March 2003

Dr. Charles S. Jackson, a Research Associate at the UT Institute for Geophysics, was the Bureau's weekly seminar speaker on Friday, March 28, 2003. The title of his presentation was "Carbon Sequestration within the Context of other Climate Model Uncertainties Affecting Predictions of Future Climate." [Abstract] 03/25/03

.A reception honoring current University of Texas students from Mexico was hosted by Texas State Senator Judith Zaffirini from Laredo and the Texas Exes Association at the Lieutenant Governor's Reception Room at the State Capitol on March 26, 2003. The event was part of an ongoing effort to strengthen ties between Mexico and the UT community. Dignitaries who spoke at the reception included Lt. Governor David Dewhurst and UT Regents Chairman Charles Miller. For more information, please read the Daily Texan article. 03/27/03 Juan Mata, a sophomore mechanical engineer major, is looking forward to getting his degree and going back to Mexico to pursue his career.

Bureau Researcher Rebecca Smyth was Friday's Seminar speaker on March 21, 2003. The title of her presentation was "Forensic Hydrogeology Applied to a Half-Century-Old Crude-Oil Seep, Colorado River, Wharton County, Texas, U.S.A." [Abstract] 03/18/03

John A. Jackson shown with a photograph of his late wife, Katie. Photograph by Dick Clintsman. Courtesy of Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation. John A. (Jack) Jackson, whose gift of $25 million to The University of Texas at Austin in 2001 made possible the establishment of the John A. and Katherine G. Jackson School of Geosciences, died in Dallas on March 21, 2003, at the age of 89. The Bureau mourns the loss of this longtime friend of the geoscience community. Jackson, who earned a bachelor's degree in geology from the University of Texas in 1940, never forgot the source of his geological training. [More] 03/24/03

James Donnelly talks to teachers about the Bureau's core facilities The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) hosted an ecology fieldtrip for teachers during spring break that included a visit to the Bureau on March 11, 2003. Bureau staff members who participated were Rob Reed, James Donnelly, Julia Gale, Daniel Ortuño, Sue Hovorka, John Andrews, Scott Rodgers, and Sigrid Clift. Kathy Ellins from the UT Institute for Geophysics also gave a presentation. 03/12/03

Senior Research Scientist Dr. Bob Hardage presented the Bureau's weekly seminar on Wednesday, March 5. The title of his presentation was "Multicomponent Seismic Technology: Principles and Applications." [Abstract] 03/03/03

Staff member Sigrid Clift represented the Bureau at the Texas Informal Science Education Association's (ISEA) annual conference that was held at the LCRA McKinney Roughs Nature Park on March 4–6. John Andrews, Sue Hovorka, and Scott Rodgers also participated as presenters at the conference. For more information about ISEA, visit their website. For more information about McKinney Roughs, click here. 03/07/03 Panoramic view of the Colorado River from one of McKinney Roughs' hiking trails.

Tony Troutman, a geologist with Shell Exploration and Production in U.S. Gas Onshore New Play Development, visited members of the Fracture Research and Application Consortium (FRAC) through March 5. His visit included training in microfracture imaging and characterization techniques developed by FRAC. The work is part of ongoing studies of Cretaceous sandstones in the northern Rocky Mountains. 02/28/03

Senior Research Scientist Dr. Bridget R. Scanlon presented "Intercode Comparisons for Simulating the Water Balance of Engineered Covers in Semiarid Regions" at the International Applied Phytotechnologies Conference in Chicago on March 4, 2003. Her talk compared various unsaturated flow codes for simulating the water balance of engineeredcovers designed for waste containment and included field data from the prototype engineered covers in the Chihuahuan Desert in west Texas and in the Snake River Plain in Idaho. [Abstract] [PDF] [PPT] 03/03/03

The Austin Geological Society held its monthly meeting on Monday, March 3, 2003, 7:00 to 8:00 PM, at the University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology inAustin. [Maps] This was the Society's annual Poster Session Meeting. [Partial list of presenters] 02/28/03