Fall 2023 updates from Department Chair, Dr. Mark Baskaran
Greetings alumni a
nd friends of WSU Environmental Science and Geology,
We’re excited to share some of our most recent achievements and updates with you. We recently hired two new faculty members to the department. Tesfaye Kidane, structural geologist, joined as a full professor with tenure. He comes to us from the University of Kwazulu Natal in South Africa. Lindsay Krall will be joining in fall 2024 as an assistant professor. Dr. Shirley Papuga is currently on leave of absence.
The momentum to build a stronger department is continuing. Our faculty continue to do very well in teaching and mentoring our students. The scholarship of the department is strong, with external research funding. Scott Burdick secured his five-year NSF CAREER grant. Sarah Brownlee received the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching and the chair received the Distinguished Graduate Faculty award.
In its 76-year history, the environmental science and geology department (geology department prior to fall 2020) is currently in its strongest position, with eight full-time faculty members. We have started the process of establishing a Ph.D. program in the department and are looking forward to its launch in the fall of 2025. The department is currently moving forward with the establishment of The Center for Diversity in Geosciences (working with the American Geophysical Union, AGU) to bring more persons of color into our undergraduate program by targeting middle schoolers from a set of select middle and high schools in the area. A two-week field-trip based summer camp is being planned to expose the field-based geology program to these students. We are also in the process of establishing an alumni council for our alumni to actively get involved with our current students and in the growth of the department.
In the last three years, 115 undergraduate degrees in environmental science and geology and 12 master’s degrees in geology were conferred. Our department continues to grow in student enrollment, with 164 registered students majoring in undergraduate degrees in environmental science and/or geology and 21 students in master’s programs. Our students-led annual field trip in May this year to the greater Yellowstone area with 28 students was quite successful. For a large fraction of the students, this is the first national park to visit. The annual mineralogy field trip to Bancroft, Ontario is continuing.
In summary, the Department of Environmental Science and Geology is continuing in its upward trajectory. If you are coming this way, we would love to have you visit the department. Please keep in touch and let us know from time to time how and what you are doing as we enjoy hearing from our alumni.
And to our donors, the faculty, staff, and students of the department would like to thank all of you who have given so generously. Your gifts have contributed greatly to our success. If you are considering a gift to the department, visit our giving page and type in the correct designation whether it is the environmental sciences and geology department, "Alumni Field Trip Support" fund, the "David J. Lowrie Mineral Museum" fund or the "Department Research and Development" fund. Your support is always appreciated.
With very best regards,
Mark Baskaran