Department of Geosciences at UMass Amherst

An Indigenous-led and majority Indigenous consortium of communities and researchers just launched the NSF-funded Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science. The effort involved the hard work of many folks across departments and institutions, and EGCS is proud to be a member, with Dr. Jonathon Woodruff serving as one of the principal investigators, and Dr.'s Julie Brigham-Grette and Rob DeConto serving as participating scholars

Dr. Sarah McKnight, along Dr. David Boutt, Dr. Brendan Moran, and collagues at the University of Alaska Anchorage, are the first to characterize two different types of surface water in the hyperarid salars—or salt flats—that contain much of the world’s lithium deposits. This new characterization represents a leap forward in understanding how water moves through such basins, and will be key to minimizing the environmental impact on such sensitive, critical habitats.

UMass Amherst’s Integrated Concentration in STEM (iCons) Program has announced the appointment of Christine Hatch, extension associate professor in the Department of Earth, Geographic and Climate Sciences, as the new associate director of academics. In her new role, Hatch will oversee the academic programs of iCons and provide leadership to the program’s faculty and students.

Aa new professional development program at UMass Amherst: UNVEIL: Revealing the hidden curriculum of faculty job application, interviewing and negotiation to contribute to diversifying scientific leadership, is seeking applicants, with a deadline of May 1th,2023. The main goal of this program is to increase diversity among faculty and scientific leadership in the Natural Sciences, with a specific focus on groups under-represented in their fields, and is a collaboration between EGCS, ECo, and Biology.

The title of "Provost Professor" recognizes exceptional achievement in research or creative activity, and in teaching. This campus-level faculty honorific is designated for tenure-system faculty who hold the rank of professor and are not already in a named or distinguished professorship

Several members of the department presented their research at the joint annual meeting of the Northeastern and Southeastern Sections of the Geological Society of America in Reston, VIrginia.

Have a cool summer with these hot courses in Geology, Geography, and Climate Systems

We had a successful session last week for careers in Geology, Geography, and Earth System Science! For those not able to attend the session, slides from the presentation can be found here.

Dr. Michael Rawlins, associate director of the Climate Systems Research center, delivers a talk at TedX Boston on actionable adaptation to climate change.