Late Fall Hydrology News

November 12, 2021

UT at the Geological Society of America (GSA)

Rebecca Nunu (BS, 2016) and Mauricio Flores (BS, 2017) presented talks at the technical session entitled Using Hydrochemistry to Conceptualize Relations between Recharge and Discharge in Karst Aquifers. Both Rebecca and Mauricio are with Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.

The session advocates were Rebecca, MaryLynn Musgrove (MA, 1993; PhD, 2000) from the USGS in Austin, and Paul Bertetti from Edwards Aquifer Authority. MaryLynn and Jack Sharp (faculty) also made presentations.

Sunny Simpkins (BS, 2000), Jack Sharp, and Trevor Budge (PhD, 2008), at the UT alumni function at GSA function.

Michael Rosen (PhD, 1989) Session was a full day session on Lacustrine Systems around the World held in honor of Michael who recently passed away. He had been employed by the USGS in Carson City, Nevada. A memorial scholarship fund to support graduate research has been established in his memory at the GSA. Please follow the link to contribute to the Michael R. Rosen Research Award in Limnogeology.

UT at Geogulf 2021

Geogulf 2021 was held in Austin and was a success with many speakers from UT and by UT alumni. These meetings focus on rocks, sediments, and fluids in the Gulf of Mexico Basin and surrounding locales. Geogulf is the successor to the Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies annual meeting.

In the photo: Jeff Watson (BSEACD, BS, 2013, MS, 2016), Jeff Paine (BEG, BS, 1980; PhD, 1991), and Mike Blum (University of Kansas. PhD, 1991) at Geogulf.

Awards

• Former Oliver Lecturer (2002) Craig Simmons of Flinders University and the Australian National Centre for Groundwater Research & Training has been elected a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union.
• Geogulf 2021 recognized Bob Loucks (BEG, PhD, 1976), Pete Rose (BS, 1957; MA, 1959; PhD, 1968), and John Snedden (UTIG) with special awards.
• Ashley Matheny (faculty) was awarded an NSF Faculty Early Career Grant to study the idea that trees act as “water towers” that can store water in the environment. She will compare three contrasting North American forest types: a temperate, deciduous forest of red oak, white pine, and red maple common in Michigan’s deep sandy soils; a semi-arid evergreen forest of Ashe juniper and live oak rooted in the rocky limestone landscape of central Texas at the White Family Outdoor Learning Center; and a mangrove forest at UT Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, Texas.

Alumni News

• Juan Acevado (MS, 2020) says that since “graduating with my masters in EER from UT I was fortunate enough to join the BRACS team of the Texas Water Development Board … [and] to have worked closely with Dr. Sharp and with WSP on a BRACS contract to map the migration of wastewater injectate from class II wells in Texas Aquifers.” The study results were presented by WSP in the GEOGULF 2021 conference held last month in Austin.
• Rachel Breunig (BS, 2020) is pursuing a Ph.D. in hydrogeology at the University of Wisconsin. Rachel is studying the coevolution of topography, near-surface geochemistry, and hydrology on a set of drainage divides at the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers.
• Trevor Budge (PhD, 2008) is with INTERA in Richland, Washington.
• Ana Cantu (BS, 2018 ) is working with AmeriCorps for the next 6 months.
• Todd Halihan (PhD, 2000) is the Sun Company Clyde Wheeler Chair in Hydrogeology at Oklahoma State University.
• Sunny Simpkins (BS, 2000) has moved east of Portland, Oregon, and now works for the National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies (NAFSMA) as their Director of Government Affairs and Member Programs. NAFSMA is a DC based association that represents public agencies from around the US by advocating for funding, policies and programs for flood control and stormwater at US Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA, EPA, and congress. She says, “It is so much fun!”
• Nick Soto-Kerans (BS, 2019) is finishing his M.S.at the University of South Florida looking at the relationships between stratigraphy/lithology of young carbonates and development of cave systems on San Salvador Island, Bahamas. He finds that cave distributions correlate fairly well with low-permeability crusts of paleosols/calcretes and a dolomite unit. Nick’s advisor is Jason Gully who used to be with us here at UT.

If you have news that you would like to share, please email them to Dr. Jack Sharp.