Geoscience Alliance To Enhance Minority Participation

GAEMP People

LSU Geology and Geophysics

            Many members of the Department of Geology and Geophysics will participate actively in the summer course and are willing to serve as mentors to the senior research students or as Faculty Advisors for graduate students. Consult the departmental web page for summaries of their research and teaching interests. Their email addresses provide a convenient means to contact them with any questions that you may have concerning geology and geophysics. The GAEMP principal investigators at LSU include:
 

Laurie Anderson will help lead the history of life, paleogeography, and depositional environments portions of the summer course. She will also mentor participants conducting research in evolutionary paleobiology and paleoecology. Potential research topics that Dr. Anderson could mentor include:      
1) documentation of biofouling communities on offshore

oil and gas platforms to prospect for taxa with biotechnology potential, 2) examination of evolutionary patterns in lucinid bivalves (which house chemo synthetic bacteria), especially in comparison to co-occurring mollusks that are part of photo synthetically based food webs, 3) characterization of depositional patterns/histories of coastal plain or western Interior sedimentary systems, especially those with a significant faunal component, and 4) investigation of growth patterns and biogeochemistry of accretionary skeletons, especially to address paleoecologic or evolutionary  questions. (laurie@geol.lsu.edu)

Phil Bart will co-lead portions of the summer course concerning fluvial processes on the Louisiana coastal plain.  Two potential research topics that Dr. Bart could mentor concern various aspects of the cryosphere's stability during the early and upper Miocene from the perspective of the Ross Sea outer continental shelf.  These investigations would be supported by the large seismic database currently housed at LSU. (pbart@geol.lsu.edu)

Ray Ferrell will serve as summer program leader and contribute specific support on topics related to mineralogy, environmental geochemistry, weathering, and modern sedimentary environments of the delta and coastal plain. Research students may explore clay mineral, organic matter, and oxyhydroxide roles in retention/release of organic or inorganic pollutants with regard to water quality; or processes responsible for the textural and mineralogical patterns produced during

 Partner Universities and Coordinators University descriptions are condensed from material on their web sites. Campus coordinators are the primary contacts for students at the participating universities

Dillard University is a private, historically black, faith based liberal arts institution. Dillard has as its purpose the development of graduates who are broadly educated, culturally aware, concerned with improving the human condition and able to meet the competitive demands of a global and technologically advanced society. To achieve this purpose, the university strives to create and maintain an academic climate that is conducive to the pursuit of scholarship through programs of excellence anchored in the liberal arts.

Dr. Abdallah Darwish conducts research on Laser Spectroscopy, high pulsed laser ablation, laser design and fabrication, composite materials, NLO materials (P.R. Crystals, P.R. Polymers, dye doped polymers), MEMS, integrated optics & wave guide fabrication, optical sensors, fiber optics, EPR, FMR, ESR, FTIR, crystal growth, ion implantation, and semiconductors thin film and many other areas. He teaches physics and engineering classes: electromagnetic theory, magnetism, mechanics, statics, thermodynamics, theoretical physics, semiconductor devices, optics, Nonlinear Optics, wave theory, modern physics, laser systems, mathematics for physicist and engineers, nuclear engineering, radioisotopes, nuclear fuel cycles, instrumentation, Laser Design and fabrication, laser spectroscopy, Electronic, Electric circuits, electron magnetic resonance, and quantum mechanics. He strives to be a 21^St century effective, resourceful and visionary leader and administrator to advance diversity, opportunities and innovations in undergraduate /graduate science, engineering and technology education. (adarwish@dillard.edu)

Grambling State University, a member of the University of Louisiana System, was founded in 1901 as a private industrial school to educate African American citizens of north central Louisiana. It is now a comprehensive university offering undergraduate, graduate, professional and continuing education programs. Grambling State University endeavors to achieve excellence in higher education through teaching, research and service governed by the principles of academic freedom. The University believes that education is the cornerstone of an enlightened, creative and productive society. It strives to be true to its motto: "Grambling State University is the place where everybody is somebody."

Dr. Matthew Ware has research experience and publications in the area of high magnetic field, low-temperature magnetic properties of inorganic solids, including magnetic properties of high-temperature superconductors. Teaching runs gamut of undergraduate physics. He teaches both phases of general physics, thermodynamics, mechanics, electricity and magnetism, quantum mechanics, and solid-state physics, plus the physics/chemistry phase of physical science to non-science majors. (waremf@gram.edu)

Jackson State University is a historically Black, coeducational, research-intensive public institution of higher learning that has been designated by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning as the urban institution of Mississippi. The University functions as a community of learners in which teaching, research and service are central to the total learning environment. The University maintains a commitment to effectively serve students from diverse academic, social, economic, ethnic and geographic backgrounds.

Dr. Ezat Heydari is a geologist specializing in general sedimentology and carbonate petrology. He teaches Earth Science and other Physical Science courses and hopes to increase the scope of geoscience offerings at his university. As a graduate of LSU, he is well acquainted with the research of the faculty and the analytical and other laboratories that can be utilized by his students. (Ezat.heydari@ccaix.jsums.edu)

The Southern University System is committed to the education of a diverse clientele.  Academically talented and well prepared students as well as students who show promise but whose backgrounds reflect the nature of the educational systems to which they have been exposed are admitted to each of the System's campuses.  The University's record in transforming both groups of students into scholars and productive citizens is uniquely unassailable.  In assuming this vital task, the Southern University System performs a special function for the State of Louisiana and the nation. Representatives from the Baton Rouge (BR) and New Orleans (NO) campuses are participating in GAEMP.

SUBR, Dr. Terrence Reese conducts research and publishes on the use of specialized Monte Carlo techniques to compute the equilibrium properties of quantum particles (positrons, electrons and Positronium atoms) in dense fluids and on ways to use the remote sensing field to improve the geographical, geological and cartographical skills of K-12 students. He teaches a physical science course for non-science majors on chemistry, electricity, astronomy and geology and a mathematical physics course for Physics majors. (Treese2436@aol.com)

SUNO, Dr. Joseph Omojola has overlapping research interests in applied mathematics, applied physics, and engineering. He is experienced in mentoring programs for minority students, serving as Co-PI and Project Manager in the Program for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Computer Technology (PESMaCT), a $2.5M grant funded by the NSF, and is a Campus Coordinator for Louisiana Alliance for Minority Participation (LAMP). (jomojola@suno.edu)

Texas Southern University, a comprehensive Black institution, has been designated as "a special purpose institution of higher education for urban programming". The University focuses on high quality teaching, research and public service as a means of preparing students for leadership roles in the urban communities of our state, nation, and world. Texas Southern University offers a variety of academic programs to students of diverse backgrounds and various levels of scholastic achievement. In fulfilling its purpose, Texas Southern University is committed to maintaining an innovative, productive, and receptive learning environment; and implementing initiatives to ensure a suitable environment for research and other scholarly activities. Their motto, "Excellence in Achievement", succinctly sums up the over arching goal of the university and its mission.

Dr. Victor D. Obot is active in basic physics research and its application to materials. He has published on magnetic properties, including the characterization of pining centers and been engaged in instrument development. He has been engaged in A NASA sponsored program with the University of Houston – Downtown to conduct an urban outreach program in space science. (Obot_VD@tsu.edu)

University of Houston-Downtown is a medium-sized (10 400 students in Fall 2002), state-funded university located in the heart of the business district of Houston, Texas.   It is an autonomous institution, one of four such institutions that form the University of Houston System.  UH-D is predominantly an undergraduate institution with almost 30 bachelor degrees offered and only two graduate programs, neither of them in science.  It is an open-admissions university with a large proportion of first-generation in college students.  Ethnically, the latest available figures show that UH-D is 32% Hispanic, 28% African American, 26% European American, and 11% Asian American.  It has been designated a Hispanic Serving Institution. The Department of Natural Sciences has 22 full-time faculty members and a number of adjuncts. It offers seven bachelor’s degrees in Applied Microbiology, Applied Physics, Biology, Biological and Physical Sciences, Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Industrial Chemistry.  Although there is no degree in the geosciences, two students have gone on to graduate school in geology after receiving a degree with a major in Biological and Physical Sciences and a minor in Geology.

Dr. Glen Merrill is a geologist specializing in paleontology. He has published several papers and supported undergraduate students to conduct research on the paleobiology and stratigraphy of conodonts. Glen is the leader of the departmental geology group. (MerrillG@uhd.edu)

The University of Texas at San Antonio serves more than 18,600 students enrolled in 88 bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. UTSA is the third largest component university in the University of Texas System. With six new doctoral programs in the planning stages, UTSA is moving rapidly toward classification as a doctoral-granting institution. The University's three campuses provide access and opportunity for large numbers of historically underserved students. More than 50 percent come from groups under-represented in higher education. Many are the first in their family to attend a college or university.

Dr. Lance Lambert is also a paleontologist with an interest in conodonts and other microfossils. He is active in global correlation activities and field studies. He is mentoring high school students in paleontological research. Lance directs an advanced research program to provide active research experiences to science teachers in Texas High Schools. (llambert@utsa.edu)

Xavier University of Louisiana is the nation's only institution of higher learning that is historically Black and Catholic. Xavier's purpose from its founding has been to help create a more just and humane society. Reaffirming its Black heritage and its Catholic tradition, Xavier offers opportunities in education and leadership development to the descendants of those historically denied the liberation of learning. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Xavier ranks first nationally in the number of African American students earning undergraduate degrees in biology, physics, and the physical sciences overall. Xavier is one of only six schools chosen to participate in the National Science Foundation’s Model Institutions for Excellence in Science, Engineering and Mathematics programs. 

Dr. Kathleen McCloud is chair of the Department of Physics. (kmccloud@xula.edu)

What is Geoscience?

Geoscience is a unique science, in that it is truly integrative.  We study Earth as a system that is influenced by from the interaction of physical, chemical, and biological processes through time in the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the biosphere and within the solid Earth.

What Does A Geoscientist Do?

Geoscientists are employed in industry, government, and universities.  They are engaged in various research projects and applied studies with diverse goals.  For example, a hydro geologist may work to provide groundwater for people in cities and on farms, or may even protect it from pollution.  Geophysicists interpret geologic formations below the surface of Earth in the search for oil and gas or to explain how earthquakes are generated. Paleontologists use fossils to trace the evolution of life and to predict how climatic change may impact life and ecosystems in the future.  Some geologists study the origin of Earth and the solar system and changes that are due to collisions with asteroids.  The work of geoscientists leads to a better, more sustainable life for all.

Carrie Cazes (MS-GEOL) conducting a seismic test survey using a S-wave source (an I-beam), a closed-circuit trigger switch, and some prototype sleds to create a land streamer system.

To learn more about geoscience faculty and student research at LSU, follow the links associated with the general topics listed below.

Fluids in the Crust
Geochemistry
Geophysics
Paleontology
Petrology, Mineralogy, and Earth Materials
Stratigraphy and Sedimentology 

What is Geoscience?

Geoscience is a unique science, in that it is truly integrative.  We study Earth as a system that is influenced by from the interaction of physical, chemical, and biological processes through time in the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the biosphere and within the solid Earth.

What Does A Geoscientist Do?

Geoscientists are employed in industry, government, and universities.  They are engaged in various research projects and applied studies with diverse goals.  For example, a hydro geologist may work to provide groundwater for people in cities and on farms, or may even protect it from pollution.  Geophysicists interpret geologic formations below the surface of Earth in the search for oil and gas or to explain how earthquakes are generated. Paleontologists use fossils to trace the evolution of life and to predict how climatic change may impact life and ecosystems in the future.  Some geologists study the origin of Earth and the solar system and changes that are due to collisions with asteroids.  The work of geoscientists leads to a better, more sustainable life for all.

Carrie Cazes (MS-GEOL) conducting a seismic test survey using a S-wave source (an I-beam), a closed-circuit trigger switch, and some prototype sleds to create a land streamer system.

To learn more about geoscience faculty and student research at LSU, follow the links associated with the general topics listed below.

Fluids in the Crust
Geochemistry
Geophysics
Paleontology
Petrology, Mineralogy, and Earth Materials
Stratigraphy and Sedimentology 

Why Pursue Geoscience?

Geoscientists are engaged in challenging activities to care for and develop Earth's natural resources. 

Geoscientists are professionals with great job satisfaction. Many regard their work as fun. 

They are well compensated.  The range in salary for petroleum geologists with 0-2 years of experience in 2002 was $58,000-$75,000 with an average of $65,000.

The prospects for employment are good and improving.  Almost 90% of the recent M.S. and Ph.D. graduates found employment in the field.

The "Summer Program"

Summer '05 Slide Show

Who is Eligible?

GAEMP gives priority for the "Summer Program" to student applicants from the participating universities who have completed their junior year majoring in Biological Science, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, or Engineering and Technology.  These students will register for 8-credit hours of course work to learn basic geoscience principles and to be introduced to important research problems.  

African-American and Hispanic students from other universities may apply.

Industry Representatives

Darryl K. Willis. Project Geophysicist, BP Corporation, and President, National Association for Black Geologists and Geophysicists is an advocate for undergraduate research. He has worked with NABGG and NASA to stimulate the interests of minority students in earth and planetary sciences. Has been the geoscience recruiter for BP Corporation for five years.

Barbara Rassmann. Geological advisor with the New Business Development Group at ExxonMobil in Houston, Texas, USA. After receiving an MSc (1981) in Geology at University of Cincinnati, she joined the Reservoir Division of Exxon Production Research Company in Houston focusing on carbonate reservoir diagenesis, sequence stratigraphy, and carbonate log analysis. She has served the company in several positions and has been a recruiter for more than five years.

John Suter. Visits campus regularly as a Conoco recruiting representative.  He hosted the LSU AAPG student chapter field trip to the Book Cliffs in Colorado and Utah in April 2002.  Suter was elected for a second time to the SEPM Council as the "Councilor for Research" for 2002-2003 and elected to the AAPG Award Selection Committee on Research.  Serving as domestic lecturer for the AAPG Distinguished Lecture Series, he delivered talks on deltaic systems and sequence stratigraphy in a development setting to audiences in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas, as well as Calgary and Regina, Canada.  Suter has worked for the U.S. and Louisiana Geological Surveys, ExxonMobil, and is currently Research Associate at Conoco, Inc. in Houston, Texas.