The Science of Birdsong
Humans have been long fascinated by birdsong and the cacophony of other avian sounds — from coos and honks to quacks and peeps. But little is known about how the unique vocal organ of birds — the syrinx — varies from species to species or its deeper evolutionary origins.
Geology by Drone
Along with GPS and the field notebook, in recent years drones have become standard issue for Jackson School students heading out into the field. These tools have been made all the more accessible through the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences’ new drone lab, where students can easily utilize drones and virtual reality headsets to enhance their coursework and research.
The Next Generation of Climate Scientists
The Jackson School's new undergraduate major in climate system science is a Texas first. The new comprehensive degree emphasizes the basic science and mathematics needed to rigorously study the climate system. It will prepare students for graduate school and for the jobs of the future as all professional sectors and industries work to understand the impact of climate change.
Q&A: When Climate Risks Combine
Research assistant professor Danielle Touma is finding connections and calculating risks between extreme climate events, like wildfire and drought.
News
Awards + Honors
Recognizing honors and accomplishments of faculty members and staff at the Jackson School of Geosciences....
Hot Science on Screen
A new science video series produced by the Jackson School of Geosciences and the Moody...
Scientists Propose Overlooked Step in Tectonic Squeeze
Zircons could capture a transitional step in the formation of back-arc basins — an important...
Leaky Pipes Help Sustain Trees During Drought
There’s a silver lining to the less-than-perfect plumbing, according to new research. The water flowing...
Preparing the Texas Coast for Rising Seas
A conference brought together polar and costal scientists and stakeholders from the Texas coast to...
UT Hosts International Symposium for Earthquake Scientists
The symposium helped share advances in earthquake science from around the world, as well as...
Earthquakes on the Move in Midland Basin
Seismic activity in the region is probably on the move northeast toward the community of...
A New Way to Look Inside the Earth
Called deformation imaging, the new technique reveals information about the rigidity of the planet’s crust...
Scientists Explore Catalyst for Emissions-Free Hydrogen
Researchers are exploring a suite of natural catalysts to produce hydrogen gas from iron-rich rocks...
Machine Learning for Geoscientists
A new machine learning certificate program launched by the Jackson School of Geosciences is helping...
Dean's Welcome
Dear Friends,
Welcome to The Geoscientist, where we share a look into the exciting world of researchers and students at the Jackson School of Gesociences.
In this issue we look at how we are preparing students to approach a topic on everybody’s mind: climate change. The Jackson School has launched a new climate system science degree– the first in Texas and one of only a handful in the country. The new degree will prepare students for the jobs of the future by giving them the math, physics and data skills that are needed to help private and public sector employers understand how climate change is affecting their businesses and communities.
Climate change is impacting every part of our world, in some cases in ways we are just beginning to understand. We introduce you to new faculty member Danielle Touma, who specializes in characterizing the cascading risk of extreme climate events, where one natural disaster may quickly follow another — think of drought followed by wildfire or storm followed by mudslide.
We also explore how our faculty and students are using drone and VR technology to study hard-to-reach geology. It’s an important — and fun — addition to our field students that helps open up geology to students from all backgrounds and physical capabilities.
Finally, we feature the work of one of our top paleontologists, Julia Clarke, who is leading research the bird syrinx, a unique vocal organ that is responsible for all the bird sounds and songs that we know and love. Scientists know very little about the syrinx’s origins and how its structure varies in birds. Julia is lading the charge to answer these foundational questions.
Enjoy!
Claudia Mora, Dean
Jackson School of Geosciences
The University of Texas at Austin