Dear alumni and friends,
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the 2019 Department of Geosciences Newsletter. There have been many notable events in the life of the department this past year, several of which you will find articles about in this newsletter. The past year has been one of transition, as we celebrated the retirement of Russ Graham (p. 9), our museum director, welcomed the new museum director, Jane Cook, and bid farewell to Demian Saffer, who, after fourteen years on our faculty, is moving to Austin, Texas to become director of the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics. And with Demian’s departure, on October 1, I became the new department head. The fall has been particularly busy with ongoing searches for new faculty in earth history, hydrogeology, and geomechanics/structural geology/tectonics, and a director of diversity programs. We have also begun working on a new five-year (2020- 2025) strategic plan for the department, and in the coming months we will begin an overhaul of the department’s website.
This past year, we have embarked on major lab renovations in support of our research enterprise. Spurred by NASA support for a new Astrobiology Center
led by Kate Freeman, University funding was made available to construct a world-class isotope geochemistry laboratory, new laboratories for sedimentology, stratigraphy and paleontology, a rock prep facility, a remodeled seismic station, and field prep space for the geophysics and ice groups all in the basement of Deike. New labs for terrestrial paleoecology and crustal petrology are under construction on the fourth floor of Deike, supporting the research programs of recent faculty hires Sarah Ivory (p. 8) and Jesse Reimink (p. 8). And later this year, planning will begin for moving, sometime
in the coming two years, the Laboratory for Isotopes and Metals in the Environment (LIME) and other geochemistry labs from Hosler to new lab space on the fifth floor of Deike. Combined, these renovations represent a substantial investment by the University in the department’s research infrastructure, for which we are most grateful.
As in past years, in this newsletter we acknowledge the generous support from our alumni and friends (p. 22-25). This support enables many important activities and opportunities for our students which would otherwise not be possible. For example, because of alumni giving we are able to support field trips and diversity programs, offset field camp expenses for students, provide fellowships and scholarships, update teaching laboratories, and purchase field equipment. Perhaps even more important, the relationships that we maintain with our alumni and friends enrich the lives of the faculty and the students. Thank you for your support and continued engagement with our department!
In my new role as department head, I am quickly learning about the breadth of accomplishments not only of our faculty, postdocs, and students, but also of our alumni. The collective achievements of many individuals associated with this department, and the impact they have had on the geosciences, is truly remarkable. I am honored and excited to be given the privilege to lead the department, and I am looking forward to working with all of you to achieve a more inclusive, diverse, and societally-responsive department, while at the same time promoting exciting new educational opportunities for our students and supporting cutting-edge research by all. If you find yourself in State College, please take the opportunity to stop by and reacquaint yourself with our constantly growing and changing department.
Sincerely yours,
Andrew Nyblade