2011 News Archives
UCSC grad students Ken Mankoff and Naor Movshovitz use Kinect videogame equipment for glaciology and planetary science.
December 14, 2011
Last summer, Ken Mankoff shimmied through zero-degree water and mud into a small cavern underneath Rieperbreen Glacier in Svalbard, Norway, holding a Microsoft Kinect wrapped inside a waterproof bag.
Thorne Lay gives the American Geophysical Union's Gutenberg lecture.
December 11, 2011
Great Earthquake Ruptures in the age of Seismo-Geodesy, Gutenberg Lecture, AGU Fall Meeting 2011, San Francisco, CA
Submarine springs offer preview of ocean acidification effects on coral reefs
November 28, 2011
Observations at submarine springs found along the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula are giving scientists a preview of the possible fate of coral reef ecosystems in response to ocean acidification.
Ancient lunar dynamo may explain magnetized moon rocks
November 09, 2011
A novel mechanism that could have generated a magnetic field on the moon early in its history may explain the presence of magnetized rocks on the lunar surface.
Geologist Casey Moore honored by Geological Society of Japan
October 06, 2011
The Geological Society of Japan has awarded its International Prize to UCSC geologist Casey Moore.
Jim Zachos, Paul Koch, and graduate alumnus Matt Huber are featured in a National Geographics article on global warming, ocean acidification, and biotic change at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary
October 1, 2011
In the early 1990s the same signs of a planetary convulsion began turning up on Polecat Bench. Two young scientists, Paul Koch of the Carnegie Institution and James Zachos, then at the University of Michigan, collected half-inch clumps of carbonate-rich soil from each of the sediment layers.
Alumnus Ian Howat (Ph.D. 2006) receives prestigious PECASE young investigator award at the White House.
September 29, 2011
Photo of Ian Howat, PECASE award winner Ian Howat, assistant professor, School of Earth Sciences, will receive a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) at a dinner at the White House in October
'Big splat' may explain moon's mountainous far side
August 03, 2011
The mountainous region on the far side of the moon may be the remains of a collision with a smaller companion moon.
Earth scientist James Gill receives Humboldt Research Award
May 26, 2011
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation has elected Earth scientist James Gill to receive a Humboldt Research Award.
Paul Koch named interim dean of physical and biological sciences
May 19, 2011
UCSC has appointed Professor Paul Koch to serve as interim dean of the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences.
Galileo data reveal magma "ocean" under Io's surface
May 12, 2011
Data from NASA's Galileo spacecraft reveals a subsurface "ocean" of magma beneath the surface of Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io.
Grad student Sam Johnstone receives Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award
May 1, 2011
Congratulations to the graduate students who have been selected as recipients of the 2010-11 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award. Their selection attests to the high regard the faculty and students have for their work as a Teaching Assistant. It also carries an award of $200.00 at the Bay Tree Bookstore, a token of recognition for their outstanding performance as Teaching Assistants across campus.
Jim Zachos elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
April 19, 2011
A leader in the field of paleoceanography, James Zachos studies marine environments in Earth's past by analyzing evidence in the layers of sediments deposited on the seafloor.
Article by undergraduate Ashley Gilliam says that planets around dim red dwarf stars could have liquid methane oceans, which are potential habitats for alien life
April 14, 2011
To see if worlds like Titan could host oceans when not orbiting Saturn, McKay and planetary scientist Ashley Gilliam calculated what a Titan-like world might be like while orbiting around a relatively dim M4 red dwarf star.
Grad student Jake Walter reports that the Honshu earthquake affected the flow of Antarctic ice streams
March 15, 2011
The movement was picked up by Jake Walter of the University of California, Santa Cruz, and his colleagues, who monitor the glacier remotely from California. They say the event is an "interesting insight", but are not suggesting it will destabilise the ice stream in any way.
Earthquake expert Emily Brodsky featured in NSF lecture series
January 20, 2011
Seismologist Emily Brodsky is featured in the National Science Foundation's "Voices From the Future" lecture series.
