UMD Geology
@umdgeology.bsky.social
The official Bluesky account of the Department of Geological, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD.
Last week we held our George and Rosalind Helz Distinguished Lecture In Geology series featuring Dr. Barbara Romanowicz from @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social. In this lecture, she looks back on the development of seismic networks and the scientific benefits. youtu.be/yUk57zb9tn4
Helz Lecture - Barbara Romanowicz from University of California, Berkeley - 10/8/2026
YouTube video by UMD Geology
youtu.be
Congratulations to Assoc Prof Nicholas Schmerr who was awarded the 50 Under 50 Award by a joint initiative of the Geological Society of America (GSA), the Geological Association of Canada (GAC-AGC), and the Sociedad Geológica Mexicana (SGM). This award honors outstanding mid-career geoscientists.
Marcie Occhi (B.S. '09, M.S. '11, @umdgeology.bsky.social) is studying and mapping the ancient geology of Virginia ➡️ go.umd.edu/occhi Marcie's work in the Virginia Department of Energy informs the state's efforts to develop resources, mitigate erosion, predict natural hazards and more. #EnergySky
The start of the NFL season means the start of band season for these two #ScienceTerps 🎷💜 Charlotte Norris (B.S. '24, @umdgeology.bsky.social) and Andrea Zeppuhar (Ph.D. '21, chemistry) are members of Baltimore's Marching Ravens and play at home games ➡️ go.umd.edu/marching-ravens
Is there life beyond Earth? @umdgeology.bsky.social's Ricardo Arevalo was awarded a 3-year, $1.1M NASA grant to help answer that question. His team will develop a tool that could help future space missions identify signs of life on other worlds more effectively and efficiently than ever before. 🔭
UMD Scientists Receive $1.1M NASA Grant to Develop Life Detection Instrumentation | College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences | University of Maryland
Their work could double the scientific output of future missions searching for life on Mars, Saturn’s moon Encel
go.umd.edu
The latest edition of the GeoGram is now available! Look for it in your mailboxes or view it online at www.geol.umd.edu/geogram. Learn about our new faculty, the awards and recognition of our students and faculty, and a letter from our new Chair, Dr. Sarah Penniston-Dorland.
Congratulations to Distinguished University Professor Richard Walker who was elected to the 2026 class of Meteoritical Society Fellows! meteoritical.org/news/meteori...
UMD Geologists Measuring Ground Vibration Near an Elephant Enclosure GEPS faculty used seismic monitoring to address a non-traditional challenge (i.e., not earthquakes): investigating ground vibrations around an amusement and safari park in New Jersey #worldelephantday go.umd.edu/2d8t
Celebrating World Elephant Day, August 12: UMD Geologists Measuring Ground Vibration Near an Elephant Enclosure | Department of Geological, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences | University of Maryla...
geol.umd.edu
Water ice buried beneath the lunar surface could keep future astronauts alive—by drinking it, breathing it and even using it as rocket fuel. The problem is finding it. @umdgeology.bsky.social's Nicholas Schmerr and his team discovered that moonquakes could be the key. 🔭
Scientists Use Moonquakes to Locate Lunar Ice | College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences | University of Maryland
By studying how seismic waves travel through frozen soil on Earth, a University of Maryland geophysicist helped
go.umd.edu
Congratulations to undergraduate major Kamirah Billups who received a CMNS Alumni Network Endowed Undergraduate Award to support her attendance at field camp at Bowling Green State University in Ohio this summer. cmns.umd.edu/news-events/...
⚒️ Q&A: Cretaceous oceanic intraplate volcanism, with Ana Ferreira (@es-ucl.bsky.social), @justsomeisotope.bsky.social (@umdgeology.bsky.social), and Jennifer Georgen (Old Dominion University) www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Understanding volcanoes is important for unlocking the history of our planet and advancing climate science. In today's #RedditAMA, ask @umdgeology.bsky.social's Megan Newcombe your questions about volcanoes on the Earth, the Moon and Mars: redd.it/1u68jcl #astro
Meet the new chair of @umdgeology.bsky.social, Sarah Penniston-Dorland! Since joining the department, Sarah has held various leadership roles on and off campus and mentored over 40 students and postdocs. Read about Sarah's research on metamorphic rocks and more ➡️ go.umd.edu/penniston-dorland
We pleased to announce that Professor Sarah Penniston-Dorland has been named Chair of the Department of Geological, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, effective July 1, 2026. You can read the announcement here: cmns.umd.edu/news-events/...
Tune in for our 2026 Master's and Graduate Certificate Commencement Ceremony today at 8 a.m. ET! Watch the ceremony—including a speech from Tauksik Anil Kumar (M.S. '26, data science)—on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@UMDscience
PhD Student Elizabeth Huang recently competed in the final round of the university-wide Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. Elizabeth was one of only 20 3MT Finalists across every college, representing CMNS with her presentation entitled "A Tapestry of Stone." youtu.be/FRIia_5Pxrk?...
2026 3MT Competition at the University of Maryland
YouTube video by UMD Graduate School
youtu.be
Commencement is next week, and we're so excited to celebrate our incredible #ScienceTerp graduates 🎓🎉 CMNS Graduate Commencement: go.umd.edu/1zb9 CMNS Undergraduate Commencement: go.umd.edu/1zbb
Maryland Day was a big success this year! Check out the photo album to see the fun the visitors had at our events. photos.app.goo.gl/8mkzJJ3WUnGo...
By studying volcanic rocks in the Pacific, @umdgeology.bsky.social's Val Finlayson discovered chemical fingerprints dating back 4.5 billion years. Learn what her team's discovery reveals about Earth's history ⤵️ 🪨
Volcanic Rocks Reveal Earth’s Earliest Chemical Secrets | College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences | University of Maryland
UMD researchers find evidence that deep pockets of primordial material remained undisturbed within Earth’s mantl
go.umd.edu
Jay Kaufman is the recipient of the 2026 the Francis J. Pettijohn Medal for Sedimentology, awarded by the Society for Sedimentary Geology. Jay has been recognized for his "Excellence in Sedimentology." The award ceremony is planned for the 2026 GSA Connects in Denver, October 19-22.
#GivingDayUMD is your chance to support and uplift #ScienceTerps! Even small gifts can have a huge impact. Learn how you can give back to our department programs and support geology students: go.umd.edu/givingdaycmns
Support College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences | Giving Day
I’m ready to support College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences on March 4, 2026 during Giving Day. Learn more about College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences and all the ...
go.umd.edu
Dr. Sujay Kaushal was named as the Goldschmidt Conference F. Earl Ingersol Lecturer for the upcoming meeting in Montreal. F. Earl Ingerson was a founder and the first president of the Geochemical Society. The Ingerson Lecture is named in his honor, and is awarded annually.
At the 2025 University of Maryland Convocation ceremony, Professor Emeritus Michael Brown received the honor of being named a Distinguished University Professor. Watch Provost Rice's citation and Michael's remarks. youtu.be/RlCQxbrUYHw
UMD Convocation 2025 - Provost Rice's Citation and Michael Brown's Remarks
YouTube video by UMD Geology
youtu.be
@umdgeology.bsky.social's Karen Prestegaard studies the links between precipitation, stream baseflow, stormwater runoff and evapotranspiration in the mid-Atlantic region. Ask Karen your questions about freshwater and stormwater flooding in today's Reddit Ask-Me-Anything: redd.it/1ntaqz0
New research revealed that Mars' innermost core appears to be a solid hunk of metal just like Earth's. @umdgeology.bsky.social's Nick Schmerr weighed in on these findings with @sciencex.bsky.social, noting that questions regarding Mars' core are far from settled. 🔭 #PlanetaryScience
Marsquakes indicate a solid core for the red planet, just like Earth
Scientists revealed Wednesday that Mars' innermost core appears to be a solid hunk of metal just like Earth's.
phys.org
Tommaso Mandolini and Travis Hager (University of Maryland) perform hydrostatic mineral carbonation experiments on cylindrical MgO ceramic samples using a triaxial deformation apparatus, GSECARS, June 2025. @umdgeology.bsky.social
@umdgeology.bsky.social Professor Sujay Kaushal's body of research has established that freshwater ecosystems are growing saltier year-round. @washingtonpost.com featured Sujay's important work studying and protecting freshwater ecosystems 🛶
A salt crisis is looming for U.S. rivers
The biggest source of salty freshwater in D.C. and other major northern inland cities is an overapplication of road salt to thaw winter ice, which runs off into rivers or the ground.
wapo.st
Tune in for our 2025 Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony today at 2:30 p.m. ET! Watch the ceremony—including speeches from Adam Wenchel (B.S. '99, computer science) and Jade LeSchack (B.S. '25, physics; B.S. '25, mathematics)—on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@UMDscience
