News: EAS

Art DeGaetano, professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies for Atmospheric Sciences in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, has been named a Fellow by the American Meteorological Society. “I am honored by this recognition,” DeGaetano said. “It is rewarding to know that my colleagues—both here at Cornell and across the country—value my contributions to the field.” “This is a tremendous honor for Art,” said EAS Chair Geoffrey Abers. “Fellows are an elite group with no more than 0.2% of members being elected each year.” "I was flabbergasted by all the congratulation and kind... Read more

Angeline Pendergrass, assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, has been named the recipient of the 2023 Clarence Leroy Meisinger Award, one of the top Early Career Awards by the American Meteorological Society. Pendergrass was honored “for original insights into the processes associated with precipitation variability and extremes and envisioned changes in variability due to global warming.” Pendergrass's research focuses on extreme precipitation and its response to climate variability and change. She studies extreme precipitation and its change holistically, at... Read more

Sara Miller, a third-year Ph.D. student in geological sciences, was selected for a 2022 Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship. Miller is one of 30 women across the world to receive one of the $10,000 awards in 2022 and will be presented with a set of wings from the Zonta International Foundation in the fall. Earlier this summer, Miller, who is studying under Associate Professor Britney Schmidt, was awarded a 2022 Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST) Fellowship to study the fluid dynamics of the ocean at Jupiter’s moon, Europa. Read more

Save the date: Friday, October 7, 2022 (afternoon) There will be a special celebration of the life and accomplishments of Professor Muawia Barazangi at Cornell University on October 7, 2022. Among the planned activities will be a symposium and remembrance session where Muawia’s students, colleagues and friends will have an opportunity to share their experiences with this truly unique individual. Participation in this program may be in person or virtual (zoom). For more information, please contact Larry Brown at ldb7@cornell.edu. Read more

Mark Wysocki, a stalwart of the atmospheric sciences program at Cornell, has been selected as this year’s recipient of the Louis and Edith Edgerton Career Teaching Award. “This is the highest teaching award in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences,” said Geoffrey Abers, chair of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. “It honors a lifetime achievement in providing outstanding teaching and advising students. Mark clearly exemplifies commitment to students over his career; the honor is very deserved.” The Edgerton Career Teaching Award is the College of Agriculture and Life... Read more

Shortly after arriving in Ithaca from Atlanta, Britney Schmidt gathered her research team and packed up their equipment and headed south. Way south! Schmidt, an associate professor with a dual appointment in Cornell Engineering’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and the College of Arts & Science’s Department of Astronomy, joined the Cornell faculty in July 2021 after spending nearly eight years at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Less than three weeks into her first semester on the East Hill, Schmidt packed up her things and headed out for Antarctica. And while those in Ithaca... Read more

Forecasting volcanic eruptions has been spotty at best due mostly to the inability to identify reliable eruptive precursors. But a group of researchers at Cornell University’s College of Engineering, Roma Tre University and the University of Leeds may have found a solution to that problem. The research team addresses this limitation in a scientific article published today in Nature Geoscience, showing that a novel parameter, which can be indirectly measured at volcanoes, is a good indicator of whether it will go on to erupt or not. “This precursor is the rate of magma injection within the... Read more

The Cornell University Borehole Observatory (CUBO) will begin early in June and many EAS members are in the action. Non-stop preparations have been in motion for the last several months, involving EAS faculty and graduate students in partnership with Cornell staff from Facilities and Campus Services, Cornell’s central administration, College of Engineering administration, and the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering administration—as well as Professor Jeff Tester from chemical & biomolecular engineering. Assistant Professor Patrick Fulton and Professor Teresa Jordan are central... Read more

Scientists soon will see Earth’s atmospheric dust in high-resolution, thanks to new spectrometer expected to launch June 7 aboard a SpaceX rocket to the International Space Station. Read more

Two current Ph.D. students in geological sciences—Andie Gomez-Patron and Olivia Paschall—have received National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships. Additionally, incoming Ph.D. student Kayla Russo also received an NSFGRF. Gomez-Patron, who earned her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, works with Matt Pritchard, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies for Geological Science. Paschall, who received her undergraduate degree from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, is studying under Associate Professor Rowena Lohman. Russo, who will be working with Assistant... Read more