Fall 2020
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences DEPARTMENT OF
AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
EARTH & ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
Note from the Chair A warm hello to all our alumni, friends, and supporters of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences! The 2019-20 academic year was like no other in the history of our department. At the same time we enjoyed several major accomplishments, we scrambled to adapt to the many disruptions stemming from the COVID-19 disruption. We hope the stories from Geology, Meteorology, and Environmental Science faculty and students in this newsletter give you an idea of some of our successes and challenges from the past year. EAS faculty were honored for their teaching, research, and service activities. At the University level, Dr. John Allen received the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Research and Dr. Mona Sirbescu received a CMU Excellence in Teaching Award. Nationally, John Allen also received a prestigious NSF CAREER grant. The standards for research and teaching in our department could not be higher! As a Department, we dedicate ourselves to delivering a rigorous and student-centered education program. We’re also committed to maintaining a safe and inclusive learning environment. In the midst of the pandemic, with our attention focused on following CDC guidelines to manage COVID-19 transmission risks, the EAS faculty also managed to formulate a diversity, equity, and inclusion action plan that is posted on our web page. I’m very proud to lead a department that takes these issues seriously at all times. Potentially, one of the most damaging aspects of the coronavirus pandemic is its negative impact on enrollments and state revenue, both of which affect our budget and, thus, our ability to fund field trips, research experiences, and classroom instruction enhancements. That makes contributions from our alumni that help us provide these incredibly important student opportunities more important than ever thank you! Last year, our Geology Alumni Advisory Board asked me to remind potential donors to the EAS Department that: • If you designate a specific fund, 100% of your contribution goes to that fund (CMU does not redirect a percentage of your donation to the university or college). • Your contribution may be tax deductible, and • If your employer provides matching funds, it can multiply the benefits from your gift. We value our connections to all the past and future alumni who help sustain the outstanding reputation of our Department. Please stay in touch by letting us know what you’ve been up to and please stop by Brooks Hall on your next trip to Mount Pleasant after the pandemic subsides. Cheers! Larry Lemke Professor and Chair Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
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ENS 491 – Environmental Science Internships Each year, we place ENS majors into internships related to their training and career interests. This summer, despite the COVID-19 disruptions, four students completed internships. Here are their thoughts:
Victoria Hewitt “My internship working with the Institute for Great Lakes Research has given me practical experience working in my field and has helped me gain a better understanding of what my future career could entail. This experience has helped me make new connections and gain skills that will help me secure a job after I graduate.” Tori is shown here on one of the Zodiac boats on Beaver Island about to dive for zebra and quagga mussels.
Hannah Kamper “As an Environmental Regulatory and Compliance intern, I worked within the electric production department for Holland Board of Public Works where I used the knowledge and skills that I learned in my environmental science classes. I learned about air regulation, continuous emissions monitoring systems, electric production, groundwater monitoring, and much more! It also prepared me for a future career because I was able to network with professionals from consulting firms, EGLE, and multiple environmental organizations within Holland.“ Hannah is shown here working from home because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Zachary Harrison “My internship this summer is a crucial experience in forming connections to experienced individuals and firms in the field of environmental science, as well as giving me insight on one of the many careers I can pursue with my degree in environmental science.” Zach is shown here testing groundwater at Eagle Lake near Paw Paw, Michigan where a natural shoreline was established to slow leaching of septic system wastes into the lake.
Rylan Bytnar “My internship with Direct Push was great. It provided a wide exposure to the consulting field and I experienced the workflow (from both the drillers’ and consultants’ perspectives) at Phase I and Phase II sites. Direct Push went out of their way to show me each type of work they performed over the summer with a different lesson to take from each workday. I feel confident in my abilities if I were to become a consultant because of the wide range of jobs, environments, and scenarios I encountered over my internship with Direct Push.” Rylan is shown here operating a 54DT Geoprobe. se.cmich.edu/eas
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John Allen The severe convection and climate group at CMU continues to grow, with new exciting opportunities despite the challenges of the spring. Fall 2019 saw Cameron ‘Mr. Hodograph’ Nixon join the group fresh from a Masters at Texas Tech as part of the NSF project ‘PREEVENTS: Improving High-Impact Hail Event Forecasts by Linking Hail Environments and Modeled Hailstorm Processes.’ Results from this work have already demonstrated that there are better choices for predicting hailstorms, and the importance of the wind field. Students pursuing undergraduate research opportunities continue to be an important part of the group, with Elizabeth Wawrzyniak (sophomore) conducting research supported by the NSF PREEVENTS project over the summer and Dennis Weaver (junior) receiving a NOAA Hollings Scholar to work with Harold Brooks at the National Severe Storms Laboratory. It was a great year for group members heading off to graduate school at the end of the year, with two students receiving graduate assistantships; Daniel Butler heading off to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to work on ensemble sensitivity, while Olivia VanBuskirk starts a Masters at the University of Oklahoma in Geography. In November, Dr. Allen presented at the European Conference on Severe Storms in Krakow, Poland, unveiling for the first time a new package to calculate convective parameters quickly on a global scale, and showcasing a global climatology of severe storms. In January, the group was part of no less than 11 abstracts at the AMS Annual Meeting: Dan Butler gave a poster on a method for automating tornado photogrammetry, while Olivia VanBuskirk gave an award winning oral presentation on return intervals for hail size over US cities in the probability and statistics conference. Nicholas Bogen shared his Masters of Geography research on insurance losses due to natural hazards and hailstorms, while Maria Molina presented on the final results from her Ph.D. research looking at the sensitivity of sea-surface temperatures to remote moisture sources in the Gulf of Mexico.
Dan Butler presenting his poster at the AMS Annual Meeting
The year has been a successful one for research support, with Dr. Allen receiving a prestigious NSF CAREER award entitled ‘Toward a Global Understanding of Severe Convective Storm Environments’. The significant funding with this award will support two new Ph.D. students and undergraduate research during the summers for the next 5 years, and further increase collaboration with researchers from across the globe. Unlike many other grants, the focus of the CAREER program is to support both teaching and research, and as part of this grant Dr. Allen will be developing new materials for understanding how a changing climate may affect severe thunderstorm events. Another grant from the NOAA Joint Technology Transition Initiative will support transition of an automated machine learning approach for the detection of fronts over North America to operations in the NOAA Weather Prediction Center and Ocean Prediction Center. This work will be conducted in an exciting new collaboration with Dr. Amy McGoverns’ group at the University of Oklahoma and a Masters student at OU (Alyssa Woodward) who is being co-advised by Dr. Allen. There were plenty of reasons to celebrate this year, with Dr. Allen receiving the 2019 Central Michigan University College of Science and Engineering Award for Outstanding Research and the 2019/2020 Central Michigan University Provost’s Award for Outstanding Research and Creative Activity. Despite the challenges posed by the lock-downs of April, Nicholas Bogen, co-advised by Dr. Allen, successfully defended his thesis for a Master of Science in Geography entilted: ‘Spatial Analysis of United States Agricultural Losses Due to Hail: 1989 – 2017’. Congratulations to Nick, who has started a new position in GIS in Berrien County, MI. For 2020 – we look forward to our group continuing to bring CMU Meteorology and its research opportunities for students onto the national and global stage.
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Marty Baxter Marty Baxter continues to teach the Synoptic Meteorology sequence, along with the sequence of first-year courses for new meteorology majors. Highlights for Dr. Baxter this year include supervising the installation of the new micro-rain radar, organizing the seniors’ trip to the 100th AMS Annual Meeting, and Jillian Goodin presenting hosting a virtual graduation from his home office that was viewed by her poster at the AMS over 100 friends and families across the country. His research continued Annual Meeting to focus on banded snowfall, presenting results at AMS along with 2020 graduate Jillian Goodin. In addition, he chaired a session on winter weather and co-led a panel discussion on the history of weather forecasting. He looks forward to his Spring 2021 sabbatical!
Broadcast Meteorology Course Debut Dr. Baxter worked with Dr. Rick Sykes, Professor of Broadcasting, to develop CMU’s first course in broadcast meteorology. 2014 CMU Meteorology alum and NBC-25 meteorologist Ahmad Bajjey taught the course, and will do so every other Fall. He was assisted by 2020 graduate Samantha Droope. Thank you to all of the alums who responded to our survey, your contributions helped us to ensure the experiences in the course will best prepare the students for future success. The course was very well received by 11 students. Dr. Baxter presented results of the survey and our experiences in creating the course at the AMS Aannual Meeting.
Tegan Ferguson awarded 2nd Annual Grozdon Scholarship Senior Tegan Ferguson of Pinconning, MI intends to pursue a career in Broadcast Meteorology. Tegan completed an internship at WJRT in Flint, MI and is beginning her second year as Treasurer of the Student Chapter of the AMS. Congratulations to Tegan!
Students and Faculty attend 100th Annual American Meteorological Society Meeting All four meteorology faculty and 10 students attended this special event in Boston, MA in January. It was great to network with alums! Please let us know if you will be at future conferences so we can meet up!
Micro-Rain Radar Installed Purchased from the Metek company in Elmshorn, Germany, this vertically pointing radar allows us to see the number and sizes of individual raindrops as they fall from the clouds. Coupled with our Present Weather Sensor at the surface, we now have the ability to evaluate how precipitation changes as it makes its way to the surface. This unique data will prove very useful in learning about precipitation processes in several courses. In addition, the real-time data will be valuable to the National Weather Service in monitoring rapidly changing conditions in our area. Dr. Baxter worked with CMU’s facilities management and IT departments in the installation of the radar. We thank them for their help.
Anthony Chappaz A successful year for the STARLAB: Kudos to the student achievements! A research group is nothing without its members. Granted, my role as the lead principal investigator is important but the STARLAB student contributions are critical for the success of our scientific endeavors. For this reason, I chose this year to highlight the individual achievements of six rising STARS (three undergraduates and three Ph.D. students).
Rising star 1 – Lauren Galien (geology major, environmental sciences minor):
Lauren was awarded a Michigan AIPG scholarship. Her research project focuses on exploring trace element cosmochemistry in meteorites in collaboration with Dr. Mona Sirbescu.
Rising star 2 – Alison Veresh (environmental sciences major, geology minor): Alison graduated in May 2020 and is now starting a master’s degree in geosciences at Oklahoma State University where she will be studying trace metal geochemistry within the Atlantic Ocean under the supervision of Dr. Natascha Riedinger. Rising star 3 – Rebekah Hanrahan (environmental sciences major): Bekah graduated in December 2019 and moved to Delaware in June 2020 to begin a Ph.D. in environmental sciences under the supervision of Dr. Angelia Seyfferth. Her research project will consist of investigating arsenic biogeochemistry in rice fields. Rising star 4 – Clara Brennan (Ph.D. student):
Clara returned to CMU after achieving her master’s degree in geothermometry in Texas. As a CMU alumna who double majored in chemistry and geology, she quickly adapted and was already awarded a GSA scholarship related to her Ph.D. research project (rhenium geochemistry).
Rising star 5 – Leibo Bian (Ph.D. candidate): Leibo visited the STARLAB for a month last fall. Although he is based in Denmark at Aarhus University, he is a full member of the STARLAB and regularly participates in our research activities. Leibo successfully passed his qualification exam in May 2020. Rising star 6 – Dr. Stephan Hlohowskyj (former Ph.D. candidate):
Stephan defended his thesis about molybdenum geochemistry in May 2020 with the highest distinction possible. He was awarded a prestigious DOE fellowship to work with the FBI in Huntsville (Alabama) to develop new forensic analytical methods.
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Jason Keeler It’s been another exciting year in the Boundary Layer and Convective Processes Group! We started the academic year by welcoming Ph.D. student Christian Boyer, who joined us following completion of his M.S. at Texas Tech. Christian is investigating destabilization of marine air that is displaced inland, either by large scale wind or by the lake-breeze circulation. He’s been busy developing a new method for handling boundary conditions in very high resolution simulations of boundary layer convection, and I’m excited to start using that method in related work this year. Christian was also instrumental in preparing for and executing the second year of the CMU-STORM (Student Training for Observational Research in Meteorology) program, since these observations will compliment his modelbased research. STORM was based in the Holland area for 2 ½ weeks this summer using our Mobile Mesonet research vehicle and our new Windsond radiosonde system (thanks to funding from CMU’s Institute for Great Lakes Research). This system is capable of tracking multiple radiosondes at once, which allowed us to sample boundary layer variability across lake-breeze fronts on multiple days. The STORM team was a bit smaller this year due to COVID-19, but we were happy to welcome MET major Collin DeYoung to the team. We’re already planning to expand STORM next summer, including spending a few days mid-lake on Beaver Island. I’ve also been busy continuing my research on using unmanned aircraft to study boundary layer phenomena, and published a paper in the Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology that investigates the impact of sensor and flight characteristics on estimates of convective inhibition.
MET major Collin DeYoung monitors the release of a radiosonde during CMU-STORM
I’m currently working with students on analyzing data from STORM, and have some ideas in the works for other exciting projects over the next year. Please reach out if you’d like to know more about what’s going on in the group, or if you’d like to help support expanded student involvement in STORM.
MET major Collin DeYoung (left) and Ph.D. student Christian Boyer (right) prepare to release radiosondes from the Lake Michigan shore during CMU-STORM. Two radiosondes were launched concurrently to help Windsond test the next generation of their instrument package.
A typical view during CMU-STORM from inside the Mobile Mesonet. This line of small cumulus clouds formed along the lake-breeze front.
Daria Kluver Over the last year, I have continued to work on long-term climate modeling of precipitation in the Great Lakes region and incorporated students to maintain/analyze data from in-situ weather stations throughout the state. I presented preliminary results of the work I have been doing with Dr. Wendy Robertson to combine this climate data with hydrologic models at the American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting. Haley Scott (MET S’21) has been working to collect climate data from a remote location in a data-sparse area of the Michigan Lower Peninsula. This is an ongoing project that involves maintaining the specialized meteorological equipment and collecting data on regular intervals. Kyle DeLong (MET S’20) and Matt Werle (ENS S’21) both worked with me to maintain the hydro-climate monitoring stations on Beaver and Garden Islands in conjunction with the CMU Institute for Great Lakes Research. Kyle presented results from this work at the American Meteorology Society’s Annual Meeting. This past year it was an honor to be a part of a team awarded a CMU President’s and Provost’s Innovation grant to enhance education at CMU through game-based learning and simulations. As part of the Center for Learning through Games and Simulations, I am partnering with faculty and staff across disciplines to incorporate more interactive game and simulation learning experiences for our students. Last year, the American Meteorological Society celebrated its 100th year, and the culmination of that milestone was the centennial AMS annual meeting held in January 2020, in Boston, MA. All of the CMU meteorology faculty presented research at this meeting and several of our meteorology students attended. Our majors represented CMU well through presentations and interactions at this international conference!
Larry Lemke Last year was challenging (academically and otherwise!), but the pivot to online teaching went well and I thoroughly enjoyed teaching GEL 100 in parallel with CMU alum Kevin Jensen who did a Yeoman’s job teaching a GEL 100 section of his own! This fall, I’m teaching Hydrogeology in HyFlex mode, which is the next big challenge – accommodating students in person and online at the same time. In my research lab, doctoral student Leah Jackson and I continued our investigation of the behavior 1,4-dioxane in glacial aquifers. Undergraduate student Bridget Bittmann has also joined our team! This fall, I will lead an undergraduate team research project investigating PFAS (per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances) contamination in southwest Michigan groundwater. The students who tackle this project will gain valuable experience working with an important class of emerging environmental contaminants of growing concern. Larry, Leah, and Bridget in the Lemke lab at the Center for Advanced Research Technology (CART) lab.
Wendy Robertson Dr. Robertson is continuing on with her research into the hydroclimatology and ecohydrology of the Great Lakes region with her Emerald Ash Borer, Saginaw Bay, and Wetlands monitoring projects. She is excited to announce her promotion to Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences as of August 2020. The past year has been busy with grant applications, manuscripts, research and new entrees into game-based learning including the development of CMU’s second annual Escape Room (debut delayed due to COVID-19) and as part of a team awarded one of the CMU President’s and Provost’s Innovation Grants to enhance education at CMU through game-based learning. Dr. Robertson will be leading a quantitative assessment of the effectiveness of game-based learning on retention, graduation, and student success.
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Mona Sirbescu The past academic year was productive and exciting (75%) and “a bit” challenging (25%). I led Mineralogy and Geologic Investigations to the Upper Peninsula for a combined, 5-day long field trip last fall, but that was the last one, unfortunately. After Spring break, it was surprisingly fun to create and teach virtual Petrology and Economic Geology classes, involving microscope video clips, sample shipping to students, and uninterrupted remote, synchronous learning. Those video chats kept our group connected and the regular schedule gave us a feeling of normalcy. Student research projects were very successful, in spite of everything going on. Nolan Gamet was one of the geology majors who presented his senior thesis remotely to a large audience of students, faculty, and even alumni! Both he and Jarrett Humpula bravely gave poster presentations on lithium ore deposits at the North Central Geological Society of America virtual meeting. This summer, we have adjusted our labs to the new Covid-19 safety guidelines so that two new students can conduct exciting research projects, as planned. Emily Yoder, supported by a very competitive CMU summer scholarship, is studying tourmaline-quartz intergrowths. Victoria Konieczka, supported from my grant, collected portable-XRF data to determine trace-element concentrations in giant crystals. I was deeply honored to receive the University Teaching Award last spring. Huge thanks to colleagues who nominated me and to those of you who sent letters on my behalf! I’ll do my best here to keep doing what I know best - educate, mentor, advise, and train new geoscientists - with love and care. You all inspire me to keep going. It is awesome and gratifying when I hear news from you out there. So, please, keep in touch!
The Edmore Meteorite Undergraduate Support Fund This fund was established in 2019, based on a generous donation resulting from our involvement with the identification of the Edmore meteorite, the 12th ever documented meteorite discovered in the State of Michigan. The Edmore fund became operational in January 2020. It is designed to serve geology, meteorology, and environmental science undergraduate researchers. Three undergraduate geology projects were awarded in the Spring 2020 semester! The awards covered time on analytical instruments, supplies, and travel. As a result, two senior theses were defended in May 2020:
Dan Figac, collecting data at the Michigan core repository, Western Michigan University
Dan Figac (left) on Characterization of the Sub-Kaskaskian Unconformity in Michigan Basin (advised by Dr. Lemke). Dan subsequently secured employment with Santis Environmental in Indianapolis, IN. ...continued on next page
Natalia Zakharova The Geophysics and Geomechanics (G2) Laboratory welcomed two new team members – postdoctoral fellow Dr. Kouqi Liu and Ph.D. student Adedoyin Adeyilola. Kouqi and Adedoyin both specialize in unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs, and have now focused their attention on a gas shale reservoir in the Michigan basin – the Antrim Shale formation. Together, we work on an interdisciplinary project focusing on understanding the mechanisms of biogenic gas generation, storage and transport in organic-rich shales by combining petrophysical, geomechanical and geochemical observations. During his first year, Adedoyin has already secured two research grants (from CMU and AAPG) and is actively acquiring new data for his dissertational research. An undergraduate researcher, Chelsea Thibodeau, has also contributed to the project by evaluating log-derived porosity of the Antrim Shale. Despite the complications and delays due to COVID-19 closures, she has successfully defended her Senior Thesis in May 2020. This is the second research project she completed in the G2 laboratory, and her amazing Geology senior, Chelsea Thibodeau, digitizing well logs from Michigan drive for research and excellence Basin as a part of her Senior Thesis research has been recognized by the College of Science and Engineering Research Award. Our analytical capabilities also keep expanding. The long-awaited custom-built triaxial apparatus has finally arrived, significantly improving our capacity for geomechanical testing and confined permeability measurements. We also added a helium pycnometer and low-temperature gas sorption apparatus (TriStar II) to allow detailed studies of porosity and pore size distribution. We will continue applying those tools to a wide range of research projects in petroleum geology, tectonics, and Earth history - all involving students, of course!
Postdoctoral Fellow, Kouqi Liu, testing a new triaxial apparatus in the Geophysics and Geomechanics (G2) Lab.
Meteorite Undergraduate Support fund continued...
Nolan Gamet (left) on Distribution of Trace Elements in Spodumene: Insights from Preliminary Cathodoluminescence, p-XRF, and SEM Results (Advised by Dr. Sirbescu). Nolan is now a graduate student at Michigan Tech. Additionally, Jarrett Humpula and Nolan Gamet submitted abstracts and gave presentations on lithium ore deposits from South Dakota and Maine at the 2020 North-Central Geological of Society of America meeting.
Nolan Gamet preparing rock samples
Conducting authentic research projects is invaluable for our students, as many of you know from your own experience. Please consider donating to the Edmore fund by clicking on the “Giving” tab on the EAS website. https://www.cmich.edu/colleges/ se/earth_atmos/Giving/Pages/default.aspx
Nolan Gamet giving a virtual presentation at North-Central GSA meeting
Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 Permit No. 93
College of Science and Engineering Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Brooks 314 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
Thank you to all of the alumni and friends who helped support the Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences over the past year! Dr. Melissa Crider Andrea Dr. Martin A. Baxter Mrs. Brandi L. Boyd BP Foundation, Inc. Mr. Eric Branum Ms. Maura Elizabeth Casey Mr. Gregory W. Cornwell Mr. Loren J. Curtis Mr. Aric James Cylkowski Mr. Alexander Joseph DeSmet Mr. Richard E. Dudek II Mrs. Cam Moore Ellis Mr. Jeffrey P. Ellis
Mr. David M. Erway ExxonMobil Dr. Charles Grant Mrs. Nancy K. Grant Mr. William A. Green Ms. Kimberly Ann Hartmus Ms. Kristin H. Herndon Mr. Mark J. Jeffery Mr. Kevin Travis Jensen J&M Energy LLC Mrs. Rebecca R. Kopczyk Mr. Ryan J. Krueger Ms. Vicki Kay Krueger
Mrs. Allison Dorine Langworthy Mr. Morris Langworthy III Dr. Lawrence D. Lemke Mrs. Wendy Lemke Mr. David Mazurek Mr. Jesse S. Schreiner The Shell Oil Company Foundation Ms. Emily Steinbis Dr. James John Student Mr. Shawn E. Teagan Mr. Michael Ralph Wagner Mr. Eric Eugene Wallis Mrs. Karen Marie Wallis Miss Barbara R. Yantis
CMU Geology and Meteorology Alumni – Where are you now? What are you doing? We genuinely would like to know! Please send a letter to the department or an email to our chair (L.D.Lemke@cmich.edu) and fill us in on your whereabouts, your career, and your achievements. Let us know if you would like to share your experiences during Alumni Career Day or if you are interested in serving on one of our Alumni Advisory Boards. Thank you for helping us to keep in touch! COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
EARTH & ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES