Summer 2023
FROM THE CHAIR Dear alumni, friends, and supporters of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The past year was outstanding for EAS! In addition to celebrating 50 years of geology at CMU at our BIFtieth event, several EAS faculty members were recognized for exceptional achievements, and 28 Geology, Meteorology, and Environmental Science students received scholarships, awards, and other recognition at our annual spring awards ceremony. I hope you enjoy reading about the many activities and accomplishments described in this newsletter. One of the most remarkable things about the EAS Department is how our students and faculty work together to achieve our shared learning, research, and social goals. Our student organizations (SCAMS, AIPG, CFES, and MMWV) continue to thrive, although the EAS faculty and staff pulled off an upset victory in our annual food drive competition, reclaiming the coveted [Jurassic] Pork-nBeans trophy this year! Finally, thank you to all our alumni and friends whose contributions enrich our students’ educational experiences and help us sustain our department’s outstanding reputation. We genuinely depend upon and appreciate your support! Cheers! Larry Lemke Professor and Chair Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Faculty Spotlight
John Allen
CMU Severe Weather and Climate Group
With Dr. Allen on sabbatical in fall 2022, there was a lot of research going on this academic year. Our group has been busy answering questions from future climate to predicting hail, and our group continues to grow – as of this summer we will have four Ph.D. students and two Postdoctoral scientists participating along with one undergraduate. A few highlights: • At the 103rd AMS annual meeting, three students received awards for their main conference presentations! Ethan O’Neill (Class of 2023) won first place for his poster at the 13th Conference on Transition of Research to Operations. Cameron Nixon received third place for his first inperson oral presentation at the 22nd Conference on Artificial Intelligence for Environmental Science. Andrew Justin at the University of Oaklahoma, co-advised by Dr. Allen, received first place in the 22nd Conference on Artificial Intelligence for Environmental Science. • Dr. Cameron Nixon successfully defended his Ph.D. research with a dissertation entitled ‘The Impacts of Hodograph Shape on Supercell Behavior and Hazards.’
Faculty Spotlight
Marty Baxter
Marty Baxter continues to teach the Synoptic Meteorology sequence, along with the sequence of first-year courses for new meteorology majors. He received a grant from NOAA to work with the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids to study the July 2019 24-hour Michigan record rainfall event. This work also includes an investigation of long-term historical trends in Michigan precipitation, and an evaluation of the quality of Michigan streamflow forecasts from NOAA’s National Water Model. The goal is to improve forecasts of the impacts of future heavy rainfall events.
New EAS Registered Student Organization: Mid-Mitten Weather View Mid-Mitten Weather View established a constitution and elected officers in January 2022. This past year, they completed their first full academic year as an RSO and have been creating forecasts for the Central Michigan area and distributing them over social media. MMWV issues daily forecasts and forecasts tailored to community events, such as Mt. Pleasant Parks and Recreation sports and the Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival. Members of the public can also request custom forecasts from the students. The organization is paid to create forecasts for Mt. Pleasant’s Morning Sun newspaper. MMWV uses the funds generated to pay for subscriptions to weather data providers and software to automate social media posts. Alums interested in donating to the group or serving as guest speakers can contact the club advisor, Dr. Marty Baxter, at baxte1ma@cmich.edu.
Faculty Spotlight
Anthony Chappaz The 2023 Brazilian Scientific Tour In March, I was invited by the University of Lavras (UFLA) in Brazil to participate in an inaugural workshop celebrating the creation of a new Federal Institute about Food Security. I am excited to join this team of international researchers. I will act as a scientific advisor for this new institute with a focus on better understanding the bioavailability of micro-nutrients and toxic trace elements in food systems (soil – water – plant). During my trip in Brazil, I visited three universities, the new (4th generation) Brazilian synchrotron, and a lithium and tantalum mine. I gave six talks and met countless bright and very engaging Brazilian scientists. Don’t be surprised if within the next couple of years our EAS department develops strong partnerships with these Brazilian institutions.
EARTH AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES
PROFESSORS HONORED
Three faculty in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences were honored for their academic achievements this year.
Wendy Robertson received a CMU Excellence in Teaching Award for demonstrating clear and sustained instructional excellence that effectively promotes student learning.
Wendy is well known for her pioneering development of gamebased learning, including the recently published Hydrologic Cycle Game.
Anthony Chappaz received a CMU International Impact Award, which recognizes faculty who go above and beyond what is expected while engaging in teaching, scholarly activity, and service at the international level.
Anthony works with an extensive network of international researchers, mentors international students, and promotes professional and interpersonal connections among his international collaborators.
Natalia Zakharova was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. Natalia’s research focuses on petrophysics and geomechanics with applications in energy resources, carbon sequestration, and tectonic rift basin development.
At CMU, Natalia established a Geophysics and Geomechanics Laboratory, actively participated in the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 381, and teaches physical geology, geomath, geophysics, and geostatistics.
Faculty Spotlight
Zach Johnson
As a new EAS faculty member, the 2022-23 academic year was memorable for me to get to know the other faculty and students. Teaching Severe and Unusual Weather (MET 140), Climatology & Climate Change (MET 301), and Atmospheric Modeling (MET 580WI) provided the opportunity to learn about the diverse student body, the student-centered culture and interdisciplinary approach in the EAS department. For instance, MET 580WI students were challenged to analyze atmospheric models and write research papers. It was inspiring to see their novel scientific results. In fact, I will be working with at least one student to submit their research to a peer-reviewed scientific journal. This past academic year, I also completed two research manuscripts: one that assesses atmospheric circulations with implications on water supply in the drought-stricken inter-mountain western USA; and the second that quantifies seasonal tropical cyclone landfall risk, submitted to the Journal of Hydrometeorology and Journal of Climate, respectively. Settling into EAS has allowed me to assess my research direction and purpose, which takes a holistic approach involving multiple disciplines such as hydrology, environmental science, climate science, and meteorology. I am excited for my future, working with the next generation of meteorologists and climate scientists in EAS.
Meteorology faculty and students visiting NCAR in Boulder, CO at AMS Denver 2023
Faculty Spotlight
Jason Keeler
As a proud advisor, I’m thrilled to congratulate Dr. Christian Boyer for successfully defending his dissertation! Christian joined my group in Fall 2019 to investigate convection initiation in coastal regions and the influence of lateral boundary condition choice on the evolution of convective boundary layers in idealized simulations. Christian and I published a portion of this research in the AMS Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology in December, and we are working on three related papers to submit this summer. Congratulations also to Brian Rakoczy, who has been an asset to my group as an undergraduate researcher for the last two years, and is moving on to begin his graduate studies at Ohio State University this fall. A major goal of my work at CMU is to get students involved in field research. In February, students jumped at the opportunity to assist the NASA-funded IMPACTS campaign by launching radiosondes (weather balloons) on campus during a precipitation event. Their enthusiasm was all the more impressive considering the rainy, cold weather on that day! It was particularly fun to watch students compare the descending height of the bright band in our campus Micro Rain Radar data to the height of the melting layer in the radiosonde data. If you’d like to help more students have field research experiences like this, please consider donating to the STORM (Student Training for Observational Research in Meteorology) fund.
Edmore Meteorite Undergraduate Research
Four students are working on independent research projects supported by the Edmore Meteorite Undergraduate Research Fund this year. The Edmore Fund helps these students with research related expenses such as travel, field supplies, and laboratory analysis costs.
Teagan Cox is working with Mona Sirbescu on a project to develop Greenfield Exploration Methods for Lithium-CesiumTantalum (LCT) Pegmatites.
Jacob Meldrum is working with Mona Sirbescu to investigate the Preliminary Mineralogy, Petrography, & Geochemistry of Newly Identified Lithium Pegmatite Occurrences near Price Lake, NE Wisconsin.
Eleanor McFarlan is working with Larry Lemke to investigate Groundwater/Surface Water Interaction and Influence on PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) Transport in Belmont, Michigan
Emily Satawa is working with Anthony Chappaz and Larry Lemke on a study Determining the Flux and Sources of Atmospheric Lead in Sediment from a Southern Michigan Lake.
BIFtieth Anniversary Celebration On October 7, 2022, we commemorated 50 years of Geology at CMU with a full day of activities highlighting our long and storied history of geological education and research. Well over 100 people attended the event including alumni, faculty, and current students who shared stories of their adventures and careers. After filling a time capsule with mementos of our first 50 years to be opened 50 years hence, we retired to enjoy a BBQ with geologically appropriate beverages. Thank you to everyone who attended or contributed to make the BIFtieth such an overwhelmingly successful and memorable event!
Faculty Spotlight
Daria Kluver
Over the last year I continued working in the areas of long-term climate modeling of precipitation in the Great Lakes region and climate informatics. I also spent some time maintaining/installing hydro-climate stations throughout the state to monitor the climate of the Great Lakes. Teaching highlights include the debut of an educational game I produced for my climatology course about global winds and revamping the Climate Dynamics course for senior meteorology majors.
Faculty Spotlight
Larry Lemke This past year, I enjoyed teaching Hydrogeology in the fall and Structural Geology in the spring. Both classes were full of engaged and engaging students who kept me busy! Our class field trip to Wisconsin, both virtual and actual, was a genuine highlight! This summer, I’m working on research projects with Eleanor McFarlan modeling PFAS transport between the House Street Disposal Site and the Rogue River in Kent County, Michigan, and with Emily Satawa investigating the record of atmospheric lead deposition captured in a sediment core from a lake in Branch County, Michigan. As fall begins to draw near, I look forward to meeting any and all CMU Geology alumni attending the joint alumni reception at the 2023 Geological Society of America meeting in Pittsburgh, PA this October!
Alumni Reception at GSA Pittsburgh Central Michigan University is joining forces with Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Michigan Tech, Grand Valley State, Albion, and Wayne State University to host a combined reception for smaller Michigan geology programs at the 2023 Geological Society of America national meeting in Pittsburgh. All CMU geology alumni are encouraged to stop by the joint alumni reception on October 16, 2023. Current EAS faculty and students look forward to seeing you there! If you plan to attend, please let Larry Lemke and Mona Sirbescu know so that we can look for you.
GEOLOGY FIELD TRIPS ARE BACK!
The 2022-2023 academic year included notable class field trips for Mineralogy/Petrology and Field Methods (combined!), Subsurface Geological Methods, Sed/Strat and Structure (combined!), and Hydrogeology. These trips were supported by the Wayne and Ethel Moore Field Trip Award – many thanks to alumni and friends who have contributed to this endowed fund! Sixteen Min/Pet and Field Methods students traveled to our ‘secret’ field localities in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with Mona Sirbescu. Combined teams learned about classic iron, gold, and copper ore deposits, visited pegmatite and marble quarries, searched for diamonds in the only exposed Michigan kimberlite while practicing their mineral and rock identification skills, and put together a complex geologic map of the Republic trough.
Subsurface Geological Methods students examined cores at the Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education (MGRRE) in Kalamazoo where they met CMU alum Autumn Haagsma (BS ’11). Julia Daniel and Rachael Agardy also visited an active drilling rig near Harrison, Michigan where they met CMU alum Kevin Jensen (BS ’09).
Fifteen Structure and Sed/Strat students travelled to Baraboo, Wisconsin to visit classic field localities in the Baraboo District where they observed deformational features associated with the Precambrian Baraboo Syncline as well as depositional features in the overlying Cambrian Galesville Formation and Tunnel City Group. Twenty-two Hydrogeology students toured the Velsicol Superfund Site in St. Louis, Michigan, where CMU alum Scott Pratt (BS ‘97) gave them a [very cold!] tour and described ongoing subsurface remediation activities.
Faculty Spotlight
Wendy Robertson
It was another strong and exciting year for Dr. Robertson’s hydro group. Dr. Robertson has been busy organizing collaborations with the U.S. Department of Energy to increase capacity for climate resilience in the Great Lakes Region. The group published a paper in JGR: Oceans on Meteotsunami influences in isolated wetlands, with two more papers in review: Krzemien et al., based on Sarah Krzemien’s honors capstone work, and Zielkowski et al., based on community resilience to flooding work that Dr. Robertson has been pursuing as a part of AGU’s Thriving Earth Exchange. Dr. Robertson was also honored to receive CMU’s 2023 Excellence in Teaching Award; thank you to all the current students and alumni who make our teaching mission a fulfilling endeavor. Looking forward, Dr. Robertson is excited about several ongoing research projects focused on Michigan and the Great Lakes region as well as some new activities including taking on the role of Associate Chair of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. She is looking forward to a great year and sharing more about our adventures in 2024!
EAS Faculty and Staff Retake the Pork-n-Beans Trophy The back-and-forth contest over the coveted Pork-n-Beans trophy continued between the EAS students and faculty last year. In the end, the faculty and staff emerged victorious in the 6th Annual EAS Food Drive Competition! Both students and faculty created videos to support their teams, resulting in a record year of nonperishable food and supplies collected for the Isabella Community Soup Kitchen and the CMU Student Food Pantry, who gratefully accepted our donations. You can check out the faculty Jurassic Pork videos by scanning the QR codes below.
Faculty Spotlight
Mona Sirbescu
I truly appreciated seeing everyone at our BIFtieth anniversary; thank you for what might have been my lifetime record of hugs in one day! Since then, teaching adventures included an excellent Research and Communication class in Spring ‘23, where students collected and analyzed snow-melt runoff and pond waters across campus to test their level of pollution. They took advantage of the awesome new facilities and spaces we have at CMU-Research Corporation and practiced their critical thinking and information literacy, as well as collaboration, writing, and presentation skills. Research-wise my program on pegmatites, soil geochemistry, and critical mineral resources expanded with two co-advised Ph.D. students from Brazil and Belgium. Doctoral candidate Clara Brennan (2017 CMU alumna) is preparing for her dissertation defense and her 2nd CMU graduation. Collaboration with various mining, exploration, and analytical instrumentation companies intensified. With funding from CMU, industry contracts, and the Edmore Meteorite undergraduate support fund, student research projects are flourishing. Teagan Cox gave an impressive oral presentation at the North-Central GSA meeting in Grand Rapids and will graduate this August. Jacob Meldrum and Joy Youngblood joined my group this spring and we’ve already expanded the lithium pegmatite field in Florence County, Wisconsin with exciting new discoveries! Thank you so much for supporting our program in so many ways! Your continued successes make our CMU geology program famous across the Midwest and beyond! Please, continue to spread the word about your alma mater. I hope to see many of you at the alumni reception at the 2023 GSA annual meeting, in Pittsburgh, PA.
Faculty Spotlight
Natalia Zakharova
This past year, I was excited to teach Introduction to Geophysics (an elective course for Geology and Environmental Science majors). Our geophysics students built wave machines and searched for underground storage tanks using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). They also utilized a new set of open geophysical teaching materials: Introducing Geophysics for Urban and Near-surface Applications (IGUaNA) ranging from locating unmarked graves to evaluating the health of an urban wetland. I also enjoyed teaching Geomath, a course designed to help our majors master quantitative skills, and Introduction to Earth Systems, in which students explore the
many interlinked systems and student, Taylor Slyker (majoring processes inside and outside in Geology and minoring in of our planet. Math) is researching the state of stress in the Michigan Basin. The Geophysics and Doctoral student Adedoyin Geomechanics laboratory Adeyilola successfully (G2 lab) continues to provide completed an industry ample student training internship with TotalEnergies opportunities. For the past year, in Houston, Texas, and recently undergraduate student Julia published his second firstDaniels (majoring in Geology author paper entitled ‘Porosity and Music and minoring in distribution in the Devonian Environmental Science) has Antrim Shale: Controlling been working on a research factors and implications for project related to evaluating gas sorption’. He is wrapping carbon storage potential of up his dissertation for a the Antrim Shale in Michigan defense this Summer or Fall. Basin. Julia was accepted to And once that’s done, I’ll be off three Research Experience to a sabbatical in Fall 2023 to for Undergraduates (REU) develop new projects and grant programs and chose to go to applications for continuing the University of Texas, Austin. research support of future EAS Another undergraduate students!
College of Science and Engineering Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Brooks 314 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 Permit No. 93
Thank you to all of the alumni and friends who helped support the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences over the past year! Mr. Josh Agardy Mrs. Rachael Agardy Mr. Marty Baxter Mrs. Carol Binggeser BP Foundation Inc. Mrs. Emily Brandner Mr. Nathan Brandner Mr. Eric Branum Mr. Samuel Cameron Dr. Anthony Chappaz Mr. Joshua Cichy Mrs. Lindy Columbini Mr. Loren Curtis Mrs. Daria Wubbels Devantier Mrs. Cam Moore Ellis Mr. Jeffrey Ellis ExxonMobil Mr. Ian Halbeisen
Mr. William Henderson Ms. Kristin Herndon Dr. Kristin Kuysken Mr. Mark Jeffery Mr. Kevin Jensen Mrs. Rachel Jensen Dr. Daria Kluver Mr. Jonathan Kolak Mrs. Rebecca R. Kopczyk Mr. Ryan Krueger Mrs. Vicki Krueger Mrs. Allison Langworthy Mr. Morris Langworthy III Dr. Larry Lemke Mrs. Wendy Lemke Lockheed Martin Corporation Dr. Donald Marks Mrs. Patricia Marks
Mr. Bruce Moore Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Mr. Scott Pratt Dr. Wendy Robertson Mr. Joseph Sandorski Shell Oil Co Foundation Mrs. Mary Donnelly Simon Dr. Mona Sirbescu Mr. Jacob Spreitzer Mr. Terence Stevens Mr. Shawn Teagan Mr. Derek VanDam Mrs. Kristine Wise Mr. John Woynick Ms. Barbara Yantis Dr. Dmitry Zakharov Dr. Natalia Zakharova Mr. Nathan Jeruzal
CMU Geology, Environmental Science, 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!
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