Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin

Did you know that across the world, most cities are receiving more rain than their rural surrounding areas? Houston is a particularly stark example of this phenomenon. Meanwhile, in Austin, the opposite is true. This city gets less rain than its rural counterparts. Why? Check out Jackson School Professor Dev Niyogi and doctoral student Xinxin Sui answer this question and delve into their recent research on this episode of PBS Terra. Check it out here! https://lnkd.in/gbksXdsq

Exciting update! The first 10 donors to make a gift of $25 or more to GEOPAths between 12-1 p.m. Central Standard Time TODAY, Nov. 21, will be entered in a raffle to win a Jackson School of Geosciences YETI tumbler. Make your gift now and be entered to win! https://lnkd.in/gh8qkeGj

A huge quantity of rare earth elements could be extracted from the domestic coal ash supply, according to a new study led by researchers at our Bureau of Economic Geology and collaborators at the University of Wyoming, University of Kentucky. The researchers determined that there could be as much as 11 million tons of rare earth elements in accessible coal ash in the United States. That’s nearly 8 times the amount that the U.S. currently has in domestic reserves. Rare earth elements are an essential ingredient for modern technology – including the solar panels, batteries, and magnets that are driving the energy transition to lower carbon fuels. While coal ash is, for the most part, a waste product that has been piling up across the country for decades. “This really exemplifies the ‘trash to treasure’ mantra,” said co-lead author Bridget Scanlon. “We’re basically trying to close the cycle and use waste and recover resources in the waste, while at the same time reducing environmental impacts.” The research was published in the International Journal of Coal Science & Technology. Co-authors include Co-lead Bob Reedy, Davin Bagdonas, James Hower, Dennis James, J. Richard Kyle and Kristine Uhlman, RG https://lnkd.in/gQDpewmB

We're raising funds for GEOPAths Go Jamaica! Learn more from Associate Professor Rowan Martindale about how the program helps students learn about the geosciences while taking part in conservation projects in Jamaica. Give today: https://lnkd.in/gdFKVp24

We're raising fellowship funds for master's students in our Energy & Earth Resources graduate program! Your support helps nurture future leaders in sustainable resource management.

How do you teach middle schoolers about a subject as complex as carbon capture and storage? This summer, The University of Texas at Austin’s Gulf Coast Carbon Center set out to do just that, offering a special training on carbon capture to its first cohort of Texas science teachers. The goal was to come up with a K-12 curriculum on carbon capture that is ready-fit for the classroom. Carbon capture and storage is a burgeoning industry, especially in communities along the Texas Gulf Coast. And for science teachers in these communities, this method of safely storing CO? underground in geological formations is a prime lesson on the carbon cycle and greenhouse gases, all wrapped up in a real-world context. Sue Hovorka, the principal investigator at the Gulf Coast Carbon Center, and two of the teachers who participated in this training will be presenting at this year’s Texas Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching in San Antonio from Nov. 14-16. They will be looking to get more teachers interested in the new carbon capture and storage program. You can read more about this program here: https://lnkd.in/gY6rssJb Science Teachers Association of Texas (STAT)

UT Austin is hosting AI LIVE, a 3-day event celebrating the Year of AI! On Nov. 15, Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences faculty will be hosting 3 panels. First up at 9am: AI to the Rescue: Fighting Rising Tides and Killer Quakes with Digital Twins, with panelist Omar Ghattas, Patrick Heimbach and Thorsten Becker. Follow this link to build a schedule for the event! We can't wait to see you there! AI LIVE dates: Nov. 13-15. https://lnkd.in/gNhGanpF Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin

This has been an exciting year for the Energy & Earth Resources Graduate program at the Jackson School of Geosciences. We have another amazing cohort of bright and passionate students intent on obtaining the knowledge and skills necessary to work in the rapidly changing and challenging field of Energy and Earth Resources. However, as an unfunded graduate degree program, we are constantly working to raise fellowship $'s to provide as much support as possible to our students to help cover tuition costs and living expenses. We have established this HornRaiser crowdfunding program to generate funds for the next incoming cohort and are asking for your support. If you have ever wanted to make a contribution towards educating and training the next generation of Energy Experts, this is a direct and meaningful way to do so.?We need your help in building the foundation as we strive to construct a brighter future for all of us.

***Celebrating 20 Years of the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin, April 3-5, 2025*** ? JSG alumni and friends: Join me in sharing your favorite memories—whether it's a field camp experience, unforgettable professors, or lifelong friendships. I'll go first! I dug up some examples and attached pictures below showing: (1) me standing with modern-day stromatolites in Shark Bay, Western Australia, as part of GEO 381R class; (2) touring Aljustrel and other volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits in Spain and Portugal's Iberian Pyrite Belt with amazing geologists from around the world (I'm in the back row, third from the right); and (3) hiking to and visiting the famous Walcott Quarry in the Burgess Shale while acting as field assistant for my JSG classmate Dr. Bryan Wilbur (Bryan is pictured in his UT hoodie - I took the picture!). Upload your photos and stories?at the following link: https://lnkd.in/gktbiwSh. These may be featured on the Jackson School's 20th Anniversary Celebration?website here: https://lnkd.in/gEwsTpQY. ?#JSG20 #JacksonSchoolProud #TexasGeosciences

"Each episode of Hot Science TV is shot in a single day, with students managing the scheduling, the set staging, and videography." Great article in the TexasExes Alcalde about Hot Science TV, which grew out of the popular “Hot Science – Cool Talks” series. Students from Scott Rice's RTF Script to Screen class with Matthew McConaughey produce the program in collaboration with the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin. https://lnkd.in/gncwqyS7