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Degrees Awarded

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DOCTORATE Degrees

2024

Chuxuan Li Augmentation and Use of WRF-Hydro to Predict Rainfall-Triggered Landslide Susceptibility at Regional Scales. Advisor: Dan Horton

Floyd Nichols Examining Lipid Biosignatures and Organic Carbon in Mars-Analog Hypersaline Lakes. Advisor: Magdalena Osburn

Pete Puleo Seasonally Resolved Paleoclimate Reconstructions in Greenland Over the Past 14,000 Years Using Lake Sediments and Novel Oxygen Isotope Proxies. Advisor: Yarrow Axford

2023

Anastasia S Montgomery An Analysis Of Urban Air Quality and Health Effects Using
Chemical Transport Model Simulations.
 Advisor:  Dan Horton

Molly Gallahue Exploring the Causes of the Discrepancy Between Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Maps and Observed Shaking Data. Advisor:  Seth Stein

Niloufar Sarvian Towards an Understanding of Ca and Sr Isotopes in Neoproterozoic Carbonates. Advisor: Matthew Hurtgen

2022

James Neely   Insights into Earthquake Processes and Hazards Using Statistical Methods.  Advisor:  Seth Stein

Boris Roesler   Using Global Moment Tensor Catalogs to Study Earthquake Source Processes.  Advisor: Seth Stein

Howard Chen  The Chemistry-Climate Dynamics of Warm Habitable Zone Planets. Advisor: Daniel Horton

Reece Elling Continental Rifting and Precambrian Tectonics: Insights from Gravity Modeling and Apparent Polar Wander Paths. Advisor: Seth Stein

2021

Caitlin Casar  Geobiology of Biofilms in the Continental Deep Subsurface. Advisor: Magdalena Osburn

Gabriella Kitch  Identifying and Constraining Biocalcification Stress from Geologic Ocean Acidification Events. Advisor: Andrew Jacobson

Laura Larocca  Holocene Glacier and Ice Cap Fluctuations in Southern Greenland: Investigations Using Lacustrine Archives and Geospatial Methods. Advisor: Yarrow Axford

Claire Annie Nelson   Investigating Basalt Chemical Weathering in Iceland and its Role in Climate Regulation with Stable Calcium Isotopes. Advisor: Andrew Jacobson

Leah Salditch   Investigating Earthquake Recurrence and Hazard Models. Advisor: Seth Stein

Fei Wang   Crystal Structure and Ordering of Hydrogen-Related Defects and Ferric Iron in High-Pressure Silicates of the Mantle Transition Zone. Advisor: Steven Jacobsen

Jiuyuan Wang   Investigation of Stable Ca and Sr Isotopes as Proxies for Ocean Acidification in Deep Time: Neoproterozoic, Permian-Triassic, and Cretaceous Case Studies. Advisor: Bradley Sageman

2020

Emiliano Monroy-Rios   Advancements in our Understanding of the Yucatan Platform Sedimentary Geology, Speleogenesis, Ring of Cenotes, and Tectonic Stability. Advisor: Patricia Beddows

Nooshin Saloor   Contributions to Modern Quantification of Seismic Sources. Advisor: Emile Okal

Vivian Tang   The Power of Seismic Waves to Trigger Seismicity and Reveal the Inner Structure of the Earth. Advisor: Suzan van der Lee

Michelle Wenz   Earth's Inner Workings Revealed through Mineral Inclusions in Diamond. Advisor: Steven Jacobsen

2019

Trevor Bollmann   Features of the North American mantle during the Mesoproterozoic through Cenozoic eras from field studies and visualization experiments Advisor: Suzan van der Lee

Eddie Brooks   Assessing the Performance of Earthquake Hazard Maps. Advisor: Seth Stein

Everett Lasher   Holocene Climate Change in Greenland: Investigations Using Oxygen Isotopes of Lacustrine Organic Materials. Advisor: Yarrow Axford

Jamie McFarlin   Calibrating and Applying Sedimentary Leaf Wax Hydrogen Isotopes to Reconstruct Greenland Hydroclimate of the Holocene and Last Interglacial. Advisor: Yarrow Axford

Amir Salaree   Theoretical and Computational Contributions to the Modeling of Global Tsunamis. Advisor: Emile Okal

2018

Matt Jones   Stratigraphic and Geochemical Investigations of Late Cretaceous Oceanic Anoxic Events and Greenhouse Sea Level Trends. Advisor: Bradley Sageman

John Lazarz   Effect of Water on Thermoelasticity of Majoritic Garnet: Implications for the Seismic Structure at the Top of the Lower Mantle. Advisor: Steven Jacobsen

2017

Grace Andrews (Margaret Unterman)   Carbon Cycling of Glaciated Landscapes: Investigation with Strontium Isotope Geochemistry. Advisor: Andrew Jacobson

Michael Witek   Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Structure of East Asia from Ambient Noise Tomography. Advisor: Suzan van der Lee

2016

Laurel Childress   The Active Margin Carbon Cycle: Influences of Climate and Tectonics in Variable Spatial and Temporal Records. Advisor: Neal Blair

Renee French   Using Orbiter Spacecraft Data to Characterize Small-Scale Surface Features on the Moon and Constrain Geophysical Properties of the Martian Crust. Advisor: Donna Jurdy

Ashley Gilliam   Titan through Time: Evolution of Titan's Atmosphere and its Hydrocarbon Cycle on the Surface. Advisor: Abraham Lerman

Brian Kristall   Marine Sulfur and Strontium Cycling During the Transition from a Cool to Warm Greenhouse in the Early Cretaceous. Advisor: Matthew Hurtgen

Gregory Lehn   Advances in Calcium Isotope Geochemistry: Method Development and Application in a Multi-Proxy Investigation of Alaskan Arctic Watersheds. Advisor: Andrew Jacobson

Josh Townsend The Effects of Water on the Physical Properties of Earth Materials and Equations of State (2014). Advisor: Steven Jacobsen

Emily Lynne Wolin   Structure, Seismicity, and Instrumentation of Stable North American Lithosphere Properties of Earth Materials and Equations of State. Advisor: Suzan van der Lee

2015

Jeremy Gouldey   The Relationship Between the Geochemical Cycles of Sulfur and Carbon in the Neoproterozoic. Advisor: Matthew Hurtgen

2014

Allison Baczynski   Evaluating Carbon Cycle Dynamics and Hydrologic Change during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, Bighorn Basin, Wyoming. Advisor: Francesca McInerney

Rosemary Bush   Leaf Wax n-Alkanes as Paleoclimate Proxies: Calibrations in Modern Plants and Applications in Ancient Ecosystems. Advisor: Francesca McInerney

Yun-Yuan Chang   Influence of Point Defects on the Elastic Properties of Mantle Minerals and Superhard Materials. Advisor: Steven Jacobsen

Maya Gomes   Modern and Ancient Studies of Sulfur Isotope Cycling in Low-Sulfate Systems. Advisor: Matthew Hurtgen

Dan (Darcy) Li   Global Biogeochemical Cycle of Silicon: Its Past, Present, and Future. Advisor: Abraham Lerman

Miguel Merino   Tectonics and Seismicity of Rifts Past and Present. Advisor: Seth Stein

2013

Young Ji Joo   Late Cretaceous Carbon Isotope Chemostratigraphy and Analysis of Perturbations in Global Carbon and Sulfur Biogeochemical Cycles. Advisor: Bradley Sageman

Xiaoting Lou   Inferred and Predicted Seismic Velocities of the North American Mantle. Advisor: Suzan van der Lee

2012

Carl W. Ebeling   Discriminants and Detectors: Seismological Studies of Tsunami Earthquakes and Hurricane Microseisms. Advisor: Emile Okal

2011

Derek D. Adams   Biogeochemical Consequences of Low Sulfate Oceans: A Study of Oceanic Anoxic Event 2. Advisor: Matthew Hurtgen

Richard Barclay   Testing the Driving Mechanisms for Ocean Anoxic Event 2 (94 Ma) Using pCO2 Estimates and Carbon Isotopes Derived from Fossil Plant Material in the Dakota Formation of Southwestern Utah. Advisor: Bradley Sageman

Simon Lloyd   Crust and Upper Mantle Beneath South America: Variations in Precambrian Moho and Lithosphere-Athenosphere Boundary Depths and Seismic Velocity Structure at the Subducting Chile Ridge. Advisor: Suzan van der Lee

2009

Laura Swafford   Space-Time Characteristics of Earthquake Sources in Various Tectonic Environments. Advisor: Seth Stein

2008

Heather Bedle   Studies on the S-velocity Structure of the North American Upper Mantle. Advisor: Susan van der Lee

Jason Flaum   Investigation of Phosphorus Cycle Dynamics Associated with Organic Carbon Burial in Modern (North Pacific) and Ancient (Devonian and Cretaceous) Marine Systems: Strengths and Limitations of Sequentially Extracted (SEDEX) Phosphorus Data. Advisor: Bradley Sageman

Lingling Wu   Chemical Weathering: Theoretical Models, Field Study in the Yellow River Basin, and Laboratory Study of Microbially-Mediated Basalt and Granite Weathering. Advisor: Andrew Jacobson

2007

Joniell Borges   Continental Weathering Products: Clay Mineral Surfaces as Sinks for Organic Carbon in Marine Environments; Chemistry and Petrography of Bed Sediments from Large Rivers--Provenance and Chemical Weathering. Advisor: Bradley Sageman.

Robert Locklair   Causes and Consequences of Marine Carbon Burial: Examples from the Cretaceous Niobrara Formation and the Permian Brushy Canyon Formation. Advisor: Bradley Sageman

Kimberly Schramm   The Role of Source Mechanism Geometry in Biasing Estimates of Earthquake Slowness. Advisor: Seth Stein

2006

Han Li   Remediation of Scattered Light in NEAR-Shoemaker MSI Imager: A Study of Martian Debris Aprons. Advisor: Donna Jurdy

Alberto Lopez   Tectonic Studies of the Caribbean: I) Pure GPS Euler Vectors to Test for Rigidity and the Existence of a Northern Lesser Antilles Forearc Block; II) Constraints for Tsunami Risk from Reassessment of the April 1, 1946 Alaska-Aleutians and August 4, 1946 Hispaniola Events. Advisors: Emile Okal and Seth Stein

2005

Audeliz Matias   Development and Modification of Impact Craters on Venus and Mars. Advisor: Donna Jurdy

2004

Sarah Lee Andre   Densities and Porosities of Ordinary Chondrite Meteorites: Study of Mercurian Topography Using Digital Elevation Models. Advisor: Mark Robinson

2003

Stephen Richard Meyers   Integrated Cylcostratigraphy and Biogeochemistry of the Cenomanian/Turonian Boundary Interval, Western Interior Basin, North America. Advisor: Bradley Sageman

2002

Po Fei Chen   Distribution, Origin and Implications of Seismic Stress Release in Shallow and Intermediate Depth Subduction Systems. Advisor: Emile Okal

Eryn R. Klosko   An Investigation of South American, Nazca Plate Boundary Zone Deformation Kinematics. Advisor: Seth Stein

2000

Erin K. Beutel   Relative and Absolute Plate Motion Changes in the Southeast Pacific: Cause and Effect. Advisor: Raymond Russo

Jerome B. Cruz   Surface Charge Behavior and Surface Hydroxyl Characterization of Andulusite and Al2O3/SiO2 Mixtures in Aqueous Solutions at Room Temperature. Advisor: Donna Jurdy

Andrew V. Newman   Geodetic and Seismic Studies of the New Madrid Seismic Zone and Implications for Earthquake Recurrence and Seismic Hazard. Advisor: Seth Stein

Josef P. Werne   A Geochemical Evaluation of Depositional Controls and Paleoenvironmental Reconstructions in Organic-Rich Sediment Deposits: Evidence from the Modern Cariaco Bason, Venezuela, and Applications to the Devonian Appalachian Basin. Advisor: David Hollander

1998

John E. DeLaughter   Evolution of the Lithospheres of Venus and Earth: Studies in Geoid, Topography and Heat Flow. Advisor: Donna Jurdy

Changrui Gong   An Organic and Isotopic Geochemical Study of Santa Monica Basin Sediment, Offshore California. Advisor: David Hollander

Laura Lynn Marquez  Integrated Structural and Geochemical Studies of Oceanic Fault Zones Across the Dike-Pluton Boundary, Troodos Ophiolite, Cyprus. Advisor: Susan Agar

William Phillip Richardson   Surface Wave Tomography of the Ontong-Java Plateau: Seismic Probing of the Largest Igneous Province. Advisor: Emile Okal

John C. Weber   New Madrid Seismic Zone Deformation from Repeat Global Positioning System (GPS) Surveys. 

1995

Dezhi Chu   Studies in Plate Kinematics: Plate Motion in East Africa and a Comparison of Paleomagnetic Methods. Advisor: Seth Stein

1994

Tom Shoberg   Studies in Marine Tectonics: Propagating Rifts, Depth Anomalies, and Subduction Zone Anisotropy. Advisor: Donna Jurdy

Undergraduate Degrees

2024

Shayna C Garla

Emma L Havens

Ryan H Lopez

Aidan P Ocampo

Claire M Throckmorton

2023

Emma H Estberg

Abby E Hsiao

Tessa B Seifried

Dana M Small

Mia L Thompson

Catherine E Updegraff

Zoe G Vincent

2022

Cherish Anderson

Christina Carty

Bailey Fluegel Looking into the Subsurface: A Geophysical Investigation of a Unique Set of “Spotted” Hypersaline Lakes in British Columbia, Canada. Advisor: Mitchel Barklage

Michael Montoya

August Moody

Timothy Ellis

2021

Britt Bommer

Fang Ming "Cassia" Cai   Mixed Layer Depth Climatology Over the NorthEast U.S. Continential Shelf (1993-2008).   Advisor: Daniel Horton

Laura Caride

Tia Chung-Swanson

Jared Colin

Adam Flam

Robert Gallo

Annika Hansen

David Kaplan

Sohyun Lee

Lauren Simitz

Regan Steigleder

Caroline Webster

Lucy Weidner   Quantifying the Yucatan Peninsula Holocene Fire History and Ecological Succession – Charcoal and Stable Isotope Analysis of Coastal and Lake Cores the Vista Alegre Maritime Maya Port and Inland Cenote/Lake Sites. Advisor: Patricia Beddows

2020

Jeremy Brooks   Little Ice Age Climate in South Greenland inferred from Alpine Glacier Reconstructions Advisor: Yarrow Axford

Emily Dial

Kevin Eisenstein

Andrea Gomez-Patron

Christine Lee

Madeleine Lucas   Adventures in Geophysics: From Caves to CHIMPs Advisors: Mitchell Barklage & Seth Stein

Grant McKnight   Using Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) to Image Geologic Features at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, USA Advisor: Mitchell Barklage

Zoe Morfas

Kjetil Odden

Isaac Sageman   Climatic and Paleoenvironmental Changes Associated with the Evolution of the First Mammaian Megaherbivore Coryphodon During Paleogene Hyperthermal Events, Bighorn Basin, Wyoming Advisor: Matthew Hurtgen

Claudia Sandine   Dynamical Evidence for Terrestrial Planet Debris in the Asteroid Belt Advisor: Seth Jacobson

Rachel So   Carbonate Mineral Identification and Quantification in Sediment Matrices Using Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) Advisor: Neal Blair

2019

Hannah Dion-Kirschner   Evaluating Compound-Specific Hydrogen and Carbon Isotopes of Plant Lipids as Proxies for Greenland Paleoclimate and Paleohydrology. Advisor: Magdalena Osburn

Jamie Easton

Monica Ha

Katherine Haile   Coastal Mangrove Basin Hydrological Dynamics in Response to Changing Boundary Conditions of Ocean and Climate. Advisor: Patricia Beddows

Ava Polzin

Peter Puleo   A ~14,500-year Paleoenvironmental and Paleoclimate Record from Sediments of Geneva Lake, Wisconsin. Advisor: Yarrow Axford

Eric Van Camp

2018

Karalyn Berman   Paleoecological and Geochemical Reconstructions of Isostatic Emergence and Holocene Environmental Change at a Coastal Lake near Buksefjord, SW Greenland. Advisor: Yarrow Axford

Katherine Braun

Michael Campbell   Seismic Forensics: Mapping Lake Superior’s Subsurface Structures to Characterize the Midcontinent Rift. Advisor: Donna Jurdy

Luis Cartagena

Lucero Flores

John Hayes   Evolution of a Midwestern Reservoir’s Carbon Sources – Biomarker Evidence from TMAH Thermochemolysis. Advisor: Neal Blair

Caroline Schuette   Isotopic Analyses of Inoceramid Shells as Evidence for the Plenus Cold Event and an Investigation of Nacre Tablet Thickness as a Proxy for Temperature. Advisor: Bradley Sageman

Clark Skillman

Negatwa Tewodros

Jordan Todes   Seismic and Geochemical Studies of Mantle and Paleoenvironmental Structure: Perspectives from Subduction Zones and the Western Interior Basin. Advisors: Magdalena Osburn, Bradley Sageman and Emile Okal

2017

Nicholas Ambruz   Absolute and Relative Delay Time Uncertainties of Experienced, Inexperienced, and New Users within AIMBAT. Advisor: Suzan van der Lee

Jane Berkowitz

Barbara (Basia) Gawin (B.A. with Honors in Environmental Science, EPS minor)   The Holocene Sedimentary Record of Lake T3 in Southwest Greenland: Timing of Isostatic Emergence and Evidence of Upstream Glacier Fluctuations. Advisor: Yarrow Axford

Rachel Inderhees

Bethany Ketchem

Mark Schmid

2016

Erik Baker

Steve Brand

Peter Carlin   Field Permeability Assessment Using Open-Source Hardware Design. Advisor: Patricia Beddows

Rui Chen

Marine Coste

Liz Fillion

Matthew Giuffre

Dana Johnson   Phylogenetic Diversity and Lipid Biomarker Composition  of Microbialites in the Freshwater Lake  of Laguna Bacalar. Advisor: Magdalena Osburn

Tyler Kukla   A Tale of Two CIEs: An Isotopic and Paleogeographic Comparison between the Mid Cenomanian Event and Ocean Anoxic Event 2. Advisor: Bradley Sageman

Victoria Nelson

Jiayue Peng

David Rice

Joshua Williams

2015

Anna Hopkins

Margaret Isaacson   Holocene Climate Change in the Southeastern Peruvian Andes: A Vegetation, Precipitation, and Fire History of Lake Yanacocha. Advisor: Yarrow Axford

Mitchell Kirshner   Olympus Mons, Mars: Rheological Properties of Lava Fans and Tubes. Advisor: Donna Jurdy

Alex Layng

Kay T. McMonigal   (B.A. with Honors, EARTH/ISP/MATH) Developing a New Paleo Sea Level Proxy: Calcite Rafts of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Advisor: Patricia Beddows

Andrew Pfeiffer   Holocene Paleoclimate of Northwest Greenland Inferred from Lacustrine Sediments. Advisor: Yarrow Axford

Henrik Westerkam   Backcountry Visitor Impact Assessment at Katmai National Park and Preserve and the Alagnak Wild River. Advisor: Patricia Beddows

2014

John Hodges

Katie Jaycox

Zachary Kisfalusi   Urban Hydrology of Northern Cook County. Advisor: Patricia Beddows

Margaret Koeppel

Brian Lach

Oscar Lopez

Ariel Melinger-Cohen

Tess Monical

Ruthie Norval

Nora Richter   (B.A. with Honors, EARTH/ISP) Late Holocene Paleoclimate Reconstructed from Sediment Geochemistry and Chironomid Remains, Lake Linnévatnet, Svalbard, Norway. Advisor: Yarrow Axford

Heather Tennant

2013

Ellie Bensinger   Variation in Charcoal Abundance in Cores from Maya Port City of Vista Alegre, Quintana Roo. Advisor: Patricia Beddows.

Laura Beckerman

Caroline Binkley

Danny Ginzburg

Harry Hahn

Mariel Henkoff

Peter Ilhardt   Investigation of Potential Microbialite Formations from Yucatán Peninsula Cenotes. Advisor: Patricia Beddows

Leah Isaman

Alex Kegley

Allegra Mayer

Jennifer Mills

Andrea Salus

Matthew Sullivan

2012

Clayton Brengman

Peter Carlson   Lacustrine Gypsum as a Paleoprecipitation Indicator in Inland Belize. Advisor: Patricia Beddows

Catherine Carrio

Alice Carter   Multiproxy Reconstruction of the Alegre Maritime Maya Coastal Archeological Site Using Sediment Cores. Advisor: Patricia Beddows.

Ekjyot (Joey) Gill

Benjamin Heath

Daniel Pfeffer

Matthew Strumpf

2011

Kristen Bartucci

Alexa Socianu

Joseph McKendree Walkowicz

2010

John Kapnik

Jessica Kunke

Michael Mounier

Michael Philben

Julia Swanson

Colleen Moore

Alan Wong

Theresa Wong

2009

Rene Boiteau

Sara Bosshart   The Eocene-Oligocene Boundary in Oregon: A Mysterious Even-Over-Odd Predominance of n-alkanes. Advisor: Francesca McInerney

Latisha Brengman   The Sulfur Isotope Composition of Early Neoproterozoic Seawater as Recorded in the Bitter Springs Formation, Australia. Advisor: Matthew Hurtgen

Rebecca Fischer   Effects of Pressure on H Bonding in Minerals. Advisor: Steven Jacobsen

Stefan Jensen   Geophysical Evidence for Medieval-Period Hydroclimatic Change in the Sierra Nevada. Advisor: Seth Stein

Ryosuke Kita

Timothy Reber

Reid Taylor

2008

Colin Carney   Terrestrial Weathering and Nutrient Recycling: Bionutrient P Dynamics of the Late Devonian Appalachian Basin. Advisor: Bradley Sageman

Ben Farah   Altitudinal Effects on Leaf Wax Composition. Advisor: Francesca McInerney

Eric Kramer   Tracking Arctic Climate Change in Alaska. Advisor: Andrew Jacobson

Nicki Kravis   Tracking Arctic Climate Change in Alaska. Advisor: Andrew Jacobson

Ryan Lange   Relative Teleseismic Wave Arrival Times at Seismic Arrays Across the U.S. Advisor: Suzan van der Lee

Benjamin Chartoff

William Defliese

2007

James Hebden   Rayleigh Wave Propagation in Mid-Ocean Ridge Waveguides. Advisor: Seth Stein. Publication Reference - Hebden, J.S.and S. Stein (2009) "Time-dependent Seismic Hazard Maps for the New Madrid Seismic Zone and Charleston, South Carolina, Areas." Seismological Research Letters 80(1):12-20.

2006

Piyapa Dejtrakulwong   Analysis of Sedimentary Phosphorus in Cenomanian-Turonian (Cretaceous) Deposits of the Western Interior Seaway: Implications for the Interpretation of Oceanic Anoxic Event II. Advisor: Bradley Sageman.

Sarah Krentz

2005

Alexander Bartolai

Michael Goldrich

Brandon Ray   New Models in 40Ar/40K Dating and Escape of Radiogenic Material from Minerals. Advisor: Abraham Lerman

Daniel Zablotney

2004

Justin Sweet   Frequency-Size Distribution of Intraplate Earthquakes. Advisor: Emile Okal

2003

Jessica Edmonds   (B.A. with Honors) Variations in Size and Location of Albedo Features on Mars. Advisor: Mark Robinson

Sara Hohenshelt

Shawn Stevens

2002

Rachael Claxton

Julie Giardina

Verene Lystad   Gazeteer of Mercurian Features. Advisor: Mark Robinson

Petra Pancoskova   Spectral Analysis of Orbitally Forced Sediments Using Measured Sections and Photographic Images. Advisor: Bradley Sageman

Erik Stoltenberg

Brett Wilcox   Comparison of Cratering on Asteroid Eros and the Moon: Comparison of Regoliths on Asteroid Eros and the Moon. Advisor: Mark Robinson

Matthew Williams   Analysis of Organic Carbon Accumulation across a Bulk Sedimentation Gradient: Late Cenomanian, Hartland Shale Member, Western Interior U.S. Advisor: Bradley Sageman