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Dean's Letter |
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A new name that conveys our breadth
Dear Alumni, Colleagues and Friends,
An exchange that occurred between U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden last month caught my attention.
During a budget hearing on Capitol Hill, Cruz asked Bolden to explain why it appeared as though funding for NASA's Earth sciences missions had grown while funding for space exploration had shrunk. "I would suggest that almost any American would agree that the core function of NASA is to explore space," said Cruz, who is chairman of the Senate's Space, Science, and Competitiveness Subcommittee. "I am concerned that NASA in the current environment has lost its full focus on that core mission."
Bolden countered that far from being a wasteful side project, the observation and study of Earth is a central part of NASA’s core mission and has been for decades. In fact, many of the same technologies that have been developed for the study of space are being used in the study of Earth, and are critical for understanding our planet's resources and environment. “This is the only place we have to live,” Bolden said. “We’ve got to take care of it, and the only way to take care of it is to know what’s happening.”
The dialogue struck me for a couple reasons. It reveals that not everyone is aware of NASA’s key role in designing and launching aircraft and satellites with sensors that study everything from Earth’s magnetic field and global land use to temperature change and Antarctic ice melt. It’s also a reminder that a fundamental misunderstanding still exists about the Earth sciences. It’s one that I’ve encountered often when talking about what our faculty and students do.
Our school’s research spans an amazing diversity of topics. These include understanding Earth’s subsurface processes in areas of study such as geology, geophysics, geochemistry and paleontology, as well as energy resources and natural hazards such as earthquakes and volcanoes. But like the planet that we study, the school’s research interests continue to evolve. Over the past two decades, we have added expertise on land, ocean, freshwater and climate systems, focusing on understanding changes in them and in resources such as food and water. Our scientists have also pioneered analytical and computational approaches for evaluating complex systems and analyzing the flood of data generated by remote sensing and other imaging techniques.
Much of the work happening within the school crosses disciplines and occurs at the intersections among the Earth sciences and other fields. For example, new faculty members Marshall Burke and Rob Jackson, both profiled in this issue, study the ways people interact with the Earth system, both causing and responding to environmental changes.
 Our faculty carry out research on Earth processes on all seven continents and in all the oceans. At the same time, nearly half now focus on energy resources, and nearly half on environmental issues. In February, we changed our name to the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences to convey that breadth. The name change was critical for more accurately reflecting the school’s focus on understanding the workings of the Earth and helping address the myriad resource and environmental challenges facing the world. I’m happy to say that nearly two months in, the reception to the new name has been fantastic.
If you live in the Houston area, consider joining me on April 14 for the first stop in the Earth Matters roadshow, a multi-city tour. In Houston, I will be joined by Professors Lou Durlofsky and Rosemary Knight, who will share their cutting-edge research with alumni and friends of the school.
I hope you enjoy this issue of Earth Matters. As always, let us know your ideas and story suggestions, and we invite you to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Best,
Pamela A. Matson
Chester Naramore Dean
School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences
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News & Discoveries |
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Research by Noah Diffenbaugh's lab reveal that in California, dry years coupled with warm conditions are more likely to lead to severe drought than dry, cool years, and the probability of warm and dry conditions coinciding is likely to increase under anthropogenic climate change. Read more... |
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A new Global Oil-Climate Index allows comparison of climate impacts associated with a broad range of oil resources such as heavy oils, oil sands and tight oil. Adam Brandt and colleagues from the Carnegie Endowment's Energy and Climate Program and the University of Calgary developed the first-of-its-kind index. Read more...
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542 million years of life on Earth
By analyzing a dataset of more than 17,000 groups of marine animals, Jon Payne and his team have revealed key insights about the history of life on Earth. One study found fresh support for Cope's rule, the idea that animals tend to evolve toward larger body sizes over time; another study showed that the rich animal diversity we see today developed slowly. |
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Four years after one of the largest earthquakes in recorded history devastated Japan, geophysicists Greg Beroza, Eric Dunham, and Paul Segall provide new insights about what happened during the earthquake and tsunami, and discuss ongoing research that helps society better prepare for similar events in the future. Read more... |
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Climate change is expanding the amount of U.S. agricultural land that is suitable for harvesting two crops per growing season, a system known as double cropping. The practice offers higher productivity and more income for farmers, but future yield losses from climate change may still outstrip the gains, according to new research by David Lobell's group. Read more... |
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On the 40th anniversary of the Stanford Geothermal Workshop, Roland Horne and alumna and geothermal reservoir engineer Sarah Pistone discuss innovative technologies and world-leading research that allow heat from deep within the Earth to be converted to clean energy. Watch... |
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PhD geoscientist and multimedia producer Miles Traer captured the presentations, posters and broader experience of the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in a series of cartoons that were widely shared by prominent scientists, journalists, and institutions such as NASA. Read more... |
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Activities ranging from a map-a-thon and a discussion of a clever geologic map of the Game of Thrones to library tours and a panel discussion are planned to commemorate the 100th anniversary of one of Stanford’s first libraries. Read more... |
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More News & Discoveries
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Faculty News & Honors |
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A chance course at Stanford and a study-abroad trip to Nepal changed the trajectory of Marshall Burke’s career, leading him to a human-focused approach to climate change research. His latest work deals with the link between rising temperatures and human violence. Read more... |
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Rob Jackson turns to music and poetry when he needs a mental recharge from his main research focus: the study of how humans are affecting Earth. Jackson’s research on the extraction and use of natural gas provides the basis for sound policy for resource development that protects people and the environment. Read more... |
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More Faculty News & Honors
- Adam Brandt received a sustainable energy grant from Stanford's TomKat Center. Brandt is collaborating on an economic assessment of energy systems that use multiple feedstocks.
- Greg Beroza was named to the Scientific Trends Task Force of the American Geophysical Union, which is charged with identifying and summarizing key scientific issues and trends either currently underway or anticipated to be underway across Earth and space sciences.
- Page Chamberlain received the first Senckenberg Prize for Nature Research for his innovative work in Earth system dynamics, including advancing the understanding of the carbon cycle and climate and precipitation patterns over millions of years.
- The U.S. Department of State nominated Chris Field to serve as chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the leading scientific body for the assessment of climate change. The election of the IPCC chair will take place during the 42nd session of the IPCC from October 6-10, 2015.
- Margot Gerritsen received the 2014 Richard W. Lyman Award from the Stanford Alumni Association, which recognizes faculty who go above and beyond to engage alumni on campus, regionally and around the world. Past winners include Pamela Matson (2005) and Rob Dunbar (2009).
- A study of urban water supply vulnerability co-authored by Steven Gorelick was recognized as the "Best Paper of 2014" by Environmental Research Letters.
- The journal Environmental Research Letters selected a paper on the increasing importance of urban agriculture for global food security co-authored by Eric Lambin as one of the 25 best articles published in the journal in 2014.
- David Lobell was also recognized by Environmental Research Letters for co-authoring of one of its top 25 articles in 2014. Lobell's research addressed the likelihood of a slowdown in global crop yields due to global warming.
- Anna Michalak was named a 2015 fellow in the Leopold Leadership Program. The fellowship program provides outstanding academic environmental researchers with skills and approaches for communicating and working with partners in NGOs, businesses, governments and communities to integrate science into decision-making.
- Roz Naylor was named as the first holder of the new William Wrigley Professorship in the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences.
- Lynn Orr, former dean of the School of Earth Sciences, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as undersecretary for science and energy in the U.S. Department of Energy.
- Tiziana Vanorio received an NSF CAREER Award in recognition of her research and teaching excellence that will allow her to advance her studies on the rock physics signatures of fluid-rock interactions.
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Student News |
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Professor Rosemary Knight’s students investigated the health and sustainability of their hometown watersheds in Earth Systems 104: The Water Course. Using hydrological principles, the students found many similarities - and some striking differences - among their local water supplies. Read more... |
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Laura Bloomfield conducts field work in Kibale National Forest in Western Uganda, investigating the transmission of retroviruses between human and nonhuman primate populations. She is in a dual degree program, pursuing a PhD in the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources and an MD at the Stanford Medical School. Watch... |
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Stanford was swimming with high school students who competed in the Sea Lion Bowl, a challenging ocean sciences quiz event. The School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences hosted the regional competition. Read more... |
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More Student News
- Lucile Bruhat, PhD (Geophysics), is one of six recipients of a GeoPRISMS Student Prize for her presentation at the American Geophysical Union 2014 Fall Meeting. Brunt's oral presentation was titled "Inverting for Shear Stress Rate on the Northern Cascadia Megathrust Using Geodetic Data."
- PhD candidates Kate Lewis, Elsa Ordway and Jim Yoon (Earth System Science) are among 20 Stanford graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who were named fellows in the 2015 Rising Environmental Leaders Program, sponsored by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.
- A talented jazz bass player, Zachary Ostroff, BS (Earth Systems), stars in HBO's new series Masterclass, as reported by the Stanford Daily. "The responsibility I feel within music to produce art of the highest quality is similar to the responsibility I have to the planet," he told the Daily.
- Daniel Swain, PhD (Earth System Science), was selected by the publication High Country News as one of 10 people under 30 who are shaping the future of the American West. In addition to his research, Swain publishes the popular California Weather Blog.
- A new study by PhD candidate Nicola Ulibarri (E-IPER) tested the widespread idea that collaboration on environmental decision-making processes actually improves the resources being managed. Read more...
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Alumni News |
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On April 14, the Earth Matters multi-city roadshow event will kick off in Houston, Texas. Dean Pamela Matson will be joined by Professors Rosemary Knight and Lou Durlofsky to talk about cutting-edge research and future school initiatives with alumni and friends of the school. Read more...
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Over the past two million years, some of Earth's largest explosive volcanic eruptions have occurred at Yellowstone, and the region continues to exhibit unrest. USGS Research Geologist Jake Lowenstern ('90, MS '92, PhD, Geology) presented the area's past, present and future in a recent Distinguished Lecture. Watch... |
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Sarah Pistone ('11, MS, Energy Resources Engineering) discusses her continued work on geothermal energy, a pursuit that began in her time at Stanford. Pistone is a geothermal reservoir engineer with Calpine Corporation in Northern California at the largest optimized geothermal field in the world. Watch... |
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Upcoming Events |
April 8, 2015, 7:30 – 9:00 PM, Stanford campus at Annenberg Auditorium.
Led by Dean Pamela Matson, with Prof. Adam Brandt, Energy Resources Engineering; Cox Visiting Professor James Leape, former Director General of the World Wildlife Fund; and Ruth DeFries, Denning Family Professor of Sustainable Development at Columbia University.
April 9, 2015 3:30 PM, Y2E2 Building, Room 299
Ruth DeFries, the Denning Family Professor of Sustainable Development in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology at Columbia University, will discuss how humans' manipulation of nature has led to our species living mostly in cities and subsisting on food produced by a minority in distant locations.
April 10, 2015 (All day), Y2E2 - Red Atrium
Symposium of talks, posters, and displays of current research by students and postdocs.
April 14, 2015, 6:00 – 9:00 PM, Downtown Houston
Earth Matters is a multi-city tour bringing Dean Pamela Matson and distinguished faculty to alumni and friends in an effort to connect, engage and inform. Houston is the first city on this tour, presented by the Stanford School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences. Come and hear about future school initiatives from the Dean, learn about cutting-edge research from faculty, and have a chance to reconnect with classmates. Please register by April 7.
Friday, April 17, 2015, 12:30 PM - 5:30 PM, McCaw Hall in Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center
Featuring Professors David Lobell and Roz Naylor and students Christopher Seifert and Maria Deloso. Advance registration required, no admission fee.
The Geology of the Game of Thrones
Friday, April 17, 5:00 – 7:00 PM, Braun Hall Auditorium 105 (GeoCorner)
Miles Traer will lecture on his fantasy Game of Thrones geologic map and theories on topics such as the splitting of Westeros from Essos, the size of the fictional planet, and what role dragons might play in regulating the climate. Hosted jointly by the Branner Earth Sciences Library and the Stanford School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences. Complimentary refreshments.
May 9, 2015, Sacramento, CA
May 17, 2015, 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM, Cemex Auditorium
Professor Rosemary Knight and doctoral candidate Nick Sawe will be among the presenters.
100th Anniversary of the Branner Earth Sciences Library celebration and tour
Thursday, June 11, 4:00 – 6:30 PM, Branner Earth Sciences Library & Mitchell Earth Sciences Building
Happy Anniversary Branner Library! The public is invited to attend a public event with speakers, food, and a tour of the library. Speakers include Dean Pam Matson, University Librarian Mike Keller, and Branner Head Librarian Julie Sweetkind-Singer.
June 14, 2015
Following Commencement in Stanford Stadium, Stanford Earth holds a diploma ceremony on the Mitchell front patio.
Please visit earth.stanford.edu/events for a comprehensive list of on-campus events including seminars and lectures.
* Conference registration is not required to attend alumni receptions.
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