Events
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Master's Saturday
Start:May 1, 2021 at 8:30 am
End:
May 1, 2021 at 1:30 pm
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Session 1: Sediment Deposition and Tectonics from Multiple Perspectives
Session Chair: Rebecca Gao and George Segee-Wright
Session 2: Modeling in Many Forms
Session Chair: Eric Hiatt and William Nguyen
| 10:15am to 10:30am | Helena Rose Tiedmann MODELING IN A CRISIS: OVERCOMING THE WATER SECTOR’S DATA STRUGGLES TO REALIZE THE POTENTIAL OF HYDRAULIC MODELS (Kasey M. Faust) |
| 10:30am to 10:45am | Meiyan Chen OPTIMAL ELECTRIFICATION PATHWAYS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA (SSA) (Bridget R. Scanlon) |
| 10:45am to 11:00am | Bethany G Rysak ANALYSIS OF HYDRAULIC FRACTURE GROWTH AND SEGMENTATION: IMPLICATIONS OF THE HFTS1 SLANT CORE, WOLFCAMP FM., MIDLAND BASIN, WEST TEXAS (Julia F. W. Gale) |
| 11:00am to 11:15am | David Wiggs A GENERALIZED MODEL TO DESCRIBE THE ELASTIC STIFFNESS TENSOR OF MUDROCKS BASED ON THE FULL STRAIN TENSOR (Peter B. Flemings) |
| 11:15am to 11:30am | Ruide Ao SYSTEMATIC COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT MACHINE LEARNING BASED EARTHQUAKE DETECTION METHODS (Daniel Trugman and Steve Grand) |
| 11:30am to 11:45am | Jasmine Renee Nelson REASSESSING MIDDLE AND INNER EAR MORPHOMETRICS AS PREDICTORS OF AUDITORY CAPABILITIES IN REPTILES (Julia A. Clarke) |
Session 3: The Impacts of Carbon
Session Chair: Cameron deFabry and Shawn Fullmer
| 12:00pm-12:15pm | Harry L. Hull CHARACTERIZING RESERVOIR QUALITY FOR GEOLOGIC STORAGE OF CO2—A CASE STUDY FROM THE LOWER MIOCENE SHORE ZONE AT MATAGORDA BAY, TEXAS (Tip Meckel) |
| 12:15pm-12:30pm | Lauren Grace Lamb SUSTAINABILITY OF CRAFT DISTILLERIES: AN ANALYSIS OF THE PROFITABILITY OF A CARBON NEUTRAL CRAFT DISTILLERY IN CENTRAL TEXAS (Fred Beach) |
| 12:30pm-12:45pm | Melianna Ulfah PLUME MIGRATION AND PRESSURE EVOLUTION ANALYSES FOR RECOMMENDATIONS IN OFFSHORE CO2 STORAGE ACREAGE LEASING POLICY (Susan D. Hovorka) |
| 12:45pm-1:00pm | Andrew Murosko A CASH FLOW MODEL OF CARBON CAPTURE RETROFIT INVESTMENT IN TEXAS POWER GENERATION USING MONTE CARLO SIMULATION (James S. Dyer) |
| 1:00pm-1:15pm | Arnold Oseiy Aluge SCREENING AND ASSESSING THE CO2 STORAGE POTENTIAL OF CO2-EOR IN ONSHORE OIL FIELDS IN LOUISIANA (Susan D. Hovorka) |
| 1:15pm-1:30pm | Eiji Kawai THE ROLE OF CARBON CAPTURE AND UTILIZATION IN INDUSTRIAL SECTOR DECARBONIZATION: A CASE STUDY OF JAPAN (Benjamin D. Leibowicz) |
UTIG Discussion Hour: Wei Wei, UTIG (PhD Talk)
Start:May 4, 2021 at 2:00 pm
End:
May 4, 2021 at 3:00 pm
Location:
Zoom Meeting
Contact:
Naoma McCall, nmccall@utexas.edu
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Speaker: Wei Wei, Graduate Research Assistant, UTIG
Title: Bathymetric and subglacial hydrological context for the basal melting of Antarctic ice shelves
LEO Seminar Series: Kiara Gomez and Estephania Salgado-Jauregui
Start:May 5, 2021 at 1:00 pm
End:
May 5, 2021 at 2:00 pm
Location:
Zoom
The purpose of LEO is to create a more inclusive and educated community within the JSG by sharing and listening to each other’s stories. Speakers will interview each other and talk about why they are involved in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts and the heart behind their work. By learning more about why individuals are involved in DEI, we will broaden our understanding of the impacts the JSG is making on students, faculty, staff, and greater society. Taking initiative to get to know each other, ask questions, and Listen to Each Other is a skill that will propel us further to be leaders in the geosciences.
Nathalie Voisin, Ph.D. - University of Washington
Start:May 6, 2021 at 11:00 am
End:
May 6, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Location:
Virtual
Contact:
Dena Miller, dena.miller@beg.utexas.edu
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Nathalie Voisin, Ph.D.
Chief Scientist, Earth System Predictability Group, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Seattle, WA Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Advances and Gaps in the Integration of Hydrologic Sciences in Power System Studies
Efficient and reliable operation of power grids requires managing a balance between energy production and electricity demand. The U.S. relies heavily on fresh surface water-dependent electricity generation, using water as fuel for hydropower and coolant for water dependent thermo-electric plants. There are however large disparities in the generation mix and overall power grid operations across the three continental U.S. power grids. Focusing on the Western U.S. interconnect, we demonstrated the sensitivity of contemporary grid operations to inter-annual variations in regional water availability. Leveraging the water-energy modeling framework, we then evaluated the sensitivity of the contemporary power grid to water availability compounded with changes in natural gas price, and the sensitivity to future water availability and its propagation onto regional market dynamics. Acknowledging that long term energy planning is driven by a variety of factors, we extended the approach to integrate future water availability in long term resources adequacy and reliability studies using both capacity expansion and production cost models over the Western U.S. interconnect. I will present those scientific advances along with ongoing research including the integration of hydrometeorological science for both load and generation. I will discuss regional strategies for the modeling integration and I will address modeling gaps, which range from diversity in production cost models, representation of water-sensitive operations, and the role of markets and agents of decision making.
UT Paleontology Seminar: Dr. Melissa Kemp
Start:May 6, 2021 at 11:00 am
End:
May 6, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Location:
Contact jamoretti@utexas.edu for Zoom link
Contact:
John A Moretti, jamoretti@utexas.edu
Dr. Melissa Kemp (Integrative Biology)
Research Interests: Conservation paleobiology, Evolutionary ecology, Island biogeography, Ancient DNA
DeFord Lecture: Dawn Wright
Start:May 6, 2021 at 4:00 pm
End:
May 6, 2021 at 5:00 pm
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52 Million Points and Counting: A New Stratification Approach for Mapping and Modeling the Ocean
About Dr. Dawn Wright (ESRI)
Chief Scientist of Esri; Seafloor mapping and tectonics, ocean conservation, environmental informatics, and ethics in information technology.
DeFord Lecture Series
Since the 1940’s, the DeFord (Technical Sessions) lecture series, initially the official venue for disseminating EPS graduate student research, is a forum for lectures by distinguished visitors and members of our community. This is made possible through a series of endowments.
Dr. Dara Entekhabi - MIT
Start:May 7, 2021 at 9:00 am
End:
May 7, 2021 at 10:00 am
Contact:
Dena Miller, dena.miller@beg.utexas.edu
Habitability Seminar: Sonia Tikoo-Schantz, Stanford University
Start:May 10, 2021 at 1:00 pm
End:
May 10, 2021 at 2:00 pm
Location:
Zoom Meeting
Contact:
David Goldstein, david@oden.utexas.edu
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A seminar from the Center for Planetary Systems Habitability
Title: Lunar Magnetism
Speaker: Sonia Tikoo-Schantz, Assistant Professor, Department of Geophysics, Stanford University
Dr. Jacob Covault - Bureau, QCL Consortium
Start:May 14, 2021 at 9:00 am
End:
May 14, 2021 at 10:00 am
Contact:
Dena Miller, dena.miller@beg.utexas.edu
Hot Science At Home "I Spy the Eye of the Aye-Aye"
Start:May 21, 2021 at 7:00 pm
End:
May 21, 2021 at 7:40 pm
Location:
Online (YouTube and Facebook)
Contact:
Didey Montoya, didey@austin.utexas.edu, 5124714211
View Event
What can an Aye-Aye teach us about human vision? Chris Kirk explains how his research related to these intense-looking and enigmatic primates helps us understand human vision.
The event will be streamed online through YouTube and Facebook and will include a Q&A with Dr. Kirk.
For additional information about other events, please visit www.hotsciencecooltalks.org.
Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar SeriesJanuary, 16 2026Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PMLocation: Zoom BEG Seminar presented by Pouyan Asem, UT Permian Basin on Zoom Topic: Type I water-serpentinized harzburgite interactions: implications on geologic carbon cycle |
UTIG 2026 Spring Seminar Series: Ann ChenJanuary, 16 2026Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AMLocation: UTIG Seminar Conference Room - 10601 Burnet Road, Bldg. 196/ROC 1.603 Title: Studying the earthquake cycle using InSAR and coral derived surface deformation observations Speaker: Ann Chen, Associate Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, The University of Texas at Austin Host: Thorsten Becker |
SSL Seminar Series | Tian DongJanuary, 20 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: Boyd Auditorium (JGB 2.324) Natural and Human Impacts on Coastal Land Building by Dr. Tian Dong Abstract: Sediment and water delivered by rivers build and sustain coastal landforms such as deltas and wetlands, which are densely populated and ecologically vital areas threatened by rising sea levels. In this talk, I highlight theory-driven and field-based research to understand how coastal land building operates across broad deltaic plains and how human activity affects these processes. On the theoretical front, inspired by Hack’s law (the scaling between watershed drainage area and channel length in tributary networks), we analyzed a global dataset of distributary delta networks and discovered a nearly identical scaling relationship between distributary channel length and nourishment area, the land-building counterpart to drainage area. Despite this apparent global scaling, we identified two distinct local land-building patterns: Uniform Delta Networks consistently follow Hack’s law, while Composite Delta Networks exhibit a scale break, transitioning from space-filling growth around the delta apex to quasi-linear growth near the coast. These surprising growth patterns suggest that global simplicity and local variability coexist in how river deltas grow and organize. To assess regional variability and human impacts, we combined remote sensing with field observations from the Lower Rio Grande, finding that the river currently carries about one-third of its median 1900s discharge, and only about 0.3% of its natural flow reaches the Gulf due to human consumption. This reduction leads to channel contraction, higher water levels for the same discharge, and significant shoreline retreat (up to 6 m/yr). I conclude by highlighting three ongoing/future research directions on deltaic land building: (i) sedimentation influenced by human engineering, (ii) wind-driven sediment redistribution, and (iii) the effects of sediment influx from retreating glaciers. |
DeFord Lecture | Venkat LakshmiJanuary, 22 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: JGB 2.324 Progresses and Challenges in Hydrology by Dr. Venkat Lakshmi, professor at the University of Virginia Abstract: In order to study land surface hydrology, we need to use a multitude of tools, namely, modeling, observations and their synergism. After multiple decades of hydrological modeling, we still have major challenges. However, we have novel observations and mathematical methods that are now available and can be harnessed to achieve progress. These include earth observations that are available at global scales and at high spatial resolutions and frequent temporal repeat. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) can be used (specifically Transfer Learning) to determine streamflow in un-gaged or poorly-gaged watersheds. In this talk, I will focus on four major questions and provide examples for each of the questions. These examples will highlight both advances and limitations for each issue. (i) Do earth observations compare well with in-situ counterparts? (ii) How important is rainfall in hydrological modeling? (iii) Can we get higher spatial resolution of earth observations? (iv) How do we study un-gaged/poorly gaged watersheds? |
Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar SeriesJanuary, 23 2026Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PMLocation: BEG VR Room 1.116C BEG Seminar presented by Dr. Bridget Scanlon, BEG in person. Topic: Remote sensing, hydrology |
SSL Seminar Series | Kristin BergmannJanuary, 27 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: Boyd Auditorium (JGB 2.324) Temperature and the earliest animals: Quantitative climate reconstruction across the Neoproterozoic–Phanerozoic transition by Dr. Kristin Bergmann Abstract: The Neoproterozoic–Phanerozoic transition records the emergence of complex animals, the origin of biomineralization, and the establishment of modern marine ecosystems—yet the climate context for these evolutionary milestones remains poorly quantified. Reconstructing ancient temperatures requires integrating sedimentology, carbonate petrography, and isotope geochemistry. Our field-based stratigraphic analysis establishes depositional context and identifies the most promising sampling targets; detailed petrographic screening and microstructural analyses constrain diagenetic paragenesis. Clumped-isotope thermometry (Δ47–Δ48) reconstructs temperature signals within this sedimentological framework, resolving the ambiguity between temperature and seawater composition that limits traditional δ¹⁸O approaches. This rocks-first workflow reveals large, directional climate shifts with ecological consequences. In the Tonian and Cryogenian, data from Oman and elsewhere indicate near-modern tropical temperatures before and after Snowball Earth glaciations, suggesting dynamic hydrologic and climatic transitions. During the Ediacaran, post-glacial warming followed by ≥20 °C cooling likely expanded oxygenated habitats and set the stage for early animal diversification. In the Ordovician, ~15 °C of long-term tropical cooling over ~40 Myr culminated in brief but extensive glaciation, providing the climate context for the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event. By grounding geochemical data in sedimentological and petrographic observations, we build a quantitative framework linking climate and habitability and provide evidence that temperature change guided life\'s evolutionary trajectory in deep time. |
SSL Seminar Series | Ted PresentJanuary, 29 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: Boyd Auditorium (JGB 2.324) Biogeochemical Signals of Seafloor Oxygenation by Dr. Ted Present Abstract: Earth’s oxygenation transformed the atmosphere, oceans, and ultimately the seafloor, establishing the carbon and sulfur cycles that govern our planet today. When and how did oxygen penetrate into marine sediments, shifting where organic matter was recycled and setting up the biogeochemical architecture we recognize in modern oceans? I approach this question by studying how microbial and chemical processes at the sediment-water interface leave lasting signatures in sedimentary rocks. Using sulfur isotopes and detailed sedimentology, I will show how Paleozoic carbonates and evaporites track the reorganization of ocean redox structure through critical evolutionary transitions like the Late Ordovician glaciation and mass extinction. The Permian Reef Complex of West Texas demonstrates how cementation and dolomitization patterns archive ancient sulfur cycling, with insights grounded in observations from modern tidal systems where diagenetic processes govern carbon storage along our changing coasts. I will close with how I envision training UT Austin students in integrated field and laboratory approaches to pursue future research leveraging evaporite basins, novel phosphatic archives, and terrestrial carbonates. By extracting environmental signals from the diagenetic processes that create the rock record, this work builds a framework for understanding how Earth’s oxygenation reshaped life and its environment. |
Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar SeriesJanuary, 30 2026Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PMLocation: BEG VR Room 1.116C BEG Seminar presented in person by Dr. Todd Halihan, Oklahoma State University, and Chief Technical Officer for Aestus, LLC in person Topic: Subsurface hydrogeology |
SSL Seminar Series | Mackenzie DayFebruary, 03 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: Boyd Auditorium (JGB 2.324) From sand to stratigraphy: How dunes record the changing landscape of Earth and other planets by Dr. Mackenzie Day Abstract: Desert dune fields preserve rich sedimentary records of environmental change, providing insight into both past climate and modern landscape evolution. This presentation explores three desert systems on Earth and Mars, using dune fields as a lens to examine how landscapes, both ancient and modern, respond to shifting environmental conditions. These investigations address the longevity of Earth’s dune fields, the interplay between wind and water, and the applicability of aeolian sedimentology to planetary bodies beyond Earth. Together, they highlight how dune fields serve as dynamic archives of change, and how Earth, Mars, and other bodies can be studied in tandem as natural laboratories for generalizing aeolian sediment transport to arbitrary fluid-gravity conditions. |
SSL Seminar Series | Marjorie CantineFebruary, 05 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: Boyd Auditorium (JGB 2.324) Human, climate, sediment and geobiological history of a rapidly-growing carbonate island by Dr. Marjorie Cantine Abstract: You may have heard the line that real estate is valuable because \"they aren\'t making more land\"; in this talk, I\'ll show you that that\'s not true. I\'ll use the sedimentary and radiocarbon records of a carbonate island in the Caribbean, Little Ambergris Cay, to describe its formation over the last millenium, how its growth relates to past climate, and what it means for mechanisms potentially capable of protecting shorelines in the near future. I\'ll leverage geobiological field experiments to help explain the mechanisms of island growth. Finally, I\'ll share how ongoing work in my group is leveraging geoarchaeological archives to better understand the human and climate histories of the Common Era and inform hazard predictions in the region through testing climate models. I will also briefly describe other work ongoing in my group, which tackles questions at the nexus of time, sedimentary processes, and geochemistry from the Precambrian to the Common Era. |
15th Annual Jackson School of Geosciences Student Research SymposiumFebruary, 06 2026Time: 12:00 AM - 12:00 AM |
Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar SeriesFebruary, 06 2026Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PMLocation: BEG VR Room 1.116C BEG Seminar presented by Stacy Timmons and Mike Timmons, New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources, in person. Topic: New Mexico Geological Survey |
SSL Seminar Series | Vamsi GantiFebruary, 10 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: Boyd Auditorium (JGB 2.324) From Dunes to Channel Belts: How Rivers Organize and Move Across Scales by Dr. Vamsi Ganti Abstract: Rivers are Earth’s arteries: they transport water and sediment from uplands to oceans, sustain ecosystems and agriculture, and build the stratigraphic record of past environmental change. Yet rivers are far from static—they are dynamic systems that evolve across scales, from ripples and dunes on the riverbed to entire channel belts. In this seminar, I will present three discoveries that reveal the mechanisms shaping alluvial river form and motion across these scales. (1) Laboratory experiments and theory identify a previously unrecognized transition in river-dune organization at the onset of significant suspended sediment transport. This transition influences flow roughness, flood-driven dune reconfiguration, and the nature of preserved fluvial strata. (2) Using a new image-processing tool, we analyzed 36 years of satellite imagery from 84 rivers to uncover the origins of single- versus multithread channels. Single-thread rivers achieve a balance between lateral erosion and accretion, maintaining equilibrium width, while multithread rivers arise when erosion outpaces accretion, causing individual threads to widen and split. This mechanistic insight informs both planetary geomorphology and cost-effective river restoration. (3) Finally, I’ll show how human activity and climate change are already altering the way rivers flow and evolve. Dams dampen river motion and reduce the number of active threads, whereas increased sediment supply from land-use change and glacial melt are making rivers in the Global South and High Mountain Asia more dynamic. Together, these discoveries provide a mechanistic view of river evolution across scales and highlight why understanding river behavior is essential—not only for managing water, life, and landscapes they sustain today, but also for decoding the history of environmental change recorded in sedimentary strata. |
DeFord Lecture | Jake JordanFebruary, 12 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: JGB 2.324 |