Alumni Newsletter • 2013-14 The Outcrop The IDOR (Idaho-Oregon transect) EarthScope Project Basil Tikoff page 14 Department of Geoscience • University of Wisconsin-Madison From the Chair Dear Alumni and Friends– has been the hallmark of We’ve had a beautiful Fall in Madison, and it’s time for another our program. We couldn’t issue of the Outcrop. Students, faculty, and researchers from do that without the Field our department have ranged far and wide (and deep into the Experience Funds and laboratory) in pursuit of their studies this year. Their stories are in other support donated these pages, along with kudos and honors, historical vignettes, and by you, our alumni and new developments. I predict you’ll want to read it cover to cover! friends. The endowment I have just taken up the role of Department Chair as of the provided by that fund in Fall semester, taking over from Brad Singer who is enjoying a particular now supports field trips to the tune of more than $40,000 well-earned sabbatical after three eventful years ably steering the a year! I want to express our deepest thanks to you all, because ship. He’s hardly resting though – Brad is immersed in launching we literally could not maintain the quality and rigor of our major a major new research project at the Laguna del Maule caldera in without those funds. Chile. Involving nearly a third of the department’s faculty members To build on that success, we are now focused on two areas to and a large cast of students and research staff, this $3 million maintain the quality of our program in the face of seemingly ever- project is the NSF’s very first grant in the Integrated Earth Systems declining state funding. For graduate students, the number of TA program. slots available to us is not what it used to be, and the competition The most exciting new development is the hiring of two new to get the best prospective Master’s and Ph.D. students is fierce. Assistant Professors: Shaun Marcott and Lucas Zoet (see profiles on Direct stipend support for more graduate students will allow them page 20). Shaun joined us in August; his focus is on glacial geology, to pursue their research goals more effectively and will help us the history of Pleistocene glaciation, and paleoclimatology. Lucas continue to attract the best students. Accordingly, I encourage specializes in glacier and ice sheet mechanics and dynamics. He will you to consider giving to the Jay Nania Memorial Fund to support join us next summer after completing postdoctoral work. We have graduate study (see BOV letter, page 2, and “Clark’s section”, page a long history of excellence in Quaternary and glacial science, and I 27). For the undergrads, my focus is on the challenge of keeping am very pleased that we have a bright future in that area as well. the Summer Field Camp course healthy and affordable. It is For me, stepping into the Chair’s role has been bracing, expensive to run, and we must charge students a fee, in addition coming directly on the heels of a busy and productive sabbatical to the summer tuition they pay the university. Your support of year. I spent the first half of the sabbatical preparing for, and then the Field Camp fund will go directly toward providing offsetting going, an expedition as co-Chief Scientist on board the Japanese scholarships to ease that burden for our students. research vessel Chikyu for seven weeks offshore Japan. After a brief The role of department Chair comes with a lot of extra work – stopover in Madison during the depths of the Polar Vortex winter, I the extent of which I’m just beginning to discover. The upside is escaped again to Zürich, Switzerland for a six-month stay as Visiting getting the chance to lead and represent our incredibly energetic Professor at ETH. There, I enjoyed stimulating collaborations students, staff, and faculty. I hope you will enjoy every page of and immersed myself in spectacular Alpine geology at every this issue of the Outcrop, which is full of news, a little history, and opportunity. exciting new science. I think it will show once again that Badgers On my return, I found Weeks Hall buzzing with activity. The really do make better geoscientists! number of undergraduate majors continues to grow (numbering Sincerely, about 140 as I write this!), and our core courses are bursting at the seams. It’s a real challenge to manage this growth, and to continue to offer the hands-on and field-intensive curriculum that Harold Tobin http://geoscience.wisc.edu 2013-14 The Outcrop 1 The Board of Visitors Doug Connell, 2014-2015 BOV Board Chair [email protected] Geobadgers—On behalf of your Board of Visi- tors, thank you for your outstanding support for the Department over the past year. Your contri- butions and assistance to the Department make a real difference in the experience and education of the next generation of geoscientists, and are critical to maintaining the reputation and stature the Department has developed over the decades. The Board of Visitors is excited about the The Board of Visitors Meeting, October 3, 2014: Left to right seated: Mark Solien, Doug Connell, BOV College of Letters and Sciences “Career Initia- Chair, Harold Tobin, Department Chair, Jim Davis. Standing: Tom Johnson, Tim Berge, Martin Shields, tive” (htpp://go.wisc.edu/lsci), a program to help Steve Johannsen, Evan Franseen, Carol McCartney, and Jamie Robertson. Photo, Mary Diman. L&S students find avenues to explore career needs and ensure that their education equips Museum, including being named one of the best tives to the Department, and hope you’ll let us them for life-long learning and career resilience. museums in Madison by Madison Magazine. Un- know your suggestions, opinions, and comments The effort resonates strongly with the BOV’s der Rich Slaughter’s leadership, the Museum on how we can continue supporting its mission efforts to support and mentor students and continues to develop innovative programming, and reputation. On behalf of my BOV colleagues, assist them in exploring and pursuing geosci- conduct paleontological field work, train future thank you for your support of the Department of ence careers. As an example, we partnered this professionals, and generally punch well above Geoscience. l their weight. Now going on their 166th year, it’s fall with the College of Engineering’s Geological Board Members / Contact Engineering Program’s Board of Visitors to hold a great place to inspire future geoscientists. Doug Connell, Chair [email protected] a career panel discussion where students could Our fund-raising emphasis over the last year Tim Berge [email protected] pose questions to professionals who have pur- have focused on graduate student support, and Donald Cameron [email protected] sued various careers in geoscience and geologi- we’re gratified for the support many of you have Kirt Campion [email protected] cal engineering. We hope to further assist the provided to begin building the endowment for Tom Doe [email protected] College in its efforts, and ask that you stay on the Jay Nania graduate support fund; donations Steven Driese [email protected] the lookout for more communications on how and pledges to the fund have exceeded its initial Evan Franseen [email protected] you can participate in the initiative. $200,000 goal, and the first award from the fund Thomas Hoffmann [email protected] Steve Johannsen [email protected] Other ways we’ve assisted the department was distributed last spring. Your financial sup- port for the Department remains exceedingly Claudia Mora [email protected] include continued support for replacing faculty Jeff Pietras [email protected] important given continued decreases in state who have retired or left the Department, and Rick Sarg [email protected] we’re grateful to see the Department be autho- funding for the University’s teaching mission, Martin Shields [email protected] rized to bring on Shaun Marcott (this fall) and and you can find a list of UW Foundation and Sally Zinke [email protected] Department Funds on the last page. Our contact Lukas Zoet in 2015 (see New Faculty, page 20). Senior Advisors / Contact at the U.W. Foundation, Chris Glueck (chris. Getting administration approval for new faculty Rick Sarg [email protected] is no small feat and speaks to the excellent re- [email protected], 608-265-9952) can also Charles Andrews [email protected] search and teaching conducted in Weeks Hall. assist you in exploring various approaches to Timothy Carr [email protected] We’re proud of the recognition the Depart- support the Department. Kenneth Ciriacks [email protected] ment’s faculty members and staff receive, includ- We want to express our thanks to Brad James Davis [email protected] ing emeritus professor Robert Dott’s selection Singer, who in his role as Department Chair was David Divine [email protected] by GSA’s History and Philosophy of Geology one of our main contacts in the Department, Mark Emerson [email protected] Division to be the recipient of its 2014 Gerald and wish him the best of luck as he shifts his Maitri Erwin [email protected] Carl Fricke [email protected] M. and Sue T. Friedman Distinguished Service focus back towards teaching and research. We Thomas Holley [email protected] Award. look forward to working with Harold Tobin as he takes on the job, which is not without its Thomas Johnson [email protected] We also want to recognize one of our own, John Mack no email challenges these days.