Hello Friends, It is my great pleasure to share the news that William “Bill” Ryan, Special Research Scientist in the Marine Geology and Geophysics group and Earth Elder extraordinaire, has been awarded the Lyell Medal by the Geological Society of London. The Lyell Medal is given for contributions to “soft” rock studies—it was established by Sir Charles Lyell, the author of Principles of Geology and one who makes a star appearance in most introductory geology lectures. The first Lyell medal was given in 1876 to John Morris, a professor of geology at University College in London, and our own Bill Ruddiman won the medal in 2010.
From the Geological Society press release: "The Lyell Medal, recognising geologists whose research has made a significant contribution to 'soft' rock studies, is awarded in 2022 to Dr William B. F. Ryan….. Dr Ryan said, “It is an honour to receive a medal with Lyell’s name. After notice of the award, I devoured all three volumes of his “Principles of Geology” with the greatest pleasure and immense respect for his pioneering role in the geosciences.” Dr Ryan, a marine geologist, has provided pivotal insights to marine geology; one of most note is his documentation of the Miocene desiccation of the Mediterranean Sea. He has also highly regarded for his valuable contribution to the geoscience community through his work on the development of user-friendly marine geological and geophysical data bases, the web-based GeoMapApp and the mobile-based Polar Explorer: Sea-level app.”
It won’t surprise anyone who knows Bill to hear that he wrote to me: “None of these accolades would have happened without a career at Lamont and in the company of so many of our brilliant colleagues…”. Congratulations Bill!
On Wednesday, February 23rd, a group of Visual Arts MFA students paid a visit to Lamont. Committed to using sustainable materials in their practice as well as using their work to communicate around the subject of climate change, these students wanted to learn more about what we do and hopefully get inspired. I think it worked! We’ve had nothing but positive feedback about the visit and their interactions with our scientists. We all hope this leads to more collaborations between CU artists and scientists, something that is becoming a bit of a thing around here. They toured the Core Repository, Marine Polar Lab (Ice Pod) and the Tree-Ring Lab. The group included Prof. Nicola Lopez (Chair of the Visual Arts department), Prof. Tomas Vu Daniel (Artistic Director of the Leroy Neiman Center for Print Studies), and 14 students. The highlight was the wrap-up reception in the Monell lobby where the students presented lightning talks about their inspiring works-in-progress.
Our interactions with the School of Arts continued this week, on March 2nd, with a visit by Carol Becker, Professor of the Arts and Dean of the School of Arts. Joining her were Gavin Browning, Director of Public Programs and Engagement at Columbia University School of the Arts and Carol’s husband Mr. Jack Murchie, an architect and partner at the firm of SMNG A (yes, that is the name, not a typo). The goal of this visit was to introduce Dean Becker and her colleagues to some of the ground-breaking research being done here at Lamont, to encourage thought-provoking conversations around the intersection of art and science, and to foster future collaborations between the School of Arts and the Lamont campus.
Carol was just as excited about her visit as the students were the week before. Thank you to all the Lamonters who helped make this visit a success. From Carol “We had SUCH a great time. Thank you for all the generosity of time and intelligence and thank your team as well. What a wonderful community you have,” and from Gavin, “I'd always wanted to visit LDEO, and this was really the perfect way to do it. (I was particularly drawn to those maps by Marie Tharp — they are very beautiful. And of course the Core Lab is totally incredible.)”
I’ll wrap up by announcing an upcoming, in-person Town Hall featuring Dr. Richard Spinrad, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans & Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, on Friday, March 25 from 12:30pm-1:45pm in the Monell Auditorium. In addition to lightning talks from some of our colleagues, Dr. Spinrad will give a presentation followed by a public Q+A. The Town Hall will be a key part of his five-hour visit that will feature our scientists and their work, facilitate discussions about NOAA's strategic priorities, and hopefully inspire thinking around opportunities for new funding streams. I only wish we had five days instead of five hours. NOAA has been, and will continue to be, one of Lamont's most important sponsors and partners. I hope that the full Lamont community will attend this Town Hall and help us highlight our exceptional and innovative science! The link to register is here. For any event questions, please contact Natalie Trotta at nt2510@columbia.edu. I'm looking forward to seeing you all there. No masks required! Hooray!
Warmer weather is on its way. Have a lovely weekend.
Mo
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LAMONT IN THE MEDIA:
FEATURED NEWS
How Carbon-Eating Rocks Could Help Fight Climate Crisis
Guardian (UK)
March 2, 2022
Article on research by Lamont researcher Catalina Sanchez-Roa.
Disputing Koonin on Melting of Greenland’s Ice
Wall Street Journal
February 28, 2022
Letter to the editor coauthored by Lamont scientist Marco Tedesco.
Articles below pertaining to study of San Andreas Fault by Paleoseismologist
Genevieve Coffey at GNS Science, and Stephen Cox, Associate Research Scientist at Lamont.
Sluggish Section of San Andreas Fault Remains a Hazard
San Francisco Bay News
March 3, 2022
New Study Sounds the Alarm About San Andreas Fault
KTVU
March 3, 2022
Earthquake Models Get a Big Shakeup With Clues Buried in the San Andreas Fault
Popular Science
March 3, 2022
The San Andreas Fault May Cause More Damage Than Expected
KCBS
March 3, 2022
Paleoseismology Changes the San Andreas Game
Medium
March 3, 2022
Paleoseismology Changes the San Andreas Game
CosmoQuest
March 2, 2022
Slow-Moving Section of San Andreas Fault Remains a Danger
Zenger
March 2, 2022
Section of San Andreas Fault Lind May Be More Disastrous Than Previously Believed
Nature World News
March 1, 2022
San Andreas Fault Line Could Cause Bigger Quakes Than Previously Thought, Researchers Say
The Independent (UK)
February 28, 2022
Center of California’s San Andreas Fault Could Cause Even Bigger Earthquakes, Researchers Say
Newsweek
February 28, 2022
Where Big Quakes Were Thought Unlikely, Rocks Deep Down Say Otherwise
Science Daily
February 28, 2022
Ceng News
February 28, 2022
(Story picked up from SoP by dozens of news-aggregator sites)
Earth Pulsates Every 26 Seconds. No One Knows Why.
Popular Mechanics
February 21, 2022
Jack Oliver, who worked at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory at the time, heard the noise, but didn't have the advanced instruments...
Articles below pertaining to Lamont-Doherty/GISS – Megadrought Study coauthored by Jason Smerdon, Lamont Research Professor, and Benjamin Cook, Adjunct Associate Research Scientist.
Megadrought Likely to Continue in Western Colorado and Throughout the West for Years, Scientists Say
Denver Post
February 19, 2022
The Southwest United States Has Not Experienced Such a Drought for 1,200 Years
Futura (France)
February 19, 2022
Ohio Needs a Consistent Earthquake-Risk Policy on Permitting Fracking Waste Wells
Cleveland Plain Dealer
February 18, 2022
Discusses research by Lamont seismologists John Armbruster and Leonardo Seeber.
BLOGS
A Slow-Motion Section of the San Andreas Fault May Not Be So Harmless After All
By Kevin Krajick
February 28, 2022
“The central section of the great fault spanning California, thought to be creeping along harmlessly at the moment, has experienced big quakes in the past, says a new study.”
Talking With Bill Ryan, Detective of the Deeps
By Kevin Krajick
February 24, 2022
“Marine geologist William B.F. Ryan discusses once seemingly unlikely theories about the evolution of oceans and seas, the hunt for the wreck of the Titanic, the Biblical Flood, and more.”
Researchers Map New York State Methane Emissions With a Mobile Laboratory
By Columbia Climate School
February 22, 2022
“Scientists are using mobile instruments to measure and hopefully help reduce emissions from landfills, cities, farms, waste treatment plants and other sources where mitigation measures could be put in place.”
Forest Fires Increasingly Affecting Western Rivers and Streams, for Better and Worse
By Columbia Climate School
February 22, 2022
“Fires may increase stream flow for years after sweeping the surface, and temporarily increase downstream water supplies. But they may also increase the risks of landslides and floods in affected areas.”
Researchers Map New York State Methane Emissions With a Mobile Laboratory
By Columbia Climate School
February 22, 2022
“Scientists are using mobile instruments to measure and hopefully help reduce emissions from landfills, cities, farms, waste treatment plants and other sources where mitigation measures could be put in place.”