Never-before-seen fossils from Angola were uncovered, thanks in large part to SMU’s Louis Jacobs
Watch: https://youtu.be/Mm_grZakY_Q
New power generation technology using waste heat from geothermal plants tested at SMU
Think GeoEnergy Originally Posted: June 13, 2019 A research project by the Geothermal Lab in SMU has sparked optimism for the use of PwrCor technology to generate additional power from ultra-low-grade heat typically discarded by geothermal facilities. Source GlobeNewswire The Geothermal Laboratory at Southern Methodist University (SMU) has just completed a research project that aims to use ultra-low-grade heat (150 °F to 250 °F) normally discarded by geothermal facilities to generate additional electricity. A central component of this project was the proprietary bottoming cycle technology of PwrCor, Inc., an advanced technology company that focuses on renewable energy solutions for Waste-to-Heat Power, Geothermal, and Solar markets. Based on the data compiled from 31 out of 73 US-based geothermal sites, an approximate 427 MWe can be generated [...]
Research shows Permian Basin sinkholes are growing
CBS7 Originally Posted: May 20, 2019 Research by geophysics has shown the Permian Basin may be booming economically, it’s also sinking physically. Wink is known for its massive sinkhole, but new research suggests that in the coming years that sight might not be so uncommon. It turns out wink isn’t the only spot prone to sinkholes. Researchers at Southern Methodist University have found points all over the Permian Basin where the ground is sinking at 5 to 53 centimeters every year. But why? CBS7 spoke to a Dr. Zhong Lu, a geophysics professor at SMU who has been studying sinkholes patterns in the Permian Basin. He explained the Permian Basin has a layer of salt below the ground surface and in many instances oil and [...]
Tiny Texas dinosaur finally has a name nearly 35 years after discovery in treasure trove of fossils
Dallas Morning News Originally Posted: April 4, 2019 About 120 million years ago, flocks of small dinosaurs bounded from plant to plant in an open floodplain southwest of what is now Fort Worth. They stood on two legs as they foraged for leaves and shoots. The smallest hatchlings were about the length of your hand, while the largest measured 9 feet from head to tail. “They were birdlike and very agile, slender, fast-running dinosaurs,” said Kate Andrzejewski, a postdoctoral fellow at Southern Methodist University and lead author of a highly anticipated new paper in the journal PLOS ONE that describes these creatures for the first time. The dinosaurs, which Andrzejewski and her colleagues named Convolosaurus marri, make up the largest trove of dinosaur fossils ever discovered in Texas. Convolosaurus means “flocking [...]
New Texas Dinosaur Discovery
PLOSE Originally Posted: March 12, 2019 New Texas dinosaur named for ISEM Trustee Ray Marr Kate Andrzejewski, with Dale Winkler and Louis Jacobs of the Roy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences have identified Convolosaurus marri from fossils collected at Proctor Lake. READ MORE
Explore the hidden wonders, technology happening right here in Dallas with Science in the City
Dallas Morning News Originally Posted: March 8, 2019 This is an excerpt from a Dallas Morning News article. Read the full article here. Register for Science in the City here. How to listen for earthquakes, feel the vibrations (and sturdiness) of bridges, and even make better bionic legs Did you know you can “listen” for earthquakes? No, it’s more than putting your ear to the ground to see if one is coming. Seismologists study seismic waves to see how strong an earthquake is and pinpoint its epicenter. They can examine these waves to detect a number of things, including nuclear explosions. At SMU’s Science in the City, you can learn how seismologists from SMU do just that. You’ll also get a chance to learn how the school’s engineers [...]
Today, March 5: SMU Giving Day
One day. For 24 hours on March 5, the entire SMU community will come together to give back and celebrate the causes we care about – supporting students, improving cities, educating teachers, fighting for justice, fueling champions – together, the possibilities are endless. Please consider supporting a Dedman College cause: Dedman College Scholars Dean’s Research Council SMU Human Rights SMU Fund for Dedman College Data Hackathon Challenges: Dean’s Research Council Match Gifts made to the Dedman College Dean’s Research Council will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000. Thank you to generous donors, Dr. Anthony Aramoonie ‘94 and Nicole Aramoonie for making this possible! Dedman College Scholars Challenge Support scholarships and help us meet the challenge from longtime SMU supporters Carl Sewell ’66 and Peggy Higgins [...]
Government shutdown freezes Dallas scientists’ work — and paychecks
Dallas Morning News Originally Posted: January 16, 2019 The 25-foot-long swimming lizards sit alone in the dark. A few weeks ago, they drew thousands of visitors a day at the Washington, D.C., National Museum of Natural History, where they helped tell the story of shifting continents, evolution and life on Earth. Now the museum is closed, a casualty of the partial government shutdown. "It just makes no sense," said Louis Jacobs, a paleontologist at Southern Methodist University who spent months assembling the exhibit with a team of colleagues and students. The show was a career highlight for Jacobs, who retired from SMU last May, and a source of pride for his team and the school. It showcases 85-million-year-old fossils that Jacobs and colleagues unearthed along the coastal cliffs of West Africa starting [...]
Returning to the Hilltop to Shape a New Generation of Scientists
Dedman College News Originally Posted: Jan. 1, 2019 Dr. Heather DeShon, Associate Professor in the Roy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences, describes how her love of science as a child led her to pursue a career in academia, her return to the Hilltop as a member of the faculty, and how women are making progress in the sciences. How did you first discover your passion for geophysics? In elementary school I always chose the earthquake or volcano for class projects and loved to camp and be outdoors with my family, and I remained very interested in all things science throughout junior high and high school. My mother made me read her National Geographic magazine so she could have someone to talk to about the articles, and that [...]
Earth Sciences Faculty Remember Star Pupil and Friend Lü Junchang
Dedman College News Originally Posted: December 12, 2018 Faculty in the Roy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences were stunned by the sudden death in October of Lü Junchang, one of China’s leading dinosaur experts and a beloved former student who received his Ph.D from SMU in 2004. Writing about his death in Scientific American, writer Richard Coniff called him one of the most important dinosaur researchers in the past half-century. Junchang, 53, was a researcher at the Institute of Geology at the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences in Beijing. Paleontologist Stephen Brusatte, in his 2018 book, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, described Junchang as having curiously accented English because of his Chinese cadence and the Texas drawl he picked up as a graduate student at [...]