Earth Sciences – Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences

What happened to the fossil on display at DFW Airport? Curious Texas digs up the answer

Dallas Morning News Originally Posted: Nov. 27, 2019 When DFW International Airport was being built in the 1970s, construction crews found the bones of a 70 million-year-old sea monster. Well, it wasn’t a monster exactly, but a 25-foot long plesiosaur, a large dinosaur with a body similar to a lizard’s but with flippers like those on a porpoise. It was one of many that roamed North Texas when water covered the land millions of years ago. The nearly 10,000-pound fossil was put on display between Gates 10 and 11 at the Braniff International terminal at DFW Airport in 1975, and it remained there even after Braniff Airways ceased operations in May 1982. The artifact later was moved again, and in the mid-2010s, the plesiosaur was [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-11-27T09:28:56-08:00 November 30th, 2019|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Earth Sciences, Faculty News|Comments Off

Wastewater leak in West Texas revealed

EurekaAlert Originally Posted: November 25, 2019 DALLAS (SMU) - Geophysicists at SMU say that evidence of leak occurring in a West Texas wastewater disposal well between 2007 and 2011 should raise concerns about the current potential for contaminated groundwater and damage to surrounding infrastructure. SMU geophysicist Zhong Lu and the rest of his team believe the leak happened at a wastewater disposal well in the Ken Regan field in northern Reeves County, which could have leaked toxic chemicals into the Rustler Aquifer. The same team of geophysicists at SMU has revealed that sinkholes are expanding and forming in West Texas at a startling rate. Wastewater is a byproduct of oil and gas production. Using a process called horizontal drilling, or "fracking," companies pump vast quantities [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-11-26T13:48:52-08:00 November 26th, 2019|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Earth Sciences, Faculty News|Comments Off

‘The Story Collider’ at Wild Detectives shows the intersection between humanity and science

Dallas Morning News Originally Posted: Nov. 21, 2019 From a journalism teacher donating her kidney to a total stranger to a middle school teacher traveling to Africa to study human fossils, people shared their stories in front of a live audience about how science has affected their lives. The Story Collider science and storytelling event made its way to Dallas’ Wild Detectives on Nov. 6 for the second time this year. The event featured five storytellers from different backgrounds. Since launching in 2010, Story Collider events have been held around the nation and even abroad. The Dallas Morning News’ science writer, Anna Kuchment, and Dallas-based television producer Aparna Kumar were the hosts, sharing anecdotes between speakers. A wide range of speakers made the packed bar [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-11-26T13:58:04-08:00 November 25th, 2019|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Earth Sciences, Graduate News|Comments Off

11/14 @ 1pm SMU’s Maria Richards will be testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Energy

SMU News Originally Posted: Nov. 13, 2019 SMU's Maria Richards, an authority on geothermal energy, will be testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives' Subcommittee on Energy about how to unearth the next wave of energy innovation using water and geothermal power. You can watch the live tweet Thursday, 11/14 at 1 p.m. CT here: https://science.house.gov/hearings/water-and-geothermal-power-unearthing-the-next-wave-of-energy-innovation

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-11-13T10:32:02-08:00 November 13th, 2019|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Earth Sciences|Comments Off

A Paleontologist, A Former Writer And Some Nerds Walk Into A Bar. This Is Profs And Pints.

KERA Originally Posted: Nov. 12, 2019 It’s 6:30 on a Tuesday night. Local brews, some cocktails, wine and food are filling tables at the Cambria hotel that looks out on Dallas’ still busy Elm Street. It’s lecture time. A budding business mixing spirits and scholars has come to Dallas. Profs and Pints is taking the traditional college class out of the lecture hall and into a bar. “Hello everybody, welcome to profs and pints… Thank you for coming out tonight,” says Peter Schmidt, who created Profs and Pints. His crowd of self-described geeks and nerds are especially into tonight’s topic – mosasaurs – giant sea creatures that swam around North Texas 72 million years ago. “Mosasaurs are actually one of my favorite dinosaurs,” said Shea Legters. That’s why [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-11-13T10:24:09-08:00 November 12th, 2019|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Earth Sciences, Faculty News|Comments Off

Historical data confirms recent increase in West Texas earthquakes

SMU Research Originally Posted: Nov. 4, 2019 A new analysis of historical seismic data conducted by The University of Texas at Austin, SMU and other academies has found that earthquake activity in West Texas around Pecos has increased dramatically since 2009. The study, published Nov. 4, 2019, in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, is important because it leverages old, unmined data to track seismic activity over nearly the past two decades – much further back than other studies— to show that activity has increased during the past decade in an area of the Permian Basin that is being heavily developed for oil and gas. Although researchers have generally thought that to be true, the statewide TexNet earthquake monitoring system has been gathering data [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-11-05T09:21:00-08:00 November 4th, 2019|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Earth Sciences, Faculty News|Comments Off

SMU paleontology grad named one of the AAAS IF/THEN ambassadors

SMU News Originally Posted: September 10, 2019 The ambassadors are encouraged to share their stories of being women innovators, in hopes it inspires the next generation of women to get into science, technology, engineering and math [STEM] Myria Perez ’18 and Louis Jacobs DALLAS (SMU) – SMU (Southern Methodist University) graduate Myria Perez ’18 was one of 125 women innovators across the country who was selected to be an AAAS IF/THEN ambassador. Their mission? To share their stories and serve as high-profile role models for girls, in hopes it leads to a new generation of women getting into science, technology, engineering and math [STEM]. “We firmly believe that if we support a woman in STEM, then she can change the world,” Lyda Hill, the founder of Lyda Hill Philanthropies, said [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-10-07T08:46:01-07:00 October 11th, 2019|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Earth Sciences, Undergraduate News|Comments Off

Researchers unveil new volcanic eruption forecasting technique

SMU News Originally Posted: September 12, 2019 Volcanic eruptions and their ash clouds pose a significant hazard to population centers and air travel, especially those that show few to no signs of unrest beforehand. Geologists are now using a technique traditionally used in weather and climate forecasting to develop new eruption forecasting models. By testing if the models are able to capture the likelihood of past eruptions, the researchers are making strides in the science of volcanic forecasting. The study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, examined the eruption history of the Okmok volcano in Alaska. In 2008, a large eruption produced an ash plume that extended approximately 1 mile into the sky over the Aleutian Islands – posing a significant hazard to aircraft engines along [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-10-07T08:43:49-07:00 October 9th, 2019|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Earth Sciences|Comments Off

Myria Perez selected as one of 125 women innovators across the country to be AAAS IF/THEN ambassadors

Dallas Morning News Originally Posted: Sept. 9, 2019 SMU alumna Myria Perez was selected as one of 125 women innovators across the country to be AAAS IF/THEN ambassadors. Their mission? To share their stories and serve as high-profile role models for girls. The percentages don't lie, and for women, the percentages aren't good. Only 37 percent of science, technology, engineering and math professionals portrayed in television and film are women. More than a few experts see a connection between such a low figure and whether young girls will choose to pursue STEM as a career. It is time, they say, to join forces in search of a new wave of STEM superstars. And pop culture — including television and film — is one of the ways to [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-09-30T08:01:29-07:00 September 30th, 2019|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Earth Sciences, Graduate News|Comments Off

Remembering James Elwood Brooks

Dallas Morning News Originally Posted: September 19, 2019 James E Brooks_Obituary

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-09-20T07:39:38-07:00 September 20th, 2019|Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Earth Sciences|Comments Off