Geological Society of America Selects Bridget Scanlon as 2007 Distinguished Lecturer

March 27, 2007

AUSTIN, Texas-The Geological Society of America has selected Bridget Scanlon, senior research scientist at The University of Texas at Austin's Bureau of Economic Geology, as the 2007 Birdsall-Dreiss Distinguished Lecturer.

As the 2007 lecturer, Scanlon will make public presentations at about 50 institutions across the United States, Canada and Australia, drawing on her research examining the effects of climate variability and land use on groundwater resources in the Texas Southern High Plains, one of the largest agricultural areas in the U.S.

Scanlon's research indicates that vegetation controls the effects of climate variability on water resources in semiarid regions and that land-use change has a much greater impact on water resources than climate variability. As a result, her research indicates, conversion of semiarid land to agriculture in the southwestern U.S. increases groundwater resources.

She has already begun her year-long tour with stops in Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, Illinois and Michigan.

"With the Jackson School of Geosciences just getting going, this is a great opportunity to publicize what we're doing and to excite prospective students and scientists," said Scanlon.

"I congratulate Bridget and the hydro team at the bureau on this great honor," said Scott Tinker, director of the Bureau of Economic Geology. "Water is a major resource issue of this century. The bureau and Jackson School are committed to making a positive impact via application of research to address critical issues of water policy and use. It is very rewarding to see our scientists recognized by their peers and even more gratifying to know that our work is making a difference to society."

The Birdsall-Dreiss lectureship is one of the major honors of the Geological Society of America. The society has previously selected only one researcher from The University of Texas at Austin, Charles Kreitler in 1985.

The Geological Society of America's Hydrogeology Division provides funding for travel for the lectureship with supplemental funding provided by the Jackson School of Geosciences and host institutions.

For a schedule of Scanlon's tour stops, see:

http://www.jsg.utexas.edu/news/rels/0320a07.html

For more information about the Jackson School, contact J.B. Bird at jbird@jsg.utexas.edu, 512-232-9623.