Dr. Fuqing Zhang, an associate professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, and Chris Snyder, a senior scientist for the Earth and Sun Systems Laboratory (ESSL), received the 2007 Outstanding Publication Award from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) for their collaborative study published in the Monthly Weather Review.

Dr. Sarah Brooks of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, College of Geosciences, will be the keynote speaker Saturday January 19^th at the Texas Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS), hosted by the College of Science. Academically elite high school students from across the state will be on campus to present their research projects for the three-day event that kicks off Thursday.

Dr. Mark Lemmon, associate professor of Atmospheric Sciences, has played a key role in the journeys of the Spirit and Opportunity rovers since 2003. As of January 4, the Spirit has been at work on Mars for 4 years, which is 3 years and 275 days longer than expected. January 25, Opportunity will celebrate its 4th anniversary on the red planet.  

Staff members from the IODP-USIO (Integrated Ocean Drilling Program-US Implementing Organization) were recognized for their outstanding work in the Houston Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication’s (STC) annual awards competition. They won awards in the categories of online communication, informational materials, art packaging design, and annual report design. The College of Geosciences, Texas A&M University, is the science operator for the U.S. portion of this international program.

The work of Dr. Andrew Klein, associate professor of Geography in the College of Geosciences, was highlighted recently in an Associated Press story carried in newspapers worldwide. The article titled, “New Guinea’s glaciers melting fast,” discussed a planned expedition to the slopes of Puncak Jaya (Mount Jaya) to drill ice cores that will provide valuable data on the history of climate and global warming. Noted glaciologist Lonnie Thompson from the Ohio State University will lead the expedition planned for May or June, 2009. Based on the research of Klein and Ph.D. student Joni Kincaid, it has been determined that New Guinea’s glaciers are shrinking fast and may even disappear in the next few decades. For more information visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22526716/.

Faculty, staff and students in the Department of Geology & Geophysics, College of Geosciences, mourn the loss of former student 1^st Lt. Jeremy E. Ray ’06 who was killed by a suicide bomber December 20, 2007, while serving in Iraq. Ray was a member of the Corps of Cadets H-1 unit and graduated in 2006 with a BA in Geology. He was deployed to Iraq November 8, 2007. More information is available at theeagle.com (http://www.theeagle.com/am/A_amp_amp_M_soldier_killed_in_Iraq).