Earth Sciences – Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences

Dedman College D&I Newsletter, Fall 2021

Read the latest Dedman College D&I Newsletter

By Katherine Nickles| 2021-08-24T13:48:21-07:00 August 24th, 2021|Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, DCII, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Diversity and Inclusion, Earth Sciences, Economics, English, Events, History, Institute for the Study of Earth and Man, Jewish Studies Program, Jewish Studies Program, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Statistical Science, SW Center, Tower Center, UHP, World Languages and Literatures|Comments Off

Welcome Back!

Originally Posted: Aug 23, 2021 Welcome back, Mustangs! Can't wait to see you in class!

By Katherine Nickles| 2021-08-24T13:50:22-07:00 August 23rd, 2021|Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, DCII, Dedman College Research, Earth Sciences, Economics, English, Events, Faculty News, Graduate News, History, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Undergraduate News, World Languages and Literatures|Comments Off

Temporary mask requirement effective Aug 12

SMU News Effective August 12, SMU is temporarily requiring masks (two or more layers covering the nose and mouth) in indoor spaces on campus, including classrooms, event and meeting spaces, and common areas in all buildings and residential halls regardless of vaccination status. Masks are not required in private spaces such as residence hall rooms for students with roommates. All events, such as Convocation and orientation, should continue as planned with masks being used indoors. This requirement is a temporary precaution during the Delta variant surge to supplement our other pandemic protocols. We will continue to monitor and review industry-specific guidance and recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state public health authorities in order to make the best decisions for [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2021-08-12T07:44:24-07:00 August 12th, 2021|Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Diversity and Inclusion, Earth Sciences, Economics, English, History, Institute for the Study of Earth and Man, Jewish Studies Program, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Statistical Science, SW Center, Tower Center, World Languages and Literatures|Comments Off

Sparked by Star Wars and Cosmos, an SMU scientist studies what goes on underneath surface of planets

Dallas Morning News Originally Posted: August 10, 2021 Matthew Siegler works with other researchers as a member of NASA’s InSight and Perseverance missions on Mars Matthew Siegler first got interested in space from watching movies like Star Wars. These works of science fiction convinced him at an early age that scientific advances would inevitably lead to a future where people could walk around on another planet. He dreamed about making space exploration feel as real to others as it felt to him. He also drew inspiration from watching VHS tapes of Carl Sagan’s documentary series, Cosmos. Now his imagination has morphed into actual scientific research. Siegler, 40, is a research associate professor at SMU and a scientist with the Planetary Science Institute. He focuses on [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2021-08-10T08:24:56-07:00 August 10th, 2021|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Earth Sciences, Faculty News|Comments Off

A Q&A with two-time intern of the Mickey Leland Environmental Internship Program Cristina Barrera

WE WERE WONDERING: A TCEQ BLOG Originally Posted: August 4, 2021 Cristina Barrera graduated in 2017 from Southern Methodist University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies. She interned with TCEQ’s Mickey Leland Environmental Internship Program in 2015 and 2016 and is currently attending the Yale School of the Environment for a master’s degree in environmental management. I asked Barrera about all things MLEIP—from what she learned during the two summers she interned at TCEQ to how those internships helped her focus her interest in the environment on a smaller niche. Tell me a little about yourself. I grew up just outside of Austin, where I learned to love hiking, kayaking, soccer, and live music. I figured out [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2021-08-09T10:36:00-07:00 August 6th, 2021|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Earth Sciences, Graduate News|Comments Off

Environmental education isn’t always elementary

WE WERE WONDERING: A TCEQ BLOG June 14, 2021 HOW FORMER MLEIP INTERN TURNED TCEQ STAFFER ALISON WENZEL DEVELOPED HER LOVE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT INTO A FULL-TIME CAREER Growing up in Texas, Alison Wenzel learned to love the environment from a young age from her parents. Because her mom was an environmental educator and her dad is a lifelong outdoorsman, they often went camping, hiking, and fishing as a family. With the goal of becoming an environmental scientist, Alison initially earned a double major in environmental science and geology with a minor in environmental anthropology from Southern Methodist University. But an internship at the City of Denton changed her career trajectory from field work to education. “In my last semester of college, I was a [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2021-08-09T10:34:41-07:00 August 6th, 2021|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Earth Sciences, Graduate News|Comments Off

On a trek for Arctic dinosaur footprints in Alaska preserve

Washington Post Originally Posted: July 24, 2021 'Did you find one?" Tony Fiorillo yelled to his colleague, Yoshitsugu Kobayashi. The two paleontologists were climbing over dumpster-sized sandstone boulders, scanning the long, rocky beach of Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve at low tide for dinosaur footprints. “I think so,” Kobayashi called back. They have been coming to one of Alaska’s most remote coastlines since 2016 to search for evidence of Late Cretaceous era dinosaurs. Sedimentologist Paul McCarthy is part of the adventure. “I specialize in the mud between the [dinosaur] toes,” McCarthy joked. It’s a quip he once made on a local public radio show. Fiorillo has never let him forget it. “It was one of the few times you were witty,” Fiorillo, an expert on [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2021-07-24T08:14:23-07:00 July 24th, 2021|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Earth Sciences, Faculty News|Comments Off

COVID-19 reminders for July term

SMU NEWS As SMU moves into Summer Session II (July term), it’s important to maintain a healthy campus by diligently following SMU’s current COVID-19 protocols. Here are some reminders. The Mustang Strong Dashboard recording COVID-19 cases at SMU is now updated weekly on Thursdays. SMU strongly encourages everyone to receive the COVID-19 vaccination to prevent the spread and lessen the severity of the virus, if contracted. COVID-19 vaccinations are available at the Dr. Bob Smith Health Center for current and incoming students, SMU employees and their eligible spouse/dependents. Book an appointment through the health portal or by calling 214-768-2141 (option 1). After receiving the vaccine, please record your status in the voluntary vaccination reporting tool. The Health Center also provides COVID-19 testing for students and employees, but appointments are required, so call first at 214-768-2141 [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2021-07-07T08:28:44-07:00 July 7th, 2021|Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Earth Sciences, Economics, English, History, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Statistical Science, World Languages and Literatures|Comments Off

SMU alumna, archaeologist and paleontologist Myria Perez, is among those being honored with a statue at NorthPark Center

Dallas Morning News Originally Posted: June 2, 2021 Jennifer Stimpson was 9 when she decided she wanted to be a scientist. She grew up in Oak Cliff working summers in her family’s West Dallas compounding pharmacy, where she watched her father — Stimpson’s first science mentor — do more than just dispense medications for his customers. “As he was making these medicines for folks, he would talk to them about health care and health care practices, and he made sure that they recognized what they needed to do to get better,” says Stimpson, a veteran science teacher in Dallas for two decades. “So, for me, I learned from my father how to pay it forward.” Stimpson, the first Black woman to graduate from the University [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2021-06-14T06:26:59-07:00 June 3rd, 2021|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Earth Sciences|Comments Off

New duck-billed dinosaur species discovered in Japan

The Hill Originally Posted: April 27, 2021 A new type of duck-billed dinosaur has been identified on one of Japan’s southern islands. In 2004, an amatuer fossil hunter found the preserved lower jaw, teeth, neck vertebrae, shoulder bone and tail vertebra in an approximately 72-million-year-old layer of sediment on Japan’s Awaji island. The fossil was given to Japan’s Museum of Nature and Human Activities where it was stored before being studied by an international team of researchers from Southern Methodist University (SMU) and Japan. In a study recently published in Scientific Reports, researchers now say the specimen is that of a new genus and species of hadrosaur, or duck-billed dinosaur, they’ve dubbed Yamatosaurus izanagii. The plant-eating hadrosaurs roamed the Earth during the Late Cretaceous period [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2021-06-03T06:27:02-07:00 May 24th, 2021|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Earth Sciences, Faculty News|Comments Off