News / Events 2012
May
May 8: PEPP Workshop hosted students from 2 area high schools
For the past 12 years, the Indiana University Department of Geological Sciences has led a high-visibility science outreach program called the PEPP Earthquake Science Program. The PEPP program brings research-quality seismic instruments to schools around the state and country. IU has been working with a group of about 20 middle and high schools in Indiana and surrounding states to operate an educational seismograph network, which records everything from local earthquakes and quarry blasting to distant earthquakes from around the globe. Some additional details on the PEPP program are available at www.indiana.edu/~pepp.
On May 8, we hosted a group of ~30 high school teachers and students from three area high schools for a "PEPP Student Research Symposium", an annual event that allows students to present their own research work, to share their research with peers, and to do a little hands-on training on state-of-the-art seismic data analysis with IU faculty and grad students. The all-day event included presentations by IU Professor Michael Hamburger, Indiana Geological Survey Outreach Coordinator (and IU grad student) Walt Gray, and seismic station tours and seismic exercises led by IU grad students Greg Nelson and Kim Shoemaker. Students from Floyd Central High School in New Albany wowed the audience with two excellent presentations.
- The First Prize award went to Michael Bolton, Pete Lamm, Chase Dyer, and Pearce Decker (Floyd Central HS, New Albany), for their presentation, "Pressure Effects on Tornado Seismic Signals."
- Second Prize award went to Jessica Sherek, Zak Wright, Abner Miralda (Floyd Central HS, New Albany), for their presentation "Fracking Correlation to Local Earthquakes."
The group also included a teleconference connection with Penn High School students from Mishawaka. All told, it was a great way to "share the wealth" of seismology research with teachers and students from across the state.
May 1: OIINK seismic experiment website launched
OIINK = Ozarks, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky seismic experiment. "Unraveling the secrets of North America's continental interior." Dr. Michael Hamburger and Dr. Gary Pavlis, project directors.
The OIINK experiment is the product of a collaborative research effort between Indiana University, Purdue University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the Indiana and Illinois state geological surveys. The project seeks to apply state–of–the–art seismic monitoring and data analysis techniques to understand the deep geological structure and seismic activity in North America's continental interior. The project will help us to better understand the basic geological processes that were involved in the assembly and evolution of our continent, as well as the processes that are continually modifying its structure. Ultimately, the research will help us better understand– and better prepare for– the hazards associated with future earthquakes in our region. The project is part of a national scientific initiative, dubbed "EarthScope", which includes the deployment of "USArray", the largest seismic network in the nation's history.
April
April 25: Dr. Laura Wasylenki opens Sesame Lab
SESAME = Systematic Experimental Study and Analysis of Metals in the Environment.
The members of SesameLab are biogeochemists investigating the chemistry of metals (mostly in dissolved form) in the earth's lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. We are interested in understanding what reactions, both biological and abiotic, govern the distribution and activity of metals on earth in the present, in the past, and in the near future.
Metals can be critical nutrients, toxic contaminants, valuable resources, or useful tracers of ancient biological activity and environmental conditions, and we're interested in advancing fundamental understanding of how metals play these various roles on our planet. In particular many of the questions we are currently addressing involve ancient history of metal cycling in the earth's oceans or environmental mobility of toxic metals in modern settings.
April 6: "Cutting Through Ancient Evidence of Human Tool Use"
GeoSci Researcher Jackson Njau's article, published April 6, 2012 in Science, titled "Reading Pliocene Bones," prompted an interview by Chris Gorski with Inside Science News.
Quoting Mr. Gorski: "The earliest evidence of human tool use may be written on the bones of other animals, but in order to produce reliable conclusions, researchers are calling for improved tools and analysis, including an easy-to-access large collection of sample specimens and more unified standards. Archaeologists and anthropologists look beyond the fossils of ancient human relatives to interpret the presence of our ancestors, including the items associated with day-to-day life, from discarded tools to the ashes from fire pits. The marks made by crude stone cutting tools on the bones of animals that early humans ate are another piece of evidence."
April 6
From the IU News Room: "IU Bloomington researcher: Analytical standards needed for 'reading' Pliocene bones"
Quoting the news release, "BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Researchers studying human origins should develop standards for determining whether markings on fossil bones were made by stone tools or by biting animals, Indiana University faculty member Jackson Njau writes in an article this week in the journal Science.
Njau, a co-director of field research at paleontological sites in eastern Africa's Olduvai Gorge, notes that the lack of agreement on interpreting such marks is leading to great uncertainty over when early hominids began using tools to kill and butcher animals -- a fundamental step in human evolution. "
April 2-23: Indiana University 2012 Spring Energy Challenge
Once again, the Department of Geological Sciences and the Indiana Geological Survey are participating in the 2012 IU Spring Energy Challenge. This is a 3-week challenge, beginning Monday April 2 and ending April 23, to reduce energy and water consumption in our building. We are in the Academic Buildings Division. This year, we are determined to take the trophy back from those SPEONs (who stole it from us last year)! By the way, this is REAL MONEY. IU annually spends over $20 million in utility bills, and every dollar saved is one that can be used for some other good academic purpose (like Cody Zeller's scholarship!). Past energy challenges have saved the University in excess of $20,000.
How Does It Work?
In essence, we are competing against our own past record. A baseline has been established for our building based on the 2-week period prior to the start of the challenge. The goal is to have the highest, combined percentage reduction of electricity and water. Readings will be taken once a week, tallied, and posted on the IU Energy Challenge website: http://energychallenge.indiana.edu/Home.html
What Can You Do?
We are asking you to show your commitment to greening our workplace by following the suggestions below. We ask you to choose which ones are most attainable for you- we do not expect everyone to be a purist. Everyone's effort, small or large, will make a difference. Encourage your co-workers and give them gentle reminders when you see them engaging in unsustainable activities.
Suggestions
We have been told that the way to 'win' is to turn off the lights! So:
- We are open for business, but we don't need every light on in the building
- Hallway lighting can be reduced to every other light
- Don't turn on office/lab lighting unless entering the room for a span of time
- The sun is a great source of light – use it if possible
- Turn off your lights when leaving any room for longer than 5 minutes
- Disable your screen saver
- Put your computer on standby, turn off your monitor and peripherals when you leave the office
- Unplug your appliances (space heater, coffee pot, microwave, mini-fridge, chargers) – appliances use energy even when sitting idle
- Fire the elevator! Take a walk up, get some exercise, make some new friends in the stairwell.
We will be posting signs around the building to inform visitor to the building of the challenge and our goals. We will have additional signs for staff, as well as emails, to serve as friendly reminders and to provide some facts, tips, and tricks for greener living.
If you have any questions about the Energy Challenge or general green activities, please feel free to contact me, Michael Hamburger (hamburg@indiana.edu, G415) for the Department, or Marni Karaffa (karaffam@indiana.edu, S-325) for the Survey.
The Energy Challenge has been highly publicized across campus and throughout the Bloomington Community. This gives us a chance to show the community what we are capable of as an organization and that we are invested in sustaining our environment for the future. Moreover, this challenge can help us refine the habits that we developed through past practices.
March
March 30-31: Crossroads Geology Conference
The Crossroads Annual Geology Conference March 30th and 31st, sponsored by ConocoPhillips, Chevron, and IUSA. For those of you unfamiliar with Crossroads, it is a regional conference hosted by SGE and AAPG to give graduate and undergraduate students an opportunity to present their research. There will be representatives from various companies to meet with students and act as judges for presentations. Cash prizes will be awarded for the best poster and oral presentations. Schedule of events.
Retired faculty still pursuing research activities
Emeriti professors Enrique Merino (Geosci) and David Dilcher (Biology/GeoSci) have both applied for Retired Faculty Grants-in-Aid of Research from the IU Office of the Vice Provost for Research.
David Dilcher, a member of the National Academy, studies the anatomy and morphology of fossil plants, specifically ancient flowers, so he has strong research ties to both geologists and biologists.
Enrique Merino's Cuban project is aligned with his long-term interest in the uneven weathering of limestone bedrock that creates a landscape punctuated by sinkholes, caves, and pinnacles. This project was awarded $2,000 from the Retired Faculty Grant-in-Aid of Research to provide assistance for his project, "Field trip to, and genesis of, the tower karst landscape at Vinales, Cuba".
IU scientists detect seismic signals produced by tornado activity
Quoting the IU News Room: "An Indiana University geophysical experiment detected unusual seismic signals associated with tornadoes that struck regions across the Midwest last week -- information that may have value for meteorologists studying the atmospheric activity that precedes tornado disasters. " more
February
Geology Faculty Chen Zhu and Claudia Johnson co-author a course about geologic time.
Quoting the IU News Room: Their article, "Looking Back to Move Ahead: How Students Learn Geologic Time by Predicting Future Environmental Impacts," was published in the current issue of the Journal of College Science Teaching. link to the article
USGS Director visits IU
Quoting the Indiana Daily Student: "As a kickoff to the 175th birthday of IU's Geological Survey, U.S. Geological Survey Director Marcia McNutt was invited to campus to give a lecture titled "Earthquakes Near and Far: A Study in Community Resiliency," which took place Monday afternoon in the IU Fine Arts Auditorium. The event was organized by the Department of Geological Sciences and IU Geology Professor Michael Hamburger." more
USGS Director Empnasizes Earthquake Preparedness at IU
Quoting WTIU News: "The nation's top geologist told an audience that Hoosier's should be prepared for an earth and for a growing transition to renewable energy. Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, Marcia McNutt says cities can best prepare for earthquakes by enforcing smart building standards." here and on YouTube here
January
Announcement of G420 Field Trip to Newfoundland
Trip departs ~May 17th, returns ~June 3rd.
IU Geology will join a 5-day, regional geology/tectonics field excursion across Newfoundland associated with the Geological Assoc. Canada/Miner. Assoc. Canada (GAC/MAC) conference in St. Johns, Newfoundland led by Cees van Staal.
Seminars meeting at 1:30 p.m. on Fridays beginning March 2nd will prepare participants for this transect across Laurentian rocks, and rocks that provide evidence for the Taconic, Salinic, and Acadian orogenies. Each student will be responsible for writing a part of our field trip guide and for preparing an oral presentation for the seminar. Credit can be given for Spring semester G420, or 6-weeks summer term, both 3 credits.
Grades will be based on class/field participation, oral and written guidebook contributions, and in-field exercises. Trip is limited to no more than 12 students, so make your interest known to Bob Wintsch as soon as possible. We will also participate in GAC/MAC conference May 27-29; IU participants are encouraged to submit an abstract. See; http://www.gac.ca/wp/?page_id=992.
Prerequisites: Required: G222, Petrology. Highly Recommended, G323. Structural Geology. Expenses: participants will provide all of their own food, and should expect to contribute $200 to the cost of room and transportation.
Contact Bob Wintsch for details and authorization to register.
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