Retelle climate questions. One impor- Norway last year on collabor- est road or airport. In col- (PhD ’85; now at Bates Col- tant application will be to the ative fieldwork and lab studies laboration with Martin Melles lege) and Ross Powell (North- sediments of Lake El’gygytyn, at NGU, concentrating on an- at University of Cologne, Pavel ern Illinois University). Over in Siberia. These sediments cient rocks with large negative Minyuk in Magadan Russia the past 3 yrs the program (see the work of Prof. Julie remanent anomalies. Laurie and Christian Koeberl, Univer- has been a complete success Brigham-Grette) contain a has several active grad stu- sity of Vienna, the international given that nearly all 20 of the 3 million year record of high dents including one studying group will now conduct drilling participating undergrads from latitude climate change, but secular variation of Patago- at the lake in spring of 2008, around the country are now in nian lavas and another work- and February to May in 2009. graduate programs. This in- ing on magnetic properties of Funding to the tune of $6.5 M cludes Luke Trusel (BS ’06) basalts as sources of Martian for logistics and another $3M at Northern Illinois University magnetic anomalies. On the for science is being provided and Eric Helfrich (BS ‘07) at teaching front Laurie continues as part of the International Po- Northern Arizona University. to teach Geophysics and Pa- lar Year from the International leomagnetism, as well as the Continental Drilling Program, Stephen Burns continues undergrad Geologic Mapping the US National Science to focus his research on us- course. Last year saw her turn Foundation (Division of Earth ing speleothems to study cli- at the mega-Intro Oceanog- Sciences (EAR) and the Of- mate change. Together with Ivo Karmann and Francisco da raphy course – still popular fice of Polar Programs (OPP)), former Post-doc Francisco Cruz doing fieldwork on among the non-science ma- and the German Ministry for Cruz (now on the faculty at speleothems in Brazil. jors. In her free time Laurie is Science and Education. The the University of Sao Paolo), I associate department head for objective is to collect a contin- am studying variations in the Geology, and last year took a uous record of Arctic climate South American monsoon sys- without the usual sedimentary short turn at being Department change over the past 3.6 Myr. tem, which affects climate all recorders of climate. By us- Head, giving Mike Williams Research on pilot cores and across the tropics in Brazil and ing, for example, the hydro- a well-deserved break from other site survey work was re- beyond. Ph.D student Steve gen isotope ratios of organic those arduous duties. cently published in 11 papers Gaurin is using speleothems compounds that are produced Julie Brigham-Grette has in the January 2007 issue of from Bermuda to study climate by aquatic phytoplankton, we Department of Geosciences Page 5 Faculty Notes can trace changes in the iso- transformations (Piper Gau- fieldwork with Jim Dutcher, ternary system, fayalite-albite- topic composition of the lake batz), bicycling as an alterna- supervision of a Master’s the- anorthite, and constructed water, which is controlled by tive means of transportation sis with Matthew Walsh, an Mg-Fe olivine-plagioclase regional temperature and hu- (Ted White), doing fieldwork and lively discussions with diagram relevant to the ori- midity. on migration between Brazil Don Wise. Mary Alice uses a gin of syenites and trachytes. and the U.S. (Alan Marcus), cane walking, but otherwise is I was pleasantly rewarded for This year Piper Gaubatz and doing fieldwork in Guate- doing well. past crimes by receiving, from served as acting program mala (Brian Conz). Bill McCoy is continuing work colleagues at UCLA, a Gold- head while Julie Graham on loess of the last several gla- schmidt Conference abstract was on medical leave. Follow- Jim Hafner has retired from cial cycles of Central and East- on the Formation of 4.5 Ga ing discussions the Geosci- ern Europe (in collaboration Continental Crust that defends among students ence Depart- with former UMass Geology my 1987 paper on the origin of and faculty dur- ment, but Master’s and Ph.D. student, earliest planetary crusts. With ing the fall and will remain Dr. Eric Oches, now at the many friends and colleagues, early spring se- in-residence University of South Florida). including Peter Robin- mester, the ge- as an Emeri- Bill’s most recent work focuses son and Suzanne McEnroe, ography faculty tus Faculty on loess in Hungary and Ser- I attended the first Frontiers undertook a set m e m b e r . bia. He is also hoping to initi- of Mineralogy Conference in of new program He will be ate new work on amino acid June, in Cambridge, England, initiatives dur- continuing paleothermometry of intergla- and gave two papers, on the ing the spring his interests cial travertines in Europe. The syenite work and on internal semester. Par- in support many thick, interglacial traver- reservoirs in large magma ticularly impor- of the East- tines preserve abundant mol- bodies. We keep on skiing, tant and appre- The now-semiannual department ern Min- lusk shells that should contain mowing, and farming. ciated by students chili cookoff. d a n a o an interesting record of inter- have been efforts Biodiver- glacial paleoenvironmental Steven Petsch joined the to increase opportunities for sity Archiving project in conditions. Department of Geosciences in faculty and students to share the Philippines, working as 2002. He is a biogeochemist, our research and to talk ge- an ad hoc consultant with S. A. Morse writes: It’s (not) meaning he studies chemical ography and more informal the Mekong Commission, been a quiet year in Room 12, signatures of the interaction interaction among faculty and and finishing some long my home town. We have had of living organisms and their students. This spring we held delayed writing projects . He three diligent scholars in the geologic environments. One a dinner for new graduate sends his sincerest thanks back rooms, including Cal- focus of Steve’s research is to students and established what to the many students he lum Heth- u n d e r s t a n d are hoped will become on- has been privileged to work erington, the process going program “traditions”: with over the years, and now departed of biological a bi-weekly informal “brown his appreciation to all his for Canada, methane gen- bag” lunch talk series featur- colleagues in the Geosci- and Nancy eration deep ing presentations by faculty ence Department for their Price, enroute within ancient and grad students, a monthly support, encouragement and to Maine. The sedimentary faculty colloquium where fac- friendship. Those relation- steady-state rocks. Natu- ulty read and discuss each ships are the most valued c h a r a c t e r s , ral gas is a other’s work, and a monthly and rewarding experiences of Greg and common and faculty-student dinner in the his career at UMass Amherst. Chris, are valuable en- Common Room followed by Many thanks!! h a m m e r i n g ergy resource a “World on Wednesday” film away on their composed pri- and discussion. This spring’s John Hubert retired Sep- theses. Defy- marily of the films engaged with issues of tember 1, 2006, and now has ing all predic- gas methane, oil development in the Arctic an office off the student com- tions, I taught and is ex- National Wildlife Refuge, the mon room in 254 - near the the Bulk Earth A colony of Bryozoa, Pectinatella tracted from abandonment of California’s coffee pot! Still active, John course again magnifica, Puffers Pond , Amherst. sedimentary state-mandated electric car has finished a paper on Scoy- in Fall ‘06, basins all program, and Indian efforts enia trace fossils in the Sug- to a fine group of a baker’s around the world. In many to defend sacred places in arloaf Arkose in the Deerfield dozen students and a few stray places, methane is generated the West. Brown bag talks in- basin. He is writing another on faculty, and learned more through high heat and pres- cluded presentations on Ne- the interplay of tectonics and about the Earth into the bar- sure alongside oil. However, pal’s Maoist revolution (Stan sedimentology recorded by the gain. I determined the melt- more and more methane with- Stevens), Shanghai’s recent Sugarloaf Arkose, involving ing relations at 5 kb in a new in sedimentary rocks is recog- Page 6 UMass Amherst Faculty Notes nized as a biological product, and Liberation Ecologies” for which they represent—2012, assess aquatic biomass in that is, the result of biological the annual meeting of the As- 2036, and 2048. In addition, Assabet River Impoundment activity occurring deep under- sociation of American Geog- Richard was invited to a spe- using high resolution remote ground where microorganisms raphers in San Francisco. He cial symposium sponsored by sensing. can live off of organic com- chaired two sessions on Indig- the AAG (Assoc.of American pounds in sedimentary rocks, enous Peoples and Protected Geographers and the Univer- Richard Yuretich has spent producing methane as a by- Areas: Conservation Through sity of Virginia Charlottesville, the past few years focusing product. Steve’s work has Self-Determination at the AAG entitled, “Geography and the on two main projects. He has included methane reservoirs annual meeting and also gave Humanities” in late June. His been the director of an NSF- in the Antrim Shale of Michi- five invited campus talks on paper was entitled, “Light and funded multi-disciplinary proj- gan, the New Albany Shale themes which included politi- Landscape: Visions of Place ect examining the conditions in Indiana and Illinois, coals cal ecological and protected through Qualities of Light.” at Davis Mine, an abandoned in the Powder River Basin of area theory, the significance pyrite mine, in Rowe, Mas- Wyoming and San Juan Basin of Nepal’s civil war for conser- Qian Yu has a couple of sachusetts. Some of you may of New Mexico and Colorado, vation and Indigenous rights, new projects on track. Her remember the place from geo- cyclothems of the Forest City environmental historical and research is more centered on chemistry field trips! Working Basin in Kansas and Missouri, political ecological research remote sensing of DOC flux in conjunction with faculty and and coals and shales in the in China, and cross-cultural to coastal water. In addition students from environmental Wilcox Group of Louisiana. In research ethics for fieldwork to riverine CDOM concentra- engineering and micrbiology, each of these settings, Steve with Indigenous peoples. tion, she extends the research the project is documenting the and his group are finding liv- This summer he traveled to study carbon sources from natural processes that may be ing microorganisms occurring to Nepal to continue advising terrestrial ecosystem. This new helping to contain the acidic deep underground, along with Sherpa leaders and NGOs on research links her experience drainage. We will make rec- molecular signatures of coal Indigenous rights, the imple- in remote sensing and spa- ommendations about ways or shale biodegradation and mentation of a tial modeling to correct the problem in an economically significant accu- new national to understand environmentally-friendly man- mulations of natural gas. park manage- the relation- ner. All told, there have been ment plan for the ship between over 40 people involved in Stan Stevens continued Mt. Everest re- watershed bio- this project, which is now in its his research and activism on gion, and com- physical char- closing year. Indigenous peoples and con- munity-based acteristics and The second project, sup- servation issues. He was ap- conservation. carbon flux to ported by NASA, promoted pointed to the IUCN (World coastal environ- the teaching of Earth Sys- Conservation Union) CEESP Richard Wilk- ment. Because tem Science in middle- and (Commission on Environ- ie had an ex- h y d r o l o g i c a l secondary-schools. Over the mental, Economic and Social tremely busy property plays past 3 years, some 90 teach- Policy) (he has been an ap- year as the Ge- an important ers from around the country pointed member of IUCN’s ography Gradu- role in carbon have come to UMass Amherst World Commission on Pro- ate Program Di- transport pro- for two weeks during the sum- tected Areas since 1991. He rector. He had cess, she and mer to learn basic principles is now active in two inter- a July 2007 Hatice Poyralzi making ice her post-doc, of mapping, spatial analysis commission IUCN groups, publication-- cream with Don Wise holding H o n g m i n g (GPS and GIS), environmen- TILCEPA (Theme on Indige- “Time Realities down the bucket at the 2007 He, quan- tal issues, and engage in sci- nous and Local Communities, and Memories department picnic. tify the carbon ence research. The goal is to Equity, and Protected Areas) of Place” in dynamics in have them use Earth Science and TGER (Theme on Gov- 2048 (Die Planung / A Terv, watershed and in stream flow examples when teaching any ernance, Equity, and Rights). 2048 No. 247.) - part of a by using SWAT model. She en- science subject. Among his projects this three volume publication set joyed the three research cruises In addition to his usual past year have been an analy- in the years: 2012, 2036, for remote sensing of DOC in teaching responsibilities, Rich- sis for IUCN of the govern- and 2048. The three volumes Hudson River and expects up- ard is on the Council for the ment of Nepal’s policies on were funded by the German coming cruise for Mississippi National Association of Geo- community-managed protect- Federal Cultural Foundation River in late August. Her first science Teachers (NAGT) and ed areas (“Community Con- and the Secretariat for Futures Ph.D student Weining Zhu is an Associate Editor for the served Areas”) and a paper on Studies (Berlin) and NextLab starts assisting her in this proj- Journal of Sedimentary Re- “Theorizing Protected Areas: (Budapest). Sixty International ect. These field data will keep search. He was on sabbatical Fourth World and (Post)colo- scholars wrote pieces in the her busy for a while. In a col- in Spring, 2008 and now be- nial Perspectives on Conser- three volumes, which also will laborative project with USGS, gins a temporary assignment vation Enclosures, Commons, be republished in the years she endeavors to monitor and as program director at NSF. Department of Geosciences Page 7

Geosciences Majors Go To Iceland

Hiking on a glacier and on a brand new basaltic lava flow soaked in the local geothermal spa and, on the following day, were two of the high points of a Five-College geology field drove 100 km into the interior of Iceland to visit Askja, where, in trip to Iceland during early August, 2006. Seven Geosciences 1875 an eruption left the 12 km Oskuvatn crater, now filled with majors, including Dean Bebis, dark, cold water, and the smaller Evan Gearity, Renee Mackey, Viti crater, a popular swimming Jose Molina, Andy Piermarini, hole now filled with blue, warm Karen van Wagner, and Caleb water. On the next day we set Worthman, participated in the out on the Sprengisandur, one field trip, led by five faculty of the two roads that cross the members, including Sheila interior of Iceland. The edges Seaman from UMass. We of Iceland are very green and hired a huge bus with a slightly lush, with few trees but lots of threatening giant of a driver fields and quaint, ancient farms. named Borkur, and two cooks, The interior of Iceland is almost Solla and Hatha, to take care of devoid of vegetation. The logistics. Sprengisandur passes close to The days were long and Vatnajökull, the largest glacier mostly lovely, the campsites on Iceland, that has generated were scenic, and the food was major floods when volcanic tasty and plentiful. We drove eruptions take place under the the magnificent ring road, the ice. We hiked in rhyolitic ash only road that circumnavigates Iceland, from Reykjavik in the mountains at Landmannalaugar, and on and around glaciers southwest to the Krafla volcanic complex in the northeast, at Skaftafell, two of Iceland’s spectacular national parks. We where we hiked through volcanic rocks so young that a major visited Thingvellir, where the mid-Atlantic rift is exposed on land, geothermal energy facility is built on the steamy ground. We also the site of the first Parliament, established in 930 A.D.

The many joys of the trip were summarized in a poem written by Karen Van Wagner, who graduated in May 2008. The poem should be sung to the tune of “Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland”!

Walkin’ Round the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

Krafla sings, are you listening? Later on, if you wanna, As you watch, you’ll hear her hissing! We can soak in a natural sauna A wonderful sight (though it don’t Divergence of plates really is great smell quite right) Walkin’ roung the mid-Atlantic ridge. Walkin’ round the mid-Atlantic ridge. In the distance you’ll see Vatnajökull Bubbling lakes and clayish mires Peering south from Askja’s crater rim Black landscape from Krafla’s fires If Grimsvötn’s lake floods, take to high The walk works your legs, the vents ground reek of eggs ‘Cause that’s one river no one wants to Walkin’ round the mid-Atlantic ridge. swim!

In the meadows you can see basalt Should you see lava fountains, flows; Stay away from active mountains! Looking down the big fissure is swell! And if you should dare to breathe But if you stand downwind from it, sulfured air then you’ll know Come walkin’ round the mid-Atlantic The origin of lava’s really hell! ridge! Page 8 UMass Amherst

Rud Platt Retirement the City University of New York Chicago, Los Angeles, Port- land, Oregon, and elsewhere. Longtime department of Land Policy, 2006). At least (CUNY) and expects to contin- member Rud Platt “retired” last a dozen UMass grad students ue his research and writing on year and is now Professor of have participated in Ecologi- greening initiatives in New York, Geography Emeritus. He has cal Cities research activities, moved his Ecological Cities and many more have taken Project to an off-campus of- Rud’s Ecological Cities semi- fice at 1 Short Street in down- nar. He has also given public town Northampton, closer to lectures around the country. where he and Barbara live in A series of regional Florence. The Ecological Cit- workshops is now in progress ies Project began in 2000 as a based on the themes of The reflection of Rud’s longtime in- Humane Metropolis under the terest in cities, water, and haz- auspices of the Lincoln Institute ards. It has combined teach- of Land Policy, a well-known ing, research, and outreach on land use research center in how urban communities at all Cambridge, MA. The first of scales are reinventing them- these was held in Pittsburgh in selves to be more green, more March, 2007 with Joy Abbott healthy and safe, more equita- (Mark Abbott’s wife and Rud’s ble, and more people-friendly. former grad student in Region- The program has co-orga- al Planning) as local facilita- nized six regional conferences tor. The second was held in and produced an edited book Riverside, California on Janu- and companion DVD film: The ary 24, 2008, with the next Humane Metropolis: People one to be held in Baltimore. and Nature in the 21st Century Rud is also being appointed Rud Platt presented a copy of his book, The Humane Metropolis, to Chi- City (University of Massachu- a Senior Fellow with the Insti- cago’s Mayor Richard M. Daley in Portland, Oregon on June 28 where setts Press and Lincoln Institute tute for Sustainable Cities of both were speakers at a regional greenspaces conference.

Jim Hafner Retirement the Geography BA, M.S. and change, population mobility Ph.D. programs in the and the political ecology of After a long and reward- Geoscience Department, resource management in the ing career at the University often serving as Geogra- context of the development and the Geoscience Depart- phy Graduate Program process. Those interests often ment, Jim Hafner retired in Director. As Director of the involved work with U.S. Fed- June 2007. He will remain as Asian Studies Program at eral Agencies, International an Emeritus Faculty member the University he helped Development Agencies, and working with graduate students to create the recent un- universities in Southeast Asia and continuing research activi- dergraduate Certificate to develop basic research ties with the Eastern Mindanao Program in Asian/Asian and training programs in that Biodiversity Archiving project American Studies and a region. In 1972-1973 he in the Philippines, in the Me- similar Five College pro- worked as a Research Con- kong River Basin of Southeast gram. Jim’s career often sultant at the Social Science Asia, and finishing some long involved him in numerous Research Institute, Chulalong- delayed writing projects. This research and program korn University in Bangkok, issue of the Newsletter pro- development consultan- Thailand. Later in 1975-76 he vides an opportunity to express cies with the U.N. Mekong held a post as a Geographic his gratitude to the many stu- Committee, U.S. For- Consultant to the United Na- dents he has been privileged eign Service Institute, the tions Mekong Committee as to work with over the years, Ford Foundation, and the part of an international re- and his appreciation to all his Thailand-U.S. Educational search team studying ques- colleagues in the Geoscience Foundation among others. tions of population displace- Department for their support, Much of his teaching and ment and resettlement in the encouragement and friend- research activities fo- impact area of the proposed ship. Those relationships are UMass Amherst. Many thanks!! cused on exploring issues in Pa Mong Dam on the Mekong the most valued and reward- After joining the University fac- rural social and economic ing experiences of his career at ulty in 1970 he helped frame Continued on page 15 Department of Geosciences Page 9 Alumni Notes 1950s Campbell, BS Geol- Sherman Clebnik (BA Ge- ogy 1968, MS Geology Don Goodwin (BS Geol- ology, 1965; PhD Geology, 1975 to name some) in- ogy, 1958) writes “It’s always 1975) writes, “With the end terested in glacial aspects a pleasure to get the update of the Spring semester and and studying under Joe from the UMass Amherst another academic year, I’ve Hartshorn. I like to think Geology Department. The started the annual cleanup of of that time as a Golden amazing changes from small the office—all the stuff that Era of Glacial Geology at department there when I went somehow didn’t get tossed or UMass Amherst. I fondly to school to the “empire” just filed previously. I came upon recall the Glacial Geol- boggles me. I graduated the Geosciences Dept. news- limantic quad. As you can tell ogy seminars we had that in 1958. Chris Alex (BS letter from last summer among from the time I’ve been here, were held at Joe’s home on Geology, 1958) and myself the items put off to the side. it turned out to be a very com- the outskirts of Amherst. The were the first recipients of the As one who was at UMass fortable fit. As I now am pon- session began with the aca- L.R. Wilson award—and the Amherst when I was, it was dering retirement in the near demic part, an analysis and graduating seniors numbered poignant to come upon the future, I think back to certain discussion of some topic for about seven. This particu- obituaries. Tom Rice was the of my other UMass professors which we had done the neces- lar letter is a special one for person with whom I had my and would like to extend them sary reading. After perhaps a me. Your new Asst. Prof., Da- first geology course—physical a word of credit while they are couple hours of that, we would vid Boutt, is working with my geology—when I began my able to enjoy it. then adjourn into an adjoining daughter, Laurel Goodwin, on freshman year in Fall 1961. I was approaching com- room where a spread of food a paper—kind of nice for me When I became a senior, pletion of my freshman year in and drinks had been arranged to have her reach out to my Charles Pitrat was then a new- 1962 at UMass—physical ge- on a table by Mrs. Hartshorn. old alma mater—especially in ly hired professor with whom I ology with Tom Rice, as noted After the period of hard think- the same field.” had my paleontology course. above, and historical geology ing, we’d stand around en- Later, when I returned as a with Greg Webb. George Mc- gaged in pleasant and light grad student, he offered a Gill, accompanied by some of conversation. After all these special course designed for his grad students, was plan- years, those episodes still are us Quaternary types, “Ce- ning a summer of field work in imprinted in my mind.” nozoic Molluscs.” Also as the mountains near Augusta, a grad student, I experi- Montana. He had a splendid 1970s enced a course presented idea: take some of these nov- by John Hubert, (just re- ice geology majors and show Paul Hague (BA Geology, tired from the department) them what geologic field study 1973) retired several years in “Geostatistics.” I never really is by using them as field ago after 10 years with Geo- took a sedimentology assistants. So I and 2 fresh- physical Survey Systems, Inc. course with him, but he of- man colleagues spent a sum- (Salem, NH). He is now as- fered helpful advice to me mer camped out in the Bob sisting in 7th and 8th grade Gail Ashley, Rutgers University, received as I worked on till samples Marshall Wilderness Area, math and science classes at the 2nd Annual Distinguished Alum from my dissertation field taking strike and dip measure- the Henniker (NH) Commu- award from Acting Department Head area. ments, carrying rock samples, nity School and is active in lo- Laurie Brown in February. Upon getting ready and amassing a lot of memo- cal conservation activities and to leave UMass Amherst ries from an experience unlike the Geological Society of New for employment, one of any we had before. It would Hampshire. 1960s those quirks of fate led me to have been easy for George the position I’ve held for the McGill to have used more Doug Heath (BS Geology, Walter F. Brown (BS Geol- last 33 years. Eastern Con- experienced majors for field 1979) wrote to thank us for the ogy, 1960) has retired from necticut State (then) College aides. So my hat is off to him 2007 Geosciences Calendar teaching astronomy, geology, was starting an Environmental for what he did. and attached a photo of him and chemistry at Northampton Earth Science major in 1973 Later, when I returned as taken in 2004 by the Boston High School. He now sub- and was looking for a 3rd per- a grad student, I was part of Globe (see above). He was stitute teaches at Northamp- son for the department facul- an enthusiastic bunch of stu- maintaining a datasonde at a ton High until mid December ty—someone oriented toward dents (Gail Ashley, BS Ge- stream in New Hampshire as or January when he retreats geomorphology and glacial ology, 1963, MS Geology, part of a larger study of I-93 south—sometimes to Arizona aspects. ECSU is located in 1972; Tom Gustavson, BS road-salt impacts to aquatic and Texas, other times to Flori- Willimantic and there I was Geology, 1961, PhD Geology habitats and stream quality da. Hiking, biking and canoe- wrapping up my Ph.D. work on 1973; John Boothroyd, (this project is still ongoing). ing are still his favorites. the surficial geology of the Wil- MS Geology 1972; Kerry He has worked at the Envi- Page 10 UMass Amherst Alumni Notes con’t. ronmental Protection Agency and; to aid and encourage Service TEAMS Planning Enter- tal Science and Forestry, asso- (EPA) in Boston as a hydro- academic training in the geo- prise in the Green Mountains. ciated with Syracuse University. geologist since 1985 and has sciences. She is now part of a “floating” Jessica Bloom (MS Geol- been fortunate to have bosses response team which allows ogy, 2005) went to Tibet with who have allowed him to get Bruce Taterka (MS Geol- her to visit USFS project sites her Dad in April 2007. She’d involved in a great deal of ogy, 1987) writes, “I got the across the country. In Septem- love to keep in touch with fel- field work over the years. calendar today. It looks like ber she will relocate to South low alumns! there’s awesome worldwide Carolina to be closer to her fieldwork going on!” family. David Brand (MS Geogra- phy, 2002) has taken a teach- George Thomas (MS Rick Oches (MS Geology, ing position in environmental Geology, 1984) and Pat- 1990; PhD Geology 1994) is studies at Martha’s Vineyard ty Weisse’s (MS Geology a faculty member in the De- High school beginning in Sep- 1983) daughter Elizabeth partment of Geology at the tember, 2007. who toddled around Mor- University of South Florida. He rill when they were in grad just completed a sabbatical Matt Cleveland (BS Geol- school is now in a Master’s year at UMass working with Bill ogy, 2006) had a six-month program in the Geology McCoy and the Climate Cen- job with Schlumberger in New Department of SUNY ter. Rick said, “As an alum, it’s Mexico and has now begun Luke Trusel (‘06) sampling fresh glacial till Buffalo. She is working especially nice to see that the a new job with Groundwater on an iceberg, near Ny Alesund, Svalbard. with Jason Briner on program I was once a student Analytical in Boston. A major climate change. Mar- in has continued to strengthen aspect of the job is optical mi- 1980s shall, their oldest son is work- and build over the years.” croscopy!! He and his family ing for the National Institutes recently took a long trip to Ha- In September 2007, Peggy of Health in Baltimore. 2000s waii. He writes, “We had been Dillon (BA Geography, 1983) planning this trip for a many begins a one-year position as 1990s Jeffrey Blankenship (Ph.D. years and had to keep pushing an Assistant Professor of Jour- candidate) has been hired into it back due to summer school, nalism at Salem State Col- Rebecca L. (Buswell) a tenure track position as Assis- jobs, etc. Our trip consisted of lege in Salem, Massachusetts. Woolley (BS Geology, 1992) island hopping from Oahu to writes, “I am pleased to an- Maui and then the big island John D. Donnelly (BA Ge- nounce that I have accepted where we hiked out to the ac- ography, 1981) writes that he a position with the Massachu- tive lava flow on Kilauea’s rift “enjoyed the summer 2006 setts Department of Environ- zone. Kilauea’s crater was very Geosciences magazine. It’s mental Protection (MassDEP) interesting with steam vents all great to hear about my old as an Auditor in the Audits/ over the place but Haleakala’s professors Bradley, Hafner, Site Management Group in crater on Maui was by far Platt, and Wilkie.” the Western Regional Office more spectacular in its gran- located in Springfield, MA.” deur. My father and I were Michael Forlenza (MS Ge- also able to get up to the top ology, 1982) has been elected Tom Davidson (BA Geol- of Mauna Kea at sunset to see to the Board of Directors of the ogy/Psychology, 1994) was the Southern Cross and other Houston Geological Society officially hired as the Earth Sci- southern hemisphere constel- (HGS) for 2007 – 2009 (www. ence/Environmental Science lations from the vantage point hgs.org). The HGS is the teacher for Amherst Regional of the Keck Observatory. The world’s largest local geological High School. “Now I’m not trip was a lot of fun and very society and was established in teaching for someone else, this much like a pilgrimage for 1923. Michael will serve one time it’s all me! I’m the lone me.” year the editor elect and one Earth Science teacher now, year as the editor for the HGS there will be other teachers Doug Hardy, Ray Bradley & Selby Cull just got back from Bulletin. The objectives of the helping cover some sections. Carsten Braun on the summit of the the 7th International Mars society are: to stimulate inter- It will be up to me to carry the Quelccaya Ice Cap (~18,560ft): July Conference in Pasadena— est and promote advancement torch!” 2007, to service the high elevation it was an amazing 5 days of in the geosciences; to dissemi- meteorological station (behind). Mars—Joy! She’s working on nate and facilitate discussion Sue Howle, (M.S. Geogra- mapping the landing site for of geological information; to phy 1998) has changed her tant Professor of Landscape Ar- the Phoenix lander right now— enhance professional inter- status as an Environmental chitecture in the SUNY system it launched in August—and action among geoscientists, Coordinator with the US Forest at the College of Environmen- Continued on page 14 Department of Geosciences Page 11

In Memorium

Andrew Douglas Wise Gerald F. Williams

BS Geology, 1983 BS Geology, 1976; MS Geology, 1979 July 17, 1959 – July 18, 2006 January 13, 1947 – July 12, 2007

Andy was educated Mary Callahan Whittaker ’57, In the fifth grade Jerry wrote a paper for school in the public schools of and cousins Meg Whittaker in which he stated his wish to grow up to be a geologist Needham and the University Webster ’85 and Rebecca and live in Alaska. In fulfilling this goal, Jerry traveled of Massachusetts, majoring Mardula Zogby ’92. throughout the world as a geologist, working in Africa, in geology. He played In June of 2007, the Amazon, and Kuala Lampor. He moved to Alaska in the trumpet, was an avid Richard and Geraldine Wise the early 80’s and worked as Senior Program Manager skier and cyclist and was a established the Andrew D. for ENSR, an environmental consulting firm, for the past hydogeologist with Weston & Wise Memorial Endowment fifteen years. Sampson in Peabody, MA. In Fund. The purpose of the A lifelong collector, Jerry started with stamps, 1998, he traveled through the Fund is to provide support coins, and rocks as a boy. His love of Alaska was country for six months on a to students in the Geology apparent in his extensive collection of Alaskan motorcycle, visiting many of Program for expenses and for art, artifacts, and native crafts. Jerry was also an the National Parks and finally departmental programs or accomplished maker of bamboo fly fishing rods under settling in California where he items for which other sources the Midnight Sun label. He was an avid fan of New was employed by Gradlent of support are not available. England sports teams, especially the Red Sox and UMass Engineers, Inc. in San Diego. Alumni and friends are Jerry will be remembered by his family and Survivors include welcome to make a charitable friends for his kindness, gentle spirit, and enthusiasm his daughter Andrea Lee gift to this fund by making for his life and work. He is survived by his brother and DeLucia; parents Florence a check payable to UMass sister-in-law, Don and Jan Williams of Little Compton, C. Walsh and Richard A. Amherst, indicate in the RI, nephew Jonathan of New York City, several cousins, Wise as well as the following NOTE section of the check and many friends. UMass Amherst graduates: Andrew D. Wise Memorial step mother Geraldine Endowment and mail it to the Callahan Wise ’61, an aunt Geosciences Department.

Barry Sturtevant Timson

MS Geology, 1972 August 10, 1944 – April 15, 2007

Mr. Hallowell (Maine), launched his career with the Barry Sturtevant Timson, will Maine Geological Survey and live in spirit, forever. Barry settled in Hallowell. was a dedicated public The Kennebec Journal’s servant, a doctorate in obituary remembered his geology, a baker of muffins, commitment to rebuilding a performer of marriage Water Street in Hallowell, ceremonies, and a good Maine after the 1987 flood friend to many. Materially, a when others proposed man of modest means, but in destroying the damaged spirit, a billionaire. structures. “Barry held He earned his master’s steadfast, and stood thigh from the Geosciences deep in water, orchestrating Department at UMass operations as if he were Amherst in 1972 under the directing the Boston Pops.” guidance of Don Wise. He Barry Timson Page 12 UMass Amherst Alumni Spotlight Celine Suarez, BS Earth Systems, 2001

After leaving the UMass cide whether they were a good American companies for issues Amherst Geosciences Depart- candidate for a “green” invest- related to their impacts on the ment with my BS in Earth Sys- ment. While there for three environment, climate change, tem Science, I knew I wanted years, I applied my knowl- human rights, employee safe- to take some time to work edge of Earth Systems, which ty, supply chain standards, and before I decided on graduate was really an extension of the so on. We also engage in dia- school, so I did what most re- “systems thinking” I learned at logue, and at times sharehold- cent grads do and started hunt- UMass Amherst. I expanded er activism, on behalf of our ing for jobs where I could use that lens of analysis to how shareholders to try to encour- my knowledge of the Earth’s companies—and ultimately age companies to adopt best environment. I quickly real- society and governments— practices in these areas. Our ized that in early 2001, issues impact the environment and goal is to make investments such as anthropogenic climate create or detract from a more that contribute to a healthier, change were not widely ac- throw my hat into the ring for sustainable society. Somehow safer, and sustainable society. cepted by many people—let just about any job that relat- I accidentally found my niche! Over the years that I have alone the business world— ed into environmental issues. After my time at Winslow, I been in this business, I have as relevant to our lifetime. I landed the interview at moved to New York City and seen many corporations— I was willing to do any- the investment firm (at the time worked at a subsidiary of Citi- large, small, domestic, in- thing from geologic consulting having only the faintest idea of group for about 2 years doing ternational—adopt policies to building trails for the AMC what a mutual fund is), and was essentially the same thing at and establish initiatives to re- as long as I could make a liv- eventually offered a position as their “Social Awareness Invest- duce their impacts on climate ing. After several months of an “environmental analyst” at ment Program”. Last year, I change, improve their human searching, I stumbled upon an Winslow Management Com- switched jobs again, and am rights standards, enhance ad on a “green jobs” website pany. Winslow offers mutual now the Lead Analyst for North quality of life for their employ- seeking a candidate with an fund investments in companies American companies at Domi- ees, and lower the environ- environmental background to that have an environmental ni Social Investments—a small, mental footprint of their opera- work for a financial company benefit, or are not harmful to independent “socially respon- tions at a level I wouldn’t have in Boston. I wasn’t sure exactly the environment. They need- sible investment” company in imagined when I started out. why a financial company would ed someone to research the SoHo, Manhattan. At Domini, Of course, there is no want to hire someone like me, potential companies for their I am managing a team of 2 perfect company, and there is but after a few fruitless months funds, to understand their “en- other researchers and together a long way to go before we of job-hunting I was ready to vironmental profile”, and de- we research over 1000 North Continued on page 15

Mark C. Serreze, BS Geology 1982; MS Geology 1984

Mark Serreze received his variability. Dr. Serreze never environment was rapidly Arctic change, work which has BS and MS from the University left the University of Colorado, changing, characterized by attracted considerable media of Massachusetts, Amherst, in and has spent his career at the increases in surface air attention. 1982 and 1984, respectively. National Snow and Ice temperature, thawing In 2005, Serreze His MS work, directed by Data Center (NSIDC), of permafrost, and published an award winning Raymond S. Bradley, focused part of the Cooperative most notably, a textbook titled “The Arctic on the energy and mass Institute for Research shrinking sea ice Climate System”. Community balance of a small ice cap on in Environmental cover. Serreze’s service has included Northern Ellesmere island in Sciences (CIRES). research evolved contributions to the National the Canadian high Arctic. His early work to trying to Science Foundation, the After a brief stint at the focused on understand these National Oceanographic and Lamont Doherty Environmental variability coordinated Atmospheric Administration, Observatory, he entered in Arctic changes. In the World Climate Research the PhD program within the w e a t h e r 2000, he Programme, and the United Department of Geography at p a t t e r n s , authored a States Navy. At present, he is the University of Colorado, and aspects key paper a Senior Research Scientist at Boulder, graduating in 1989. of the synthesizing CIRES. He is also a fellow of His dissertation addressed Arctic’s hydrologic cycle. all of the evidence for these CIRES. In his spare time, he Arctic sea ice circulation and As years passed, it became changes. He has since enjoys golf, gardening, and its links with atmospheric increasing clear that the Arctic published extensively on playing the piano. Department of Geosciences Page 13

Alumni Spotlight to meet FEMA’s floodplain William Nechamen, BS Geography 1983 development requirements, in addition to flood mapping I’m responsible for working with work. We also work with over 1,470 local communities local communities after severe in New York State to maintain floods to help them determine their compliance with the which structures have been development requirements of damaged beyond the FEMA the National Flood Insurance threshold of 50% of value Program. My unit also works because they will need to with FEMA (Federal Emergency be elevated, demolished, or Management Agency) and with moved out of the floodplain. our in-house GIS unit to update New York has seen five flood maps throughout New “100-year” flood events in just York, combining state-wide the past three years, including ortho-imagery and detailed some locations that have LiDAR collected topography been hit two or three times. with traditional survey work As such, there is a growing and hydrological and hydraulic awareness about flooding. analyses to update flood We hope to take advantage maps so that they are GIS- of that awareness and help Bill Nechamen overlooking the Columbia River Gorge. compatible, county-wide maps. people to understand that After leaving Amherst the New York State Department I supervise a staff of floods are natural events, in 1983, I spent three years of Environmental Conservation seven in Albany and work that they cannot be stopped, working as a water resources (NYS DEC) where I remain with regional staff throughout but that with appropriate and water supply researcher today. I am currently chief of New York State to assist local floodplain management, we for the New York State Senate the floodplain management communities, engineering can learn to live with them. in Albany. From there, I went to section at NYS DEC. As such, firms, residents and developers, Continued on page 15

James Bradbury, PhD 2006 agenda through legislative or oversight It’s an eight hour drive Society and the University activities. from Amherst to Washington Corporation for Atmospheric As it turns out, D.C., but there are days when research. Congressman Inslee is it seems like the experience The AAAS fellowship very knowledgeable on of working as a graduate program provides an amazing many environmental student in the Climate System and unique opportunity for 35 and science related Research Center could not be outside experts to spend one issues, including climate further removed from life as a year working for Committees change. In fact, he is science and technology fellow or individual members of just finishing a book on on Capitol Hill. My fellowship Congress. Additionally, the subject of renewable started in September with an the AAAS network extends energy technology and the 2006 mid-term election orientation and crash course to the Executive Branch, he is well known as a national turned the reigns of power in science policy in the U.S. where another 120 fellows leader on progressive over to the Democrats, and government. Orientation was serve for up to two years in renewable energy and climate there is a remarkable wave immediately followed by a agencies ranging from the policy. One of my biggest of optimism that has brought three week long placement Environmental Protection projects during this past many forces in Washington process, which luckily led me Agency to the Department of year was to help Mr. Inslee in line with Mr. Inslee’s to the Office of Congressman Defense. Here on The Hill, update and reintroduce his progressive agenda. Jay Inslee, the Congressional I function as just another comprehensive signature bill, From where I sit, it seems Representative of the first legislative staff member: the New Apollo Energy Act of that three important factors district of Washington State. drafting legislation, briefing 2007 (H.R. 2809). have converged to make the The fellowship program the Congressman, meeting Originally, I was certain U.S. Congress join the rest is administered by the with constituents and that a few months on The Hill of the developed world in American Association for the lobbyists, tracking daily news would surely destroy the few recognizing the urgent threat Advancement of Science, but and Congressional activity remaining scraps of youthful of global warming. The first my sponsoring societies are in search of opportunities to idealism that I carried in my was the 2006 election, which the American Meteorological advance the Congressman’s bleeding liberal heart. But Continued on page 14 Page 14 UMass Amherst will get to work mission opera- Alumni Notes con’t. named a Fulbright Scholar by tions in Tucson when it lands and running, and having the carrying out the past 5 1/2 the Council for International next summer. She is beside “Zen” job of being a geologic years. The name of the game Exchange of Scholars CIES). herself with glee. She writes: mapper to boot! Life is good. for me right now is to get up CIES offers academics from not much else going on: work, I’m settling in for the long haul to speed as fast as possible the USA granting opportunities run, swing dance, work more. at the OSG, and am looking because of the prospect of go- in 150 countries and awards (While I was in Pasadena, I got forward to finishing up several ing to Antarctica in October.” approximately 160 research to swing dance with Bill Nye outstanding projects this year. He recently completed a web- grants annually. Roberson’s the Science Guy! He was awe- I’ve now been living in the based poster presentation that ten month “traditional” Ful- some!) Valley for 7 years, and after was a critical examination of bright research grant will sup- a (very) brief stint at the Sirius orbitally-induced Antarctic ice port his ongoing cross-cultural Chris Gaffney (MS Ge- community, am finally starting sheet variations at the Oligo- inquiry in Tangier, Morocco. ography, 2002) finished his to think about settling down cene/Miocene boundary. He Roberson recently launched Geography and buying looked at using cyclic strati- the project with a paper titled Ph.D. at a house in graphic sequences and oxygen “Visualizing Tangier” at the the Univer- the area in isotope data from cores in the Annual Tangier International sity of Texas the next 2-3 Victoria Land Basin of the Ross Conference, Dr. Khalid Amine, (2006). His years. I’m Sea as a proxy for predicting Director and again at a one dissertation still up to future climate change. day symposium at Abdelmalek (“Dynamic all my usu- Essaâdi University, Tetouan, Sites & Cul- al “extra- Mirela Newman (PhD Geo- Morocco. tural Sym- curricular” sciences, 2002) changed aca- bols: the sta- activities: demic positions. She is now Sheila Smith (BS Geology, diums of Rio I’ve caught Associate Professor of Geog- 2004) finished her M.S. de- de Janeiro the cycling raphy at Southern Connecticut gree at Texas Christian Univer- and Buenos PhD candidate Kenna Wilkie examines fever that State University in New Haven, sity. She officially graduated Aires”) won cores from Lake El’gygytgyn stored at tends to Connecticut. in June. She now has a job at the award the University of Cologne. be ever- an environmental firm and is for the top present in George Roberson (PhD checking her options for the dissertation in the Association the depart- Geosciences, 2006) has been future. for American Geographers ment, in addition to being swindled into joining a Morris (AAG) Latin American specialty James Bradbury, Cont. group, and Chris has a book dancing team (God help us contract with the University of all!). I already mentioned. The second is public awareness and Texas Press to publish. He is concern, which has grown steadily in recent years and then teaching adjunct geography Howie Koss (BS Geology, peaked with the Academy award for best documentary going courses in the Geography De- 2001) began a graduate pro- to Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.” The third factor, which partment at the University of gram at Columbia University. may surprise some of you, is lobbying pressure on Congress North Carolina while his wife He hit the ground running, and from a wide range of business and industry groups. Rather finishes her PhD. there in ge- it hasn’t slowed since the 17th than resisting and opposing this change, many businesses ography. of January, 2007 (the day he see regulation of carbon emissions as inevitable, and they left his job at the Port Author- would much rather play a role in developing a comprehensive James P. Kirwin (BS Geol- ity). “I’m a full-on grad stu- economy-wide policy than be forced into complying with a ogy, 2005) is still continuing dent now. I even have the title patchwork of regional and state-level regulations. As it turns with his Masters at San Fran- Adjunct Lecturer! I’m TA’ing a out, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in the Northeast cisco State University and in- 101 lab section as well as the and related policies in California have been very important terning at the California State 102 (Historical) lab at Queens drivers of Congressional consideration of climate policy. Water Board. College, taking an Ocean I feel very fortunate to have arrived in Washington D.C. Sedimentology and Stratig- when I did, just as this tide was turning. This has made Joe Kopera (MS Geol- raphy course at Columbia, my experience that much richer and has provided me with ogy, 2003) writes: I’ve been and all the while trying to get many opportunities to actively participate in the process of working for the Office of the in as much Antarctic reading committee hearings, legislative hearings and developing Massachusetts State Geologist as I can possibly squeeze in legislation that will, hopefully, ultimately lead to a much (OSG) for the past 4 years. during my bus and train rides more climate-friendly and sustainable energy policy in this It’s been a lot of fun (and a lot criss-crossing the boroughs. I country. As I’m sure you know, there is still a great deal of of work) helping Steve Ma- find it all very exciting, chal- work to be done. The latest good news for me is that Mr. bee (PhD Geology, 1992) get lenging and a very welcome Inslee has offered me a full time job in his office through the Massachusetts’ first geologic change from the sedentary end of 2008. So, I plan to continue working on Capitol Hill th survey in over 100+ years up professional life I had been at least through the end of the 110 Congress. Department of Geosciences Page 15

Hafner retirement, Cont. William Nechamen, Cont. River in Laos and northeast Thailand. In the early 1980s Much of our work involves communication and he received a Senior Fulbright award as a consultant to the outreach. In order to assist with that task, in 2000, Social Science Research Institute, Khon Kaen University for I helped to form a New York State Floodplain and training on rural development and social science research Stormwater Managers Association, and was its first chair. methodology. That experience led to his recruitment by the Today the group has over 270 members across New York Ford Foundation to organize an interdisciplinary, interagen- State. I’ve also worked very closely with the nation-wide cy research program to land use change, deforestation and Association of State Floodplain Managers, which helps human-forest interactions in northeast Thailand. In the late relate local and state concerns to national policy makers. 1980s he directed the first socioeconomic base-line assess- live in Schenectady, New York with my wife Cheryl and ment of Southeast Asian immigrant and refugee needs in two teenaged daughters, Jennifer and Sarah. Cheryl is a the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a key foundation molecular biologist with the state health department and in for subsequent state resettlement policies and programs. her spare time works on local energy and food production More recently he directed a study abroad program in the issues. In all of our limited spare time, we enjoy hiking Philippines for university and Five College undergraduate and cross country skiing in New York’s Adirondacks and students and then returned to Southeast Asia in 2001 as other beautiful nearby locations. While I have only fond director of a US Department of Education study program for memories of my UMass Amherst days, especially my time US K-12 educators in Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. at Morrill, I also love living in upstate New York. Since 2004 Jim has shifted the focus of his active research to the Philippines. Late in that year he agreed to provide technical support for a Conservation International/CEPF Celine Suarez, Cont. funded biodiversity assessment and archiving project in Mindanao, Philippines. Working with several UMGEO have anything close to a truly sustainable environmental and graduate students he has collaborated with the Philippine socio-economic landscape, but the incremental movements Eagle Foundation and the University of the Philippines I’ve seen over the nearly 7 years I’ve been at this are sub- Mindanao to create a GIS-based mapping and com- stantial. Certainly in the last couple years companies have puter modeling approach to define and evaluate the dis- really started to understand the business risks and opportu- tribution and threats to endangered habitats and species nities associated with their impacts on the environment and in Eastern Mindanao, a biodiversity hot spot in SE Asia. their stakeholders, and it’s becoming standard procedure He anticipates a continuing advisory role in that research to address them. I’ve learned a lot on the job, but now I while joining his esteemed colleagues as a ‘back-bencher’ am considering a part-time MBA program to increase my in the Geoscience Department. Many thanks to all for a knowledge of business/finance and continue to work driving rich and fulfilling career with many wonderful memories. companies toward environmental and social sustainability.

FREE as a gift when you contribute to the Department of Geosciences! Or purchase one for $15 from 413.545.2286 Page 16 UMass Amherst News from the State Geologist by Steve Mabee

The Office of the State Geologist has had a productive year. First and foremost, with help from Massachusetts State Representative Anne Gobi and Senator Stanley Rosenberg new legislation was passed on July 25, 2006 greatly expanding the mission and role of the Office. The new language will soon appear in MGL Ch.21A, Section 7B (Ch. 122, Section 14 of the Acts and Resolves of 2006). Right now we are actively working to acquire some state funding for the office. We now have line item in the new Environmental Bond Bill for the State Geologist Office, which probably will not be voted on until the summer of 2008 as part of the state’s supplemental budget. So please contact your state representatives and senators asking them to support the State Geologist’s line item in the Environmental Bond Bill. In addition, a five-year business plan was prepared for the University in June 2006 outlining the operation and goals of the office. A copy of the business plan can be viewed at ftp://eclogite. geo.umass.edu/pub/stategeologist/businessplan2006.pdf. The office now has its own disk space on the Department’s server and we are now serving up all our maps on the state geologists web page. Check it out at www.geo.umass.edu/ stategeologist. Other highlights include:

• A sixth straight year of STATEMAP funding to support continued bedrock geologic and fracture mapping in the Milford, Blackstone and Westford quadrangles. • Alex Manda, Ph.D. candidate, continues to investigate groundwater in bedrock in the Nashoba terrane. Alex is now in the modeling phase of his project and is linking outcrop-scale fracture measurements with the development of discrete fracture network models. • In summer 2007, we completed a season of field work in cooperation with the USGS to log existing bedrock wells in the Nashoba terrane with a standard Steve Mabee and graduate student from suite of geophysical tools. The purpose of the work is UNH bring aboard a box core with sediment to acquire in situ hydraulic data on the bedrock and sample from the –50 m glaciofluvial delta off link it to our fracture mapping. This project will support the mouth of the Merrimack River. Photo by one graduate student and is being funded by the Mark Leckie. Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MA DEP). Mark Leckie sampling sediment • The new water well completion report forms that I from the toe of the delta. reported on last year are now in service and being used Photo by Steve Mabee. by water well drillers. The electronic data entry system is now live. This new system will expedite the entry and retrieval of subsurface data as well as improve the quality of the data entered. However, it is not yet available to the general public. • Mark Leckie and post-doc Steve Nathan completed their project to examine sand and gravel resources off the north shore of Massachusetts as a source of beach nourishment. They examined the microfaunal distribution and diversity as a proxy of environmental health and a tool for evaluating post-dredging recovery. Results suggest that diversity is highly dependent on nutrients supplied by the Merrimack River. They are collaborating with Duncan Fitzgerald at Boston University.

If you are in the area visiting the department be sure to drop by the office. Steve Mabee and Rick Ponti plotting up fracture data at Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester summer 2006. Really tough duty? Photo by Dave Newton. Department of Geosciences Page 17

Congratulations to the 2007 and 2008 student award winners! Outstanding Senior Awards

Geology: 2007: Hosanna Lillydahl-Schroeder and Maryellen Loan 2008: Leah J. Carver, Loryn (Wren) Bruce and Michael W. Novick Geography: 2007: Julie Skala and Rebecca Margolin 2008: Katherine A. Eagan and Walter F. Ramsey Earth Systems: 2007: Jeffrey M. Salacup 2008: William J. Guerra L.R. Wilson Award for an Outstanding Undergraduate in Geology 2007: Joseph Collette Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards

Geology: 2007: Jeffrey Salacup 2008: Matthew P. Walsh and Kathryn J. Murdock Geography: 2007: Ted White Eric Helfrich receives UMass Alumni As- 2008: Janelle Cornwall sociation 2007 Senior Leadership Award. Memorial Awards

H.T.U. Smith Award 2007: Karen Van Wagner, Leah Carver and Jeff Salacup 2008: Daniel Arnost, Carrie Petrik, and Suzanna Sullivan Elinor Fierman Award 2007: Karen Van Wagner, Brandon Fleming, Steven Gaurin and Fariha Islam 2008: Weining Zhu and Chris Koteas Gloria Radke Award 2007: Celeste Asikainen, Beth Caissie, Kinuyo Kanamaru and Eileen McGowan. 2008: Sean Faulkner, Theresa Poruznick, Erin Dominov and Heather A. Clark Leo M. Hall Award 2007: Nicholas Balascio, Jia Chen, Laura Dair, Greg Dumond, Chris Koteas and Alex Manda. 2008: Joseph Collette, Don Sluter , Kinuyo Kanamaru, Cecily Sharko , Serena Dameron, Nicholas Balascio and Ted White Geography Alumni Award 2007: Alan Marcus 2008: Colleen Kelley

2008 Student Award Winners. L-R, front row: Don Sluter, Mike Vol- linger, Cecily Sharko, Erin Dominov. 2nd row: Suzanna Sullivan, Carrie Petrik, Wren Bruce, Kat Plourde, Sere- na Dameron, William Guerra. 3rd row: Leah Carver, Daniel Arnost, Kathryn Murdock, Chris Koteas, Heather Clark, Colleen Kelley. 4th row: Matt Walsh, Sean Faulkner. Missing: Michael Novick, Katherine Eagan, Walter Ramsey, Janelle Corn- Continued on page 17 wall, Weining Zhu, Theresa Poruznik, Joeseph Collette, Kinuyo Kanamaru, Nicholas Balascio, and Ted White. Page 18 UMass Amherst Ralph W. Abele Thank You to our Donors! Eugene S. Schweig Daniel J. Acquaviva Francis V. Donovan Stephen R. Jacobs Thomas P. Navin Lisa & Eugene Schweig Anne E. Adams J. Michael Durkin Peter R. Jacobson William S. Nechamen Franklin S. Shear Julie A. Ahern John J. Dwyer Ronald Joki John Richard Nelson Michael F. Shepard M. Lee Allison James C. Eacmen Barbara Joki Karen H.P. Nelson Steven B. Shirey David D. Ashenden Richard H. Efthim William M. Kelly Joseph N. Nichols Jay N. Silverman Deborah L. Baillieul Audrey L. Eldridge Paul W. Kendra Harold D. Nilsson Kathleen M. Sioui Thomas A. Baillieul Susan C. England Robin Kenny Kathleen M. Nolan Richard & Ellen Skryness George Baldwin Diane M.A. Eskenasy Scott W. Keyes Tracy Norman Donald Sluter Jill R. Baldwin William J. Fabbri William Kiendzior Catherine Graves Norman William R. Smith Peter S. Barrows Oswald Farquhar Melissa A. King Keith M. O’Brien Susan C. Soloyanis Paul W. Bauer Janet E. Fishstein James P. Kirwin Eric A. Oches Mary E. Sparrow Sonja L. Benson Christopher T. Flynn Peter B. Klejna Suzan E. O’Leary George E. Springston Wendy L. Bestor Michael F. Forlenza Allan Kolker Paul W. Ollila Kevin J. St. Martin Mark E. Blackey Howard J. Frank Richard L. Kroll Sharon B. O’Loughlin John F. Steeves Jessica E. Bloom Agnes T. Fung Robert B. Kudera Robert W. Otto Lynne E. Stopen Belden Bly Andrew D. Gale John H. Kudukey Brent E. Owens David M. Straus Micaela A. Brady Thomas P. Gallagher Carl P. Kunces William C. Page Susan Straus Susan M. Brandon Gregg M. Garfin Joan D. Kunselman Michael L. Page Kenneth J. Stuart Timothy M. Brooks Joseph C. Gazillo Dale M. Labonte David C. Palmer Frank P. Sweeney Jonathan H. Brooks Peter A. Giger Gilbert F. Lafreniere Peter T. Panish Frank R. Sweet Walter F. Brown John R. Gilbert Philip A. Lamothe John R. Pappalardo Eileen G. Swicker Kim Bishop Bruton Anne M. Gillooly F. D. Larsen Roderic A. Parnell Lawrence H. Tanner Rebecca M. Budaj Mark A. Goldstein Arthur J. Latham Mark H. Parrott James N. Taylor Jonathan M. Bull Matthew P. Golombek Susan L. Leary Amy M. Patrick Selwyn H. Taylor Joan E. Butler Mary Ellen Goodrow Daniel N. Leavell Virginia L. Patterson James L. Therrien Richard K. Callahan Donald J. Goodwin Anthony D. Leavitt Sheila G. Pelczarski George Thomas & Rev. Diane G. Callahan Trust Lois W. Grady Marcy Dobkin Lelacheur Raymond Pestrong Patty Weisse Kerry J. Campbell Lois T. W. Grady Trust Paul A. LeMay Kurt M. Piemonte Barbara J. Thompson David G. Caputo Lawrence C. Gray Gary A. Lesslie Edward A. Pinto David J. Thompson Richard D. Carey Jeffrey S. Greenwood Henry M. Leuchtman Scott J. Plotkin Peter J. Thompson Joanne Beverly Carr Benjamin P. Gregson Mark H. Levitan Keith S. Pomeroy James L. Tolpin Richard L. Carroll Roger O. Grette Timothy N. Lincoln Donald B. Potter Albert M. Tonn Margaret W. Carruthers Alexander Grkovich Roger H. Lincoln Laura J. Powers Cenap & Binnur Undemir Vivian C. Carter Ljilsdna Grkovich Orville B. Lloyd Neal M. Price Robert Venti Steven D. Charron Charles G. Groat Alison A. Lochhead Paul A. Principe Nicholas L. Venti Jonas H. Chaves Lyn M. Gualtieri Eugene D. Lussier John C. Putala Edward G. Vitagliano Sherman M. Clebnik Spence H. Gustav Stephen B. Mabee Peter G. Quick Sarah K. Walen Barbara T. Clement Paul R. Hague Martha E. Mackie Stephen P. Quigley Maria N. Waller George Dewey Cody James Creevey Hall Lynn Margulis William A. Ranson Kenneth L. Walter F. Paul Coleman Wayne G. Hall James E. Massidda Antoinette Josephine Reale The Walter Group Laura Truettner Coles Susan D. Halsey Robert M. Mcclure Kelsie P. Reed Filippelli Lee R. Warren William S. Collins Richard P. Hamilton Kathleen M. Mcgraw Richard F. Renes Barbara L. Webb Adrienne E. Cormier Diane Flint Hardy James D. Mciver Michael J. Retelle Susan H. Weddle Joseph A. Corso William H. Hart Don W. Medara Walter S. Rewinski Tarin Harrar Weiss Donald W. Curran Douglas L. Heath Erwin A. Melis S. Grant Richards Paul M. Wernau Gilbert M. Davis Brian Hebert Edward P. Merguerian Paul D. Richards Scott B. Whitney Lawrence L. Davis Jennifer Eve Hertzberg Paul E. Meriney Christopher E. Riddle Mary C. Whittaker Peter B. Davis Jason F. Hicks Jennifer A. Meshna Emily E. Riddle Rebecca E. Widing Robert E. Day-Lewis Doris V. Hills Gregory A. Mischel David J. Ritchay Peter R. Wieczorowski Thomas M. Dedecko Kurt C. Hinaman Linda J. Moore Timothy B. Robbins Richard W. Wiener William F. Delorraine Carl H. Hobbs John C. Moores Brian E. Rogan William M. Wilcox Douglas & Valerie DeNatale Garrett G. Hollands Douglas L. Morgan Frederick S. Rogers Larry D. Williams Scott E. Deutsch Neil Holzman Van L. Morrill Elizabeth Rosenberg Amy I. Winkler Bruce H. Dewyk Ray L. Howes Frederic R. Morrison Judith Rudzinski Donald U. Wise Katherine C. Dietz Susan A. Howle Robert C. Morse Heather Lynn Ruel Richard A. Wise Margaret M. Dillon Michael J. Hozik John A. Moser Mark J. Rypysc Wjf Geoconsultants, Inc. Mary-Frances Doiron Joseph Hudzikiewicz Scott M. Muir Vincent A. Ryszewski Beverly A. Woods Maura Ellen Dolan John F. Hubert Patricia S. Mullan Walter E. Sands Barton J. Wright Craig D. Dominick Jon D. Inners Sean D. Musselman Charles T. Schmidt Bruce S. Yare John D. Donnelly Virginia A. Irvine Janet Muzzy Maxine G. Schmidt Alan E. Zavalick We apologize if we have omitted anyone from this list. We are actively updating our records and will include new names in the next newsletter. Department of Geosciences Page 19

Graduate Support – The Critical Challenge Perhaps the greatest challenge for the future of the Department and broad graduate program into the future. This is one of our is maintaining support for graduate students. The Department main development goals. Making a contribution to a graduate currently has 12 University- and Department- supported TA research or teaching endowment can enable a student to attend positions. We currently have many more applications to the graduate school, and provide an opportunity to become a graduate program than we can support, and many students end career geologist or to use geology to build a better career in up choosing another program because we can’t offer support any field. Please consider helping us to endow future graduate or can’t compete with other programs. We feel that developing positions. And please feel free to let us know if you have ideas endowed graduate support is essential for maintaining a strong for developing enduring graduate student support.

The Charles Pitrat Memorial Endowment Fund After reading Mark Leckie’s touching memorial to Charlie an endowment fund in Charlie’s name that would permanently Pitrat in the last newsletter, I began to think about how we fund a full TA position. As this newsletter is going to press, the could honor his memory. One of the best ways that we as Charles Pitrat Memorial Endowment Fund is being started. I friends and alumni can continue to assist the department that would like to challenge all friends and alumni, especially those helped us so much is financially. The department has several who have been touched in a meaningful way by Charlie, to great funds that assist graduate and undergraduate students consider contributing to this fund. An even greater challenge I with research and other expenses, but after chatting with Mike would like to make to all is to consider making a bequest to this Williams what seems to be lacking is funding to support gradu- fund in your estate planning process. I can’t think of a better ate teaching assistants. We came up with the idea to establish way to honor Charlie. Proposed by John Nelson, 1982 The Randolph and Cecile Bromery Fund The Randolph and Cecile Bromery Fund is currently growing supported field excursions, and it has brought guest speakers and will soon be our first endowed Geosciences student support to the Department. We sincerely thank Bill and Cecile Bromery fund. This fund is intended to support students, especially stu- for their generosity. Additional contributions will shorten the time dents from diverse backgrounds, and it is also intended to sup- until proceeds form this fund can support a graduate fellowship port and enhance student field research. The fund has already and thus be used to attract new graduate students and increase helped to support several graduate students; it has partially the diversity of our program. Memorial Funds Support Student Research The Department of Geosciences has five relatively modest Alumni Memorial Funds. The proceeds go directly to students, most commonly helping to support field expenses, attendance at field camp, or other costs associated with student research. Many alumni, at one time or another, have received some support from these funds, and many claim that the funds were critical in allowing them to complete their thesis or senior research. Please consider contributing to one of the memorial funds or pos- sibly make a general contribution in support of student research, visiting lectures, or field excursions.

Elinor Fierman Memorial Fund--Established in 1983 by a first year here, she was killed by a drunk driver on the S-curve gift from Jack Fitzpatrick (B.Sc., ‘76; M.Sc., ‘78). Elinor Fier- by Atkins Farm Stand in South Amherst. This award is given man graduated in the class of ’76 and went on to Duke Uni- to graduate students in support of field research. versity. In the spring of 1977, she was killed by a car while studying roadside geology. This award in her name is given H.T.U. Smith Memorial Fund--H.T.U. Smith was Head of the to a student researcher (undergraduate or graduate) with a Department from 1956-1969. This award in his name is preference given to laboratory studies. given to support field work with preference to undergraduate students (including enrollment in a field course). Geography Alumni Award Fund--Established in 1995 from gifts given by Geography alumni, the award is given either to Leo M. Hall Memorial Fund--Leo Hall was Professor of Ge- support Geography graduate student research or to any stu- ology in this Department from 1967 until his death on De- dent in the Geography program for other worthy purposes. cember 26, 1985. Among many other qualities, Leo was noted for his devotion to field study and to the teaching of Gloria Radke Memorial Fund--Established in 1984 from field methods. This award in his name is given to graduate gifts given by family and friends of Gloria Radke, a graduate students in support of field research. student interested in Pleistocene geology. At the end of her Please use the attached envelope or www.geo.umass.edu to contribute on-line. If you are considering a larger gift, please contact Mike Williams ([email protected]). Alumni support can make a critical difference for students in the Department of Geosciences. Department of Geosciences NONPROFIT ORG. University of Massachusetts Amherst U.S. Postage 233 Morrill Science Center PAID 611 North Pleasant Street Permit No. 2 Amherst, MA 01003-9297 AMHERST, MA

Department Highlights • In addition to defending his Ph.D. in January, Alan Marcus has received two major awards this year, the Terry Jordan- Bychkov Award for the 2008 Cultural Geography Specialty Group Best Ph.D. Paper, and the Best Ph.D. Paper in Ethnic Geography from the Association of American Geographers.

• Raymond S. Bradley, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Geosciences and director of the Climate System Research Center, has been elected an External (Foreign) Member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. Ray Bradley, Mattias Vuille, and Doug Hardy were among the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change mem- bers who were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Al Gore in 2007.

• Ph.D. student Gregory Dumond was awarded a prestigious National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship. He will work at MIT on new techniques for high-precision geochronology.

• Recent Ph.D. student Scott Marshall (PhD 2008; advisor: Michele Cooke) will be a new faculty member at Appala- chian State University this fall.

• Kathleen Plourde’s poster presented at the AGU 2007 Meeting entitled “Evaluation of the Effects of Cementation on Specific Storage of Granular Porous Media Using Discrete Element Models” was awarded an Outstanding Student Paper award. This award is given to student authors judged to be the top 1% of student presentations at the meeting.

• Julie Brigham-Grette was one of a team of five scientists and Arctic residents who told personal stories of life and research in Polar Regions at POLAR-PALOOZA (PPZA), a public education and outreach project supported by the National Science Foundation and NASA to bring information and insights about the Poles to large public audiences across America through a national science center and museum tour called Stories from a Changing Planet.

• Carrie Petrik was one of five students awarded an Angelo Tagliacozzo Memorial Geological Scholarship.

Keep Us In The Field Field experiences enrich every part of our undergraduate and graduate education. The key is having department vans available so classes can head out into the field during afternoons and weekends. We continue to seek funding for new vans through all possible means. As in the past, alumni gifts greatly strengthen our position. Thanks to alumni donations and a match form our Dean, we will add a new 12-passenger van this summer. Now, it is time to replace another of the aging vans: Van 340 (George) is over 15 years old. Your contribution will help us keep our field component as strong as ever.

Please contact the Department of Geosciences if you have any questions or comments about this newsletter. We plan to publish this on a regular basis, so please let us know if you have suggestions for improvement. We would love to hear from you, please send news updates to: [email protected]. (413) 545-2286 fax: (413) 545-1200 www.geo.umass.edu