news-Geology

Fredrick Manthi Elected to National Academy of Sciences

May 7, 2025

Fredrick Manthi

University of Utah adjunct professor Fredrick Kyalo Manthi has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Manthi, who serves in the Department of Geology & Geophysics and as Director of Antiquities, Sites and Monuments at the National Museums of Kenya, was formally inducted during a ceremony at NAS headquarters in Washington, D.C. on April 25. His election recognizes his significant contributions to the fields of vertebrate paleontology and human evolution research.

The National Academy of Sciences recognizes scientists who have made outstanding and ongoing contributions to original research. As one of science's most prestigious distinctions, NAS membership represents an exceptional achievement in the scientific community. Current NAS membership totals approximately 2,700 members and over 500 international members, of which approximately 200 have received Nobel prizes. Manthi is the 16th faculty member from the College of Science to be elected to the NAS. He is also the only African scientist elected for 2024 and just the second Kenyan ever to receive this recognition.

"Fredrick Manthi's election to the National Academy of Sciences is incredibly well-deserved and represents decades of meticulous field research and scientific dedication," said Thure Cerling, Distinguished Professor of Geology & Geophysics and Biological Sciences at the University of Utah and fellow NAS member. "His pioneering work has advanced our understanding of early human evolution, and his connection to Utah has enriched our research community immensely."

With a research career spanning nearly four decades, Manthi has established himself as a leading expert in East African paleontology. Since joining the National Museums of Kenya in 1986, he has conducted extensive fieldwork throughout the Lake Turkana Basin and other fossil sites across Kenya. Since 2003, Manthi directed numerous excavations at Plio-Pleistocene sites including Kanapoi, Lomekwi, Nariokotome, and several others in northern Kenya, collectively yielding over 12,000 fossil specimens, including rare hominid remains. His research on fossil and modern micro-vertebrate bone assemblages has provided valuable evidence for early hominin paleoecology. Manthi has also facilitated research opportunities for emerging Kenyan scientists and developed scientific infrastructure and training programs focused on the collections at the National Museums of Kenya, which serve as crucial resources for understanding human evolution.

“This recognition highlights the importance of international scientific collaboration, and I plan to use my NAS membership to strengthen research partnerships with the University of Utah and the National Museums of Kenya,” says Manthi. “To the young Africans and those from other parts of the world, I want to tell you that you can achieve high levels of success in your career paths through focus, resilience and hard work.”

The College of Science celebrates this prestigious recognition of one of its faculty members. "Fredrick Manthi's groundbreaking research in paleontology and his commitment to nurturing the next generation of scientists are exemplary," said Interim Dean Pearl Sandick. "His election to the National Academy of Sciences is a tremendous honor, reflecting the extraordinary quality and global impact of his research."

by Bianca Lyon

Jay Quade, Distinguished Alumnus

May 6, 2025

Jay Quade

One of the outstanding field geologists of the modern day, Jay Quade has provided great insight into the geochemistry of the near-surface (surficial) environment. His Ph.D. work set the stage to document isotope diffusion as the determining factor in soil carbonate profiles. He followed this with work in the Siwaliks of Pakistan and showed that major ecosystem changes, including the expansion of C4 grasslands, are recorded in soils through both d13C and d18O isotopic analysis.

In his distinguished faculty career at the University of Arizona beginning in 1992, he continued to pursue isotope change along the length of the Himalaya. This is the best documented ecological change showing the transition from the mid-Miocene "C₃-World" to the Plio-Pleistocene "C₄-World."

Quade has made many contributions since then in many aspects of surficial geochemistry, but a few highlights include the following:

— Strontium isotopes to study calcrete formation and documenting movement of goods by early American cultures in the USA

— Studying packrat middens as long-term climate records

— The Quaternary history in the Yucca Mountain region for implications for nuclear waste disposal

— Demonstrating how earthquakes can influence surface weathering of boulders in desert regions (a very fun read)

— Clumped isotope applications in soils and paleosols

— Conventional and clumped isotopes in paleoaltimetry studies (pioneering work with Carmie Garzione)

Widely Recognized

A celebrated geoscience polymath, Quade has been widely recognized in the sector. He is the recipient of the 2018 Arthur L. Day Medalist from the Geological Society of America in 2018 recognizing “outstanding distinction in the application of physics and chemistry to the solution of geologic problems," and a fellow of the Geological Society of America, the American Geophysical Union, the Geochemical Society and the National Academy of Sciences. He has had visiting faculty positions at Hebrew University and the University of Tokyo.

Scopus, the multidisciplinary abstract and citation database produced by Elsevier lists Quade’s 220 publications with nearly 22,000 citations, and an "h-index’" of 78. His contribution to science extends far beyond these metrics with the creativity and care he demonstrates and instills in colleagues and mentees every day.

Through all this work, Quade has been engaged in multiple collaborations, showing enormous generosity of his time and sharing his experience and field sites.

The 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award was presented to Jay Quade by the Department of Geology & Geophysics March 6 by a committee that included Marjorie Chan, professor emerita; Pete Lippert, associate professor; Thure Cerling, distinguished professor; Cari Johnson, professor; Kip Solomon, distinguished professor and interim department chair; Ashley Herman, program manager.

This story originally appeared on the website of the University of Utah's Department of Geology & Geophysics.

2025 Convocation Student Speaker: Marcus Tanner

May 5, 2025

On May 1, Marcus Tanner, an undergraduate in Physics & Astronomy and Geology & Geophysics, spoke at the College of Science's 2025 convocation ceremony staged at the Huntsman Center. His complete remarks are below.

Friends, classmates, scientists, biologists, congratulations on blazing your trail through your undergraduate degrees! No matter how long it took you to get here or what path you took, this is the culmination of all your hard work … but this is not the end of your education, or at least I hope it isn’t, and I don’t mean whatever post-graduate programs you might be attending after we toss our caps. I hope you continue to learn and challenge yourselves long into the future.

I have been a part of many communities on campus during my five-year stay: the physics department, the geology department, the Science Ambassador team, countless teaching and mentoring roles, and I learned something new from each one of them.

Physics taught me that challenging myself is often worth the effort. Geoscience taught me to look at things from new perspectives. Being an Ambassador taught me that science is a team effort, and that not knowing things is more than okay, it’s a part of the job. Being a Teaching Assistant and Learning Assistant has taught me humility (and a lot of physics), because I was once in my students’ shoes seeking help for what now seemed so simple.

But one thing I learned from all of them is that change is an important part of life; I’ve seen friendships wax and wane, I’ve watched fledgling scientists grow into their own and spread their wings towards brighter skies, I’ve seen the world change and shift in ways I would have never dreamed of.

Looking back, I’ve seen that the thing that ties all of this together is the ebb and flow of overwhelming force and renewed strength. A gas cloud must collapse before it shines as a star. A rock must melt before it recrystallizes into something stronger. A mentor must make mistakes and live their life to have advice for people on a similar path. It’s rather parsimonious then, that people too must falter before they can rise higher, and often with support from others to give them some lift.

As we start our new journeys, I hope we can not only learn to grow and shine, but also be willing to take a chance to falter and ask for guidance. We can learn to be proud to admit when we don’t know something. As we do, we can shine when we are strong and borrow some fuel when we are weak. We can wander and wonder, burn and yearn, feel and heal; above all, we can keep learning.

After all, everything ends at some point. There’s no reason to stop changing before we run out of fuel. Our current degree programs may be over, but we can keep being students until we become part of geologic time ourselves.

Thank you.

Marcus Tanner, BS'25 with double degrees in Physics & Astronomy and Geology & Geophysics, is from Draper, Utah.
You can read more about him in his Humans of the U story here.

Distinguished Professor Kip Solomon

May 5, 2025

Solomon holds the Frank Brown Presidential Chair in the Department of Geology & Geophysics, where he is currently interim department chair.

Solomon has a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from the University of Waterloo and BS and MS degrees from the U’s Department of Geology and Geophysics. He joined the department as faculty in 1993 and served as chair from 2009-2013.

His research includes the use of environmental tracers to evaluate groundwater flow and solute transport processes in local-to regional-scale aquifers. He constructed and operates one of only a few labs in the world that measures noble gases in groundwater. His research results have been documented in more than 120 journal articles, book chapters and technical reports.

“The College of Science congratulates Kip Solomon on this well-deserved recognition," said Pearl Sandick, interim dean of the College of Science. "As a hydrogeologist, Solomon has developed the use of dissolved gases to evaluate groundwater travel times, location and rates of recharge, and the sustainability of groundwater resources — findings that enhance our efforts to improve water management in the American West. His teaching over the years as well as his service to the department as a former chair and now interim chair epitomize his dedication to the field and the university.”

Solomon was awarded the O.E Meinzer Annual Award by the Geological Society of America in September when a profile of his life's work was featured. You can read that profile here.

For a while, crocodile

April 17, 2025

Keegan Melstrom, assistant professor, University of Central Oklahoma with three crocodylomorphs. Photo credit: University of Central Oklahoma

Most people think of crocodylians as living fossils— stubbornly unchanged, prehistoric relics that have ruled the world’s swampiest corners for millions of years. But their evolutionary history tells a different story, according to new research led by the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) and the University of Utah.

Crocodylians are surviving members of a 230-million-year lineage called crocodylomorphs, a group that includes living crocodylians (i.e. crocodiles, alligators and gharials) and their many extinct relatives. Crocodylian ancestors persisted through two mass extinction events, a feat requiring evolutionary agility to adapt to a rapidly changed world. The study’s authors discovered that one secret to crocodylian longevity is their remarkably flexible lifestyles, both in what they eat and the habitat in which they get it.

“Lots of groups closely related to crocodylians were more diverse, more abundant, and exhibited different ecologies, yet they all disappeared except these few generalist crocodylians alive today,” said Keegan Melstrom, lead author and assistant professor at UCO, who began the research as a doctoral student at the U. “Extinction and survivorship are two sides of the same coin. Through all mass extinctions, some groups manage to persist and diversify. What can we learn by studying the deeper evolutionary patterns imparted by these events?”

Earth has experienced five mass extinctions in its history. Experts argue that we’re living through a sixth, driven by habitat destruction, invasive species and changing climates. Identifying traits that boost survivorship during planetary upheaval may help scientists and conservationists better protect vulnerable species today.

Historically, the field has regarded mammals as the poster children for understanding mass extinction survival, lauding their generalist diet and ability to thrive in different ecological niches. Despite their resilience, research has largely ignored the crocodylomorph clade. The paper, published on April 16 in the journal Palaeontology, is the first to reconstruct the dietary ecology of crocodylomorphs to identify characteristics that helped some groups persist and thrive through two mass extinctions—the end-Triassic, about 201.4 million years ago (Ma), and the end-Cretaceous, about 66 Ma.

“There’s a danger of trying to draw conclusions from millions of years ago and directly apply it to conservation. We have to be cautious,” said co-author Randy Irmis, curator of paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Utah and professor in the U’s Department of Geology & Geophysics. “If people study mammals and reptiles and find the same patterns with respect to extinction survival, then we might predict that species with a generalist diet may do better. That information helps us make predictions, but it’s unlikely we’ll ever be able to pick out which individual species will survive.”

A hidden past of alternative lifestyles

Randy Irmis faces off with a fossil Borealosuchus skull from the Natural History Museum of Utah’s collections. This crocodylian lived approximately 48 million years ago in the American West. Photo credit: Jack Rodgers/NHMU

Living crocodylians are famous for being semi-aquatic generalists that thrive in environments like lakes, rivers or marshes, waiting to ambush unsuspecting prey. Picky eaters, they are not. Young ones will snack on anything from tadpoles, insects or crustaceans before graduating to bigger fare, such as fish, baby deer, or even fellow crocs. Yet the uniform lifestyle of today’s crocodylians masks a massive diversity of dietary ecologies in which past crocodylomorphs thrived.

During the Late Triassic Period (237–201.4 Ma) Pseudosuchia, a broader evolutionary group that includes early crocodylomorphs and many other extinct lineages, ruled the land. The earliest crocodylomorphs were small-to-medium-sized creatures that were rare in their ecosystems, and were carnivores that mostly ate small animals. In contrast, other pseudosuchian groups dominated on land, occupied a wide range of ecological roles and exhibited a dizzying diversity of body shapes and sizes.

Despite their dominance, once the end-Triassic extinction hit, no non-crocodylomorph pseudosuchians survived. Whereas hyper-carnivore crocodylomorphs appeared to also die off, the terrestrial generalists made it through. The authors hypothesize that this ability to eat almost anything allowed them to survive, while so many other groups went extinct.

Read the full story by Lisa Potter in @The U.

Tooth enamel helps reconstruct wildlife migrations

March 13, 2025

Teeth recovered from a beloved zoo elephant that died in 2008 are helping University of Utah geologists develop a method for tracking the movements of large herbivores across landscapes, even for animals now extinct, such as mastodons and mammoths.

Outlined in recently published findings, the technique analyzes isotope ratios of the element strontium (Sr), which accumulates in tooth enamel. For large plant-eating land mammals, the relative abundance of two strontium isotopes in teeth and tusks reflects where the creature may have roamed during its lifetime.

“Our study not only adds to our understanding of how tooth enamel records an animal’s Sr isotope exposure, but also helps to reconstruct animal migrations from Sr isotope analysis,” lead author Deming Yang said in a posting about the research. “It can be applied to studies of paleobiology, to answer how megaherbivores migrated in the past. It can also be applied to studies of modern conservation and forensics, to trace the origins of illegal ivory trade and other forms of wildlife trafficking.”

The star of the study is Misha, a female elephant acquired by Salt Lake City’s Hogle Zoo in 2005.

Chemically similar to calcium, strontium from the environment accumulates in highly mineralized tissues, such as animals’ bones and teeth.

“As animals eat and drink, they pick up this environmental signature and store it in their teeth, preserving a series of environmental exposures like historic archives,” Yang wrote. This is because the geology of different places presents different isotope signatures for 87-strontium/86-strontium [⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr] and those isotope ratios are reflected in plants and water.

“We use other elements, but in this case, we’re focusing on strontium, which has proven to be really useful because of its strong link to geology,” coauthor Gabe Bowen said. “Ultimately it comes down to where that element comes from, how the animal gets it into their body and from what sources.”

The isotope ⁸⁷Sr is radiogenic, meaning it is produced from the decay of another element, in this case rubidium, found next door to strontium on the Periodic Table, whose half-life exceeds 49 billion years, about 10 times the age of Earth. While ⁸⁷Sr increases over time, the abundance of other strontium isotopes remains fixed. Accordingly, isotope ratios are a proxy for the age of rocks and typically differ from place to place.

Coauthor Thure Cerling, a highly decorated distinguished U professor of both geology and biology, is a pioneer in the use of isotope analysis to shed light on ecological questions such as soil formation, animal physiology, wildlife ecology and climate change.

Read the entire story by Brian Maffly in @TheU.

New state-of-the-art mass spectrometer

March 10, 2025

The University of Utah’s Department of Geology & Geophysics has been awarded a million-dollar grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to acquire state-of-the-art mass spectrometry instrumentation for measuring isotope ratios of heavier elements at the precision needed to perform cutting-edge research into Earth’s deep past.

Mass spectrometers have been making accurate and precise isotope ratio measurements of elements such as hydrogen (H), carbon (C) and oxygen (O) for many decades. Isotope ratio differences generally scale with mass, with isotope ratios of these lighter-mass elements exhibiting much larger differences than ratios for the heavier-mass elements. Large differences are easier to measure than small differences.

The instrument acquired through the NSF Major Research Instrumentation program is capable of determining very, very small isotope ratio differences. The instrument’s technical name is the Thermo Neoma “multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer,” or MC-ICP-MS for short. The instrument routinely makes accurate and precise isotope ratio measurements for magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), strontium (Sr), molybdenum (Mo), mercury (Hg), thallium (Tl), lead (Pb), uranium (U), calcium (Ca), potassium (K) and many other heavy elements.

“There’s so many things you can do with it. We have a long list of scientists in our department and beyond who rely on isotope ratio data for their projects,” said Chad Ostrander, assistant professor of geology and principal investigator of the grant.

Joining Ostrander in applying for the grant are Diego Fernandez, Juan Carlos de Obeso and Sarah Lambart. Chris Anderson and Issaku Kohl also play instrumental roles in the project. The team’s interests cover many fields of research, tracking the selective movement of isotopes today and in the past from Earth’s interior to its surface, between seawater and the seafloor, from ocean to land and between land and life.

Read the entire story by Ethan Hood in @TheU.

A Climate Moon Shot Beneath Our Feet

March 3, 2025

Joseph Moore

In such a landscape, you remember that the planet’s hard exterior, where we spend our entire lives, is so thin that we call it a crust. Its superheated interior, meanwhile, burns with an estimated forty-four trillion watts of power. Milford was once a lead-, silver-, and gold-mining town, but when I visited the area on a sunny spring morning a scientist named Joseph Moore [research professor in civil and environmental engineering and adjunct professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Utah] was prospecting for something else: heat.

Heat mined from underground is called geothermal — “earth heat,” in ancient Greek — and can be used to produce steam, spin a turbine, and generate electricity. Until recently, humans have tended to harvest small quantities in the rare places where it surfaces, such as hot springs. Moore’s mission, as a geologist at the University of Utah and the project leader of the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE), is to “develop the roadmap that is needed to build geothermal reservoirs anywhere in the world.” This road is long, and much of the map remains blank. The biggest problem is drilling miles through hot rock, safely. If scientists can do that, however, next-generation geothermal power could supply clean energy for eons.

During my trip, Moore’s corps of consultants and roughnecks were drilling the fifth borehole of their experimental project. Their rig, armed with a diamond drill bit, towered like a rocket over the rural landscape; miles of solar panels and wind turbines receded into the distance. The hole, which would eventually be L-shaped, was five thousand feet deep, and the team had another five thousand to go, horizontally. But, before they could drill any farther, they needed to install a hundred-and-fifty-ton steel tube in the hole, using special heat-resistant cement to glue it into place. The tube was like a massive straw that was meant to transport hot water and steam from an artificial underground reservoir—without contaminating local groundwater or triggering earthquakes.

At 6:15P.M.on May 3rd, cement had started flowing into the hole. Four hours later, part of the cement folded in on itself. The next morning, the cement supply ran out; the men had miscalculated how much they needed. This brought the three-hundred-million-dollar operation to a maddening halt. Moore, in bluejeans and a FORGE-branded hard hat, called his supplier. The nearest batch of suitable cement was five hundred miles away, in Bakersfield, California. The truck would not arrive until after dark.

Right now, geothermal energy meets less than one per cent of humanity’s electricity and heating needs—a puny, almost irrelevant portion. Fossil fuels power about eighty per cent of human activity, pumping out carbon dioxide and short-circuiting our climate to catastrophic effect. Converts argue that geothermal checks three key boxes: it is carbon-free, available everywhere, and effectively unlimited. Crucially, it is also baseload, which means that, unlike solar panels or wind, it provides a constant flow of energy. Companies and governments have taken notice. “Over the last two years, I have watched this exponential spin-up of activity in geothermal,” Tony Pink, a drilling expert in Houston, told me, in 2023.

But there is a glaring risk of moon shots: often, they miss. “There’s basically zero chance that you’re going to develop a moon-shot technology and have it be commercial in five years, on a large-scale, worldwide,” Mark Jacobson, a Stanford engineering professor and the author of “No Miracles Needed: How Today’s Technology Can Save Our Climate and Clean Our Air,” told me. That’s how long humanity has to lower emissions before climatic devastation, according to his calculations. “There’s a very decent chance you can do that with wind and solar,” he said. Perhaps, when resources and time are finite, trying and failing — or simply taking too long — could be worse than not trying at all.

Read the rest of the story by Brent Crane published in The New Yorkerhere. (Requires setting up an account for limited, trial access.)

Joseph Moore, featured in the story above, was recently honored by the Utah State Legislature for his lifetime of service and dedication to advancing geothermal energy. Read more here.

25th Research on Capitol Hill

February 26, 2025

By translating classroom knowledge into experimental design and data analysis, these students gain invaluable experience that can inspire future careers in research, medicine, and policy — equipping them to collaborate with policymakers and use science to address complex challenges.

This year, College of Science student research was represented in 12 of the 25 projects from the University of Utah. Their diverse research covered topics on synthesis of organic molecules, monitoring groundwater storage in the Salt Lake Valley, fungi, breast cancer, spider venom, birds, cardiac imaging, bacteria, and more. While the event provides a tremendous learning opportunity for undergraduates, the relationship between students and researchers is equally impactful—undergraduates make meaningful contributions to ongoing academic research, advancing scientific discovery.

Below are College of Science majors who presented at this year’s Research on Capitol Hill

Parker Guzman, graduating spring 2025, majoring in biology, with an emphasis in ecology and evolution and a minor in integrative human biology

Poster: Birds Groom More During Molt

Mentor: Sara Bush, Professor, School of Biological Sciences

In the Clayton/Bush lab Guzman is focused on studying the relationship between molt and preening/grooming behavior in captive pigeons. “Molt is a huge but necessary energy investment for pigeons,” explains Parker. Research has played a central role in Parker’s undergraduate experience and future plans. “After I leave the U,” Parker says, “I want to work in the field and then apply for a PhD program in ecology and evolution. I could see myself staying in academia, I enjoy teaching or doing research.”

You can read more about Parker Guzman’s research journey in SRI Stories: Of Bees & Pigeons

Marlon Lopez, graduating spring 2025 majoring in biology and a minor in chemistry

Poster: Exploring Short-form RON as a Therapeutic Target for Breast Cancer

Mentor: Alana Welm, Professor of Oncological Sciences and Senior Director of Basic Science at the Huntsman Comprehensive Cancer Center

“My curiosity started when I was in elementary school. There was a lesson about the cell that really caught my interest. The complexity and all of its functions and capabilities fascinated me. Coming to college I knew I wanted to study biology and learn about the intricacies of the cell and its components,” Marlon says, but “as a first-generation college student, my college experience has had its challenges.

"Initially, I didn't know how to get involved in research, but by looking for programs I stumbled upon a summer research program named SPUR. I applied and got accepted to do research at the Huntsman. "Working in a lab that studies breast cancer and knowing I have contributed to novel and impactful research has been exciting."

Kisha Thambu, graduating spring 2025 with a double major in computer science (honors) and biology with a minor in chemistry

Poster: Enhancing Myocardial T1 Mapping with a Deep Learning Framework for Deformable Motion Compensation using Utah Patient Data

Mentor: Ganesh Adluru, Associate Professor, Radiology & Imaging Sciences, School of Medicine

Kishan’s research leveraged artificial intelligence to improve MRI imaging for cardiac mapping. Figuring out ways to clean up the images in a patient that is actively breathing, offers the promise to improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes for patients with heart disease.

More about Kishan Thambu

Isaac Graham, graduating spring 2026, double majoring in biology and chemistry

Poster: Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles on Mesoporous Silica Supports

Mentor: Ilya Zharov, Professor, Chemistry Department

“Research at the University of Utah has helped show me that I want to continue onto graduate school in organic chemistry and eventually work in industry on drug synthesis.

"I found my lab by surveying the chemistry department website and then cold emailing Professor Zharov to see if I could get involved in research in the lab.”

Alisson Nopper, graduating spring 2025, with a double major in biology and chemistry

Poster: Deaminative contraction chemistry for the synthesis of [2.2]paracyclophane and asymmetric derivatives

Mentor: Andrew Roberts, Professor, Chemistry Department

“My undergraduate research experiences started with the SRI program doing cancer biology research. After I took organic chemistry 1 and 2 — the synthesis courses — I decided to apply to work in a chemistry lab. I’ve been working on organic synthesis for two years now, in the Roberts lab, and will be pursuing a PhD in organic chemistry beginning this fall.”

Colton Williamson, graduating summer 2025, majoring in geoscience with an emphasis in geology

Poster: Quantifying Submarine Discharge in Farmington Bay and the Great Salt Lake using Radon-222

Mentor: Douglas Kip Solomon, Professor, Geology & Geophysics, Mines and Earth Sciences

After graduating, Colton will be continuing his education and research in groundwater and hydrology as a master’s student in geoscience, mentored by Kip Solomon.

“Undergraduate research has been crucial to my development at the U," sys Colton. "I was able to see science in real time, which helped me better understand concepts related to geology and groundwater. After my master’s degree, I want to work in industry, specifically in hydrology and groundwater management, so that I can help people make informed decisions on water budgets.”

Kyle Pope, graduating fall 2025, majoring in geology with an emphasis in geophysics

Poster: Monitoring Groundwater Storage Change in the Salt Lake Valley Using Repeat Microgravity and GPS

Mentor: Tonie van Dam, Professor, Geology and Geophysics

Kyle is from California and has a bachelor’s in history, which he completed in 2013. His pivot to science was inspired by the outdoors.

“After spending a decade as a Grand Canyon river guide I got a lot of perspective on the time and scale of things and the sure mass of this place," he says. "I fell in love with rocks and that’s when I decided I wanted to go back to school and learn more about them. When I started at the U, I found out I loved processes that explain how this place came together."

"I quickly realized that [this area of science] involves a lot of math, something I did not have a lot of confidence in. I met Professor Tonie Van Dam who gave me the confidence to pursue the things I’m interested in. After graduating I want to get into geothermal exploration and anything involving natural sources of power.”

Ella Bleak, graduating 2026, double majoring in Chemistry (honors) and Mathematics

Poster: Understanding Weapons of Bacterial Warfare

Mentor: Talia Karasov, Assistant Professor, School of Biological Sciences

“My research is focused on finding a solution to the antibiotic crisis that healthcare is facing. It is a massive problem because we are finding that there are more and more bacteria resistant to antibiotic medicines so we are no longer able to fight bacterial infections the way we once did. Our proposed solution is to actually use tailocins, which are proteins produced by bacteria. The proteins show promise as an alternative to current antibiotic types. We have been able to successfully extract and use tailocins to kill bacteria [in lab experiments]. Research has been integral in helping me decide I want to pursue a PhD.” Learn more about Ella bleak here article

America Cox, graduating 2026, double majoring in biology (honors, with an emphasis in ecology, evolution, and environment) and philosophy of science, with minors in chemistry, media studies and honors integrated ecology on the East Africa track.

Poster: Cryptic Coevolution of Ant-Farmed Fungi: Linking Genomic and Metabolic Profiles

Mentor: Bryn Dentinger, Associate Professor, School of Biological Sciences

“Mycology is such an emerging field because about 70 years ago, people still thought fungi were plants,” she explains. “So when I went to Mexico, we were out there just seeing what there is. Being able to see that at the ground level and seeing the field [of mycology] start to move in new ways is really cool.”

Learn more about America Cox

Allie Perkins, graduating spring 2026, majoring in biology and Spanish

Poster: Quaking Aspen Pathogen Defenses Change in Response to Drought Events

Mentor: Talia Karasov, Assistant Professor, School of Biological Sciences

“My freshman year, I participated in the Science Research Initiative, SRI. Being part of that program gave me a supportive environment where I gained foundational research skills and learned more about the research process. I am looking forward to this event [Research on the Capitol] and the opportunity to share my research with lawmakers who can impact the issues I am studying."

"Right now feels like a scary time for research because of the executive orders from the new presidential administration, and I feel like my whole undergraduate research experience has prepared me to talk about science with people from a variety of backgrounds. I feel ready to meet people where they are and able to help build their foundation of scientific knowledge.”

Learn more about Allie Perkins: Humans of the U, February 19, 2025 and on Wilkes Center: Research Minutes (video)

Logan Reeves, graduating spring 2026, majoring in biology (honors), minoring in chemistry, pediatric clinical research, and ecology and legacy

Poster: Testing of an Indoor Climbing Program to Promote Physical, Mental, and Social Well-Being for College Students

Mentor: Akiko Kamimura, Associate Professor, Sociology, Social and Behavioral Science

Logan took a different approach to getting involved in research, by merging his passion for climbing with a desire to address mental health challenges in college students that followed COVID.

“My project involved working with three other students [all non-STEM majors] and was hosted by the department of sociology. Honestly, as a biology major, this research was very, very fun. Most biological research has a lot of pipetting. I am so grateful to have been able to do this, to do the sport that I love and be able to interact and get to know the participants.”

Alexander Rich, graduating spring 2026, majoring in biology with a chemistry minor

Poster: Decoding Species Identities: A Spider Venom RNA Analysis

Mentor: Rodolfo Probst, SRI Fellow and PhD alum of the School of Biological Sciences

“I study spider venoms. Spiders are very diverse and most produce venoms, Alexander says. "Venoms have very specific cellular and molecular targets that have the potential to be developed into pharmaceuticals. We are using a very old collection of spider venoms and then working backward to identify the species source."

"This research has been really impactful, both for teaching me about the biological processes that venom has and how they might apply to my future in medicine. It has also been a great avenue for me to connect to different people in science and get their perspectives on my research. It’s been a great opportunity for me to grow in science, research, and as a future medical professional.”

Maybe Earth’s inner core is not so solid after all

February 20, 2025

Keith Koper, University of Utah

The surface of Earth’s inner core may be changing, as shown by a new study led by University of Southern California and University of Utah scientists that detected structural changes near the planet’s center, published Monday in Nature Geoscience.

The changes of the inner core have long been a topic of debate for scientists. However, most research has been focused on assessing rotation. John Vidale, Dean’s Professor of Earth Sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and principal investigator of the study, said the researchers “didn’t set out to define the physical nature of the inner core.”

“What we ended up discovering is evidence that the near surface of Earth’s inner core undergoes structural change,” Vidale said. The finding sheds light on the role topographical activity plays in rotational changes in the inner core that have minutely altered the length of a day and may relate to the ongoing slowing of the inner core.

Redefining the inner core

Located 3,000 miles below the Earth’s surface, the inner core is anchored by gravity within the molten liquid outer core. Until now the inner core was widely thought of as a solid sphere.

The original aim of the research team, which included U seismologist Keith Koper, was to further chart the slowing of the inner core. Their previous findings used seismic data to document how the solid core’s rotation has sped up and slowed in relation to Earth’s rotation, which may be slightly altering the length of a day.

“We found that there were some very subtle differences in these seismic waves interacting with the boundary of the inner core that are pretty shallow, that sample just the top of the inner core,” said Koper, a professor in Utah’s Department of Geology & Geophysics. “Because we had established already that the inner core is librating and then we found it back in the same spot, then these differences couldn’t be due to just the change in rotation. It must be a new thing.”

That new thing appears to be alterations in the core’s shape, according to the new study.

College of Science

Fredrick Manthi Elected to National Academy of Sciences

FREDRICK MANTHI ELECTED TO THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Jay Quade, Distinguished Alumnus

Jay Quade, Distinguished Alumnus

The Department of Geology and Geophysics is thrilled to present Jay Quade, Ph.D. '90, with the 2025 Distinguished Alumni award.

Widely Recognized

2025 Convocation Student Speaker: Marcus Tanner

2025 Convocation Student SPeaker: Marcus Tanner

On May 1, Marcus Tanner, an undergraduate in Physics & Astronomy and Geology & Geophysics, spoke at the College of Science's 2025 convocation ceremony staged at the Huntsman Center. His complete remarks are below.

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Distinguished Professor Kip Solomon

Kip Solomon, Distinguished Professor

D. Kip Solomon has been elevated to the status of Distinguished Professor of Geology & Geophysics.

For a while, crocodile

For a while, crocodile

The ancestors of today’s crocodylians survived two mass extinction events. A new study uncovered a secret to their longevity, which could help conservationists better protect our planet’s most vulnerable species.

A hidden past of alternative lifestyles

Tooth enamel helps reconstruct wildlife migrations

tooth enamel helps reconstruct wildlife migrations

Utah geologists show how strontium isotopes found in teeth or tusks reveal where large plant-eating animals have roamed.

New state-of-the-art mass spectrometer

New state-of-the-art mass spectrometer

Instrument will help scientists unravel Earth's ancient geological mysteries, past climates and humans' ongoing interactions with the environment.

A Climate Moon Shot Beneath Our Feet

a Climate Moon Shot Beneath Our Feet

North Milford Valley, in western Utah, is home to dormant volcanoes, subterranean lava deposits, and smatterings of obsidian—black volcanic glass—that Paiute peoples once collected for arrowheads and jewelry. Scalding groundwater still bubbles to the surface in places.

25th Research on Capitol Hill

College of Science Student Research on Capitol Hill

Below are College of Science majors who presented at this year’s Research on Capitol Hill

Maybe Earth’s inner core is not so solid after all

Maybe Earth’s inner core is not so solid after all

New research suggests the surface of the inner core is deformed from contact with turbulent liquid outer core.

Redefining the inner core