spotlight
Vanderbilt EES Professor Ralf Bennartz to Lead NASA Mission to Study Ice Clouds
May. 25, 2023—Vanderbilt has been chosen to lead a NASA satellite mission, supported by a grant of up to $37 million, aimed at better understanding Earth’s high-altitude ice clouds. Ralf Bennartz, Stevenson Chair and professor of earth and environmental sciences, will lead the mission, which will underscore Vanderbilt’s cutting-edge contributions to comprehending our planet’s climate. You can read...
EES Professor Jonathan Gilligan Awarded a Fulbright Scholar Award
Apr. 25, 2023—Professor Jonathan Gilligan has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar Award to conduct collaborative research at the University of Calgary in Canada for academic year 2023-2024. Professor Gilligan and his colleagues will develop participatory interactive computer models of climate change as tools for education and public engagement.
April 22, 2023 – Earth Day Celebration
Apr. 25, 2023—Please enjoy this Earth Day Video from the EES department, faculty and students. Learn what Earth Day means to us and how some of our research is related to Earth Science!
Paleontology Graduate Student, Kelly Tingle, Uncovers Lessons from Microfossils of the Grand Canyon
Apr. 10, 2023—Kelly Tingle, graduate student in Simon Darroch’s lab (Earth and Environmental Sciences), just published a new first-authored article outlining some exciting discoveries related to microfossils found in the Grand Canyon. Vase-shaped microfossils were amoebae that exist worldwide and can provide some insight into early life on Earth. The new work, “Organic preservation of vase-shaped microfossils...
Kat Turk Awarded a Fulbright Study/Research Award & a DAAD Research Grant
Apr. 7, 2023—Congratulations to EES Ph.D. Candidate Kat Turk for receiving a 2023-2024 Fulbright Study/Research Award to Germany and the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) research grant. The Fulbright program aims to strengthen scientific, academic and cultural relations between Germany and the United States and to provide grantees with access to Germany’s excellent higher education system, outstanding infrastructure,...
EES Graduate Student Christopher Tasich is a CSDMS 2023 Student Modeler Award Runner-Up
Feb. 27, 2023—And the CSDMS 2023 Student Modeler Award runner-up is…..Chris Tasich, Vanderbilt University, for his submission “A simple model of a tidal platform”. Congratulations Chris!!
Vanderbilt-led Group Discovers Divergent Function in Convergent Evolution of Form
Feb. 27, 2023—Pectinifrons abyssalis from Mistaken Point, Newfoundland, Canada (A–C) Photographs of steep ‘U’-shaped (A), ‘S’-shaped (B), and gentle ‘U’-shaped (C) morphotypes of Pectinifrons. Scale bars: 5 cm. (D) Schematic diagrams of Pectinifrons morphotypes. The classic idiom form fits function does not always mean that everything of the...
EES Graduate Student Christopher Tasich is a PMF Finalist
Feb. 13, 2023—Congratulations to EES Graduate Student Christopher Tasich for being chosen as a finalist for the Presidential Management Fellows Program. The PMF Program gives Fellows the leadership skills and exposure they need to make a difference in government and an impact within their community. Way to go Chris! You can check out the press release here!...
Prof. Oster: New technique unlocks ancient history of climate and wildfires recorded in California cave rocks
Jan. 27, 2023—Data gained could help with fire activity predictions and environmental planning NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A newly developed technique is revealing how prehistoric climate change shaped fire activity in California. The new data suggest that increased climate whiplash—change between extreme wetness and dryness—occurred at the same time as increases in fire activity in the region. Recent...
Prof. Neil Kelley’s recent paper was featured in this week’s episode of Shortwave, a science podcast produced by NPR
Jan. 27, 2023—Summary Marine tetrapods occupy important roles in modern marine ecosystems and often gather in large aggregations driven by patchy prey distribution,1,2 social or reproductive behaviors,3,4 or oceanographic factors.5 Here, we show that similar grouping behaviors evolved in an early marine tetrapod lineage, documented by dozens of specimens of the giant ichthyosaur Shonisaurus in the Luning...