Accomplishments: Department of Geoscience
Krishnakumar Nangeelil, Peter Dimpfl, Zaijing Sun (all Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences), Shichun Huang (currently faculty at UTK, a former member of the department of geosciences at UNLV), and Mayir Mamtimin (Halliburton) published an article titled, "Preliminary Study on Forgery Identification of Hetian Jade with Instrumental Neutron…
Simon Jowitt and Brian McNulty (Geoscience) recently published a paper in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews on critical metals – often discarded as a byproduct of mining operations – that are vital components in the global push for low-carbon energy generation, storage, and transport.
Researchers explored the current global…
Amanda Ostwald and Arya Udry (both Geoscience) and their collaborators, Valerie Payré (NAU), Esteban Gazel (Cornell), and Peiyu Wu (Cornell) published a paper, “The Role of Assimilation and Factional Crystallization in the Evolution of the Mars Crust”, in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters. Ostwald is geoscience graduate student, and…
Shichun Huang (Geoscience), Min Li (Physics and Astronomy) and their colleagues published an article, Sulfur Isotopic Signature of Earth Established by Planetesimal Volatile Evaporation, in Naure Geoscience. Using sophisticated ab initio and thermodynamics calculations, they showed that the Earth's sulfur, an important volatile element, budget is…
David Rice, Zachary Grande, Ashkan Salamat, Jason Steffen (all Physics and Astronomy), and Oliver Tschauner (Geoscience), along with former UNLV postdoc Chenliang Huang (Physics and Astronomy) published a study on the properties of the interiors of distant, extrasolar planets in the "Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society." This…
David Kreamer (Geoscience) was invited by the president of the United Nations General Assembly to speak to the member states in open session at a high-level UN meeting on the "Implementation of the Water-Related Goals and Targets of the 2030 Agenda" earlier his month.
Kreamer spoke on an interactive panel on water data, information, and…
Arya Udry (Geoscience) published the review article "What Martian Meteorites Reveal About the Interior and Surface of Mars" in Journal of Geophysical Research : Planets.
Scientists learn about the formation and evolution of planets, such as Mars, by studying rock samples. Obtaining rock samples from Mars makes it possible to study them in…
Arya Udry (Geoscience) has been selected for the Mars 2020 Participating Scientist Program. Udry's proposal "Using Jezero Crater Igneous Compositions to
Constrain Martian Interior and Surface Processes from the Noachian to Amazonian" was selected for funding. She was one of 13 proposals out of 119 chosen for the award.
UNLV now has…
Steve Rowland (Geoscience) recently published "Early Adaptation to Eolian Sand Dunes by Basal Amniotes is Documented in Two Pennsylvanian Grand Canyon Trackways" in PLOS One. The study confirmed the oldest vertebrate tracks in the Grand Canyon. The two sets of fossilized tracks are approximately 313 million years old and are lying in…
Simon Jowitt (Geoscience) was featured in an Ars Technica article on the rare earth elements, covering demand for these elements that are critical for modern technology, green energy, and defense. The article highlights recent UNLV geoscience research on the geology and potential recycling of the rare earth elements, and how developments in this…
Jesse Barnes (Public Policy & Leadership) and Michael Nicholl (Geoscience) recently had their article "Mildly hydrophobic biobased mulch: A sustainable approach to controlling bare soil evaporation" published in Vadose Zone Journal. This article was adapted from Barnes's thesis project from his master's degree in UNLV's water…
The Graduate College is pleased to announce its 2019-20 award winners.
UNLV Graduate College Outstanding Thesis & Dissertation Awards
Each year the Graduate College presents four awards for outstanding theses and dissertations (within each category, one for STEM and one for non-STEM). This year’s winners are:
Outstanding Thesis (STEM…