Map & Compass Monthly

Volume 1, Issue 1 November 2010

Fall Energy Challenge SGE has undergone important restructuring in

order to make it a great student organization for
both undergraduate and graduate students,
During the month of October, the IU Office of including holding fun group activities, affordable
Sustainability has scheduled the first Fall Energy lab books for courses, scholarships, a snack bar
Challenge! During this month, it is our goal to (located in 213), social hour, and much, much
reduce the water and energy consumption more!
throughout the building. Geology won the Spring
Energy Challenge and we want to keep our First, we are looking for new initiates to join SGE.
bragging rights and our trophy! Our energy SGE membership is more than just a resume
consumption will be compared to the same 4-week builder; we are building a supportive community
period over the last three years. We are competing of colleagues to relax and destress with during the
against 19 other academic buildings. Weekly tough academic year, as well as creating lasting
readings will be tallied and posted on the IU friendships. There are biweekly meetings at 5:45
Energy Challenge website: on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month. The
http://energychallenge.indiana.edu/Home.html fee for all members is now $20. If you are
Ideas for conserving energy include: interested in joining SGE, please stop by the
✔ Turning off unnecessary lights. Geology Office to fill out new recruit sheets or
✔ Turning off computer monitors contact President Adam Johnson
when not in use. (adpjohns@indiana.edu) for more information.
✔ Unplugging appliances when they
aren’t needed. For all members of the department, join us for the
✔ Utilizing as much sunlight as weekly social hour! It is held in room 213 every
possible! Friday around 5pm. Take a little time off from
We will be posting signs around the building to research and school work to relax and unwind
inform visitor to the building of the challenge and with your
our goals. We will have additional signs for staff, colleagues. A
as well as emails, to serve as friendly reminders new twist: on
and to provide some facts, tips, and tricks for the first Friday In This Issue
greener living. If you have any ideas, please share of the month,
them with us! your first
If you have any questions about the Energy refreshment will
Challenge or general green activities, please feel be on SGE! • SGE Updates: Kim
free to contact Michael Hamburger That's right, Shoemaker
(hamburg@indiana.edu 415) or our IGS co-chair SGE will pay
Marni Karaffa (mldickso@indiana.edu S-325). for the first • Fall Energy Challenge:
drink. So come Adrian Maxwell
SGE Updates... on down &
decompress...
• Faculty & Student
This is the brand new SGE newsletter. We will Profile: Jade Marks
release monthly issues to keep the Geology The Geostore is • Geology Trivia:
Department updated on the exciting events, such still open for Crystal Hout
as the annual Holiday party (and the Screwball business. We
contest!), Crossroads Conference (2/25-26), and provide students • 2010 Publications
other new events we are currently developing. with hand lens,
rulers, magnets, and Oceanography, with
other course materials. particular interest in
Equipment such as rock stable isotopes in fossil
hammers and Brunton fuel, paleoceanographic
compasses can also be research, and the
ordered through the development of stable
Geostore. Contact isotope reference
Robin Green materials. Last week I
(robigree@indiana.edu) had the opportunity to
for more information. interview with Arndt
and bring you the story
For the fall semester, that you can’t find
SGE sold lab manuals browsing the department
for G103 as a website:
fundraisor. It was
extremely successful. Map & Compass
If you teach a 100-level Monthly (M&CM):
course, SGE can When did you first get
provide lab manuals for interested in Geology?
your class. Contact Arndt: “In High
Michelle Lawing School; my father was a
(alawing@indiana.edu ) hobby collector of
–and there are no nasty so I didn’t publish. It
for more information. fossils and a public
chemicals.” taught me that if you
school teacher. I would
believe in something it
Faculty Profile: go on collecting trips
with my father…they
M&CM: Who was still takes hard work to
your most influential prove it. It was a bad
were not serious – just
Arndt for fun. Then for my
professor and what did experience but it taught
Schummerlmann that person teach you? me a lesson. Then I went
bachelor’s I studied
to study in the Soviet
Chemistry but I didn’t Arndt: “This professor
Even if you don’t know Union when they were
like the smell of the from my undergraduate
who Arndt completely bankrupt.
chemicals. I didn’t have whom I worked with
Scummerlmann is, There was no money to
a washing machine so I was a former U-boat
you’ve certainly noticed repair the instruments
would wait until the sailor in WWII, he had
him; perched in his old- we were using; no spare
weekend to go home and undergone too much
fashion blue-cushioned parts, so we literally
wash my clothes. I stress…he was a ‘total
“rolly chair” in Geology used duct tape. That
couldn’t get the smell weirdo,’ and not a
321. Maybe you’ve taught me that you don’t
off of my clothes for the particularly good
noticed his distinct need a lot of money to
entire week. Things scientist. I spent half a
German accent, or the do good work if you just
were not as safe as they year working on a
fact that he has one of put your brain to it.”
are now, there was much project for him and
the most organized more exposure to began to realize that it M&CM: What advice
offices in the chemicals. I actually didn’t make any sense! do you have for students
department. As you may almost lost my eyesight He had 20 years worth in the department now,
know from his faculty once in an explosion in of bad data and would students who are trying
profile on the Geology one of our labs. Because not listen to me, so I had to decide what to do
Department Website, of this I signed up to to work to prove him with their futures?
Dr. Schimmelmann is a work with a professor wrong; which I did. He
Senior Research who studied oil and gas. didn’t want me to Arndt: “When you’re
Scientist here at IU. He Geochemistry is one of publish my findings early in your career,
specializes in Organic the broadest because in Germany it is don’t over specialize.
Geochemistry and environmental sciences frowned upon to Do it right, but keep
Chemical
criticize your teachers, perspective. Take
classes that do not relate
directly to what you
want to do. Get a good
broad education so that
you have more options.
Also, get experience
abroad. Try to learn
another language. Go to
a new country – or two,
and do it while you’re
still young. Even if you
don’t go for science, it is
so important to get a
cultural experience that
it is never a waste of
time. It helps you define
yourself”
M&CM: Why don’t you
teach more? You seem to
have a lot of great advice
for students…
Arndt: “I tried teaching
for awhile. I actually
taught Isotope
Systematics with Prof.
Ed Ripley. But I don’t
think I conveyed the
material very efficiently.
Honestly, I think I
learned more than my
students while preparing
for my class, but the
students became
frustrated by how much I
tried do cram in their
heads. I love my job- I
am basically my own
boss. I decide when to
come in and what to
work on. You have to be
very disciplined to do it
but it is exciting to do as
much research as you
want. I do have two PhD
students and one
master’s student.
Working with them is
very different, I really
enjoy it. They are so
motivated and happy to
be here.”
M&CM: Now, just for
fun; if you were any type
of animal what would it
be?
Arndt: “Oh boy…an
animal? I don’t think I
want to be an animal!
Animals don’t have it
very good sometimes.
When I was doing field
work in CA I got to see a
lot of benthic life and
everything was trying to
eat everything else! I
suppose I would be a
monkey of sorts if I had
to be…I want to have a
good brain. I think we’re
lucky to be humans. We M&CM: When did you CO2 is injected, it
may not have any ability first get interested in dissolves into the deep
to control the future like geology? saline formation and
we think we have, but at Qian: “I had no interest causes primary and
least we can imagine.” in geology when I was in secondary minerals to
Student Profile China. I was thinking of precipitate; the reactions
becoming an also leads to the changes
Qian Zhang Environmental Scientist. of properties of the host
The field is very popular rocks (such as porosity,
I met Qian sitting at the
in China right now. permeability, etc). I am
kitchenette on the fourth
When I came to Ohio I going look into the
floor of MSBII. She was
was working on a geochemical reactions
sipping on a tea made
master’s degree in and see what caused the
from organic rose buds
Environmental Science corresponding changes.”
that she got in her home
but I worked with a M&CM: Where do you
country; China. “I can
professor on acid mine see yourself in ten years?
bring you some if you’d
drainage. It was very Do you have any
like,” she said with a
interesting so I took a lot particular career goals?
smile. Qian is one of the
of geology classes. Then Qian: “I guess I would
most cheerful and social
I decided to get a like to get a job
people on the 4th floor, so
master’s in geology as wherever it takes me. I
naturally she was the
well.” don't really mind too
perfect candidate for our
M&CM: What project much the location of job,
first Student Profile.
are you working on for but I wish it is something
Qian has come a long
your PhD? I really enjoy doing,
way in her academic
Qian: “I am working on maybe a environmental
career. She received her
the Coupled Reactive consulting company,
undergraduate degree in
Transport Modeling of maybe some other
Environmental Science
CO2 Sequestration using energy companies.”
in China and then came
TOUGHREACT (a M&CM: What have you
to the US to get her
computer program that is enjoyed most about IU
master’s at Ohio
used to simulate physical and living in
University. After
and geochemical Bloomington so far?
completing two masters’
reactions -which is Qian: “So far I have
degrees, she is now at IU
numerical modeling of been enjoying the quiet
working on a PhD with
Co2-rock-water and nice environment of
Chen Zhu.
interactions). Once the IU, Bloomington is a
beautiful town. I think
all the people I met at
Geology department are
very nice.”
M&CM: Is there
anywhere in the US you
haven’t been able to
visit but would like to?
Qian: “I wanted to visit
New York. Although I
have been to many other
places, for some reason I
never happened to go
visit NYC. I have
planned twice but it got
canceled.”
M&CM: Now, just for
fun; if you were any
type of animal what
would it be?
Qian: “Haha, this
question is hard! I
am not sure…maybe
a bird, since I enjoy
the feeling of flying,
freely!”
Geology Trivia
>A diamond will not
dissolve in acid. The
only thing that can
destroy it is intense heat.
>A lump of pure gold
the size of a matchbox
can be flattened into a
sheet the size of a tennis
court.
>An ounce of gold can
be stretched into a wire
50 miles long.
>Colored diamonds are
caused by impurities
such as nitrogen
(yellow), boron (blue).
With red diamonds
being due to deformities
in the structure of the
stone, and green ones
being the result of
irradiation.
>Sea water, loaded with 2010 Departmental 2010 GSA Fall
mineral salts, weighs Publications Meeting (10/31-11/3)
about a pound and a half
more per cubit foot than Geometric New U-Pb Shrimp
fresh water at the same morphometrics: recent Ages and the
temperature. applications to the Stratigraphy of the
study of evolution and Chhattisgarh Basin,
>Ten per cent of the salt
development Michelle Bastar Craton, Central
mined in the world each
Lawing & David Polly, India: Significance for
year is used to de-ice the
Journal of Zoology, Jan Global Studies of
roads in America.
Mesoproterozoic
Source: Nitrogen isotopic
Sedimentary
exchange during
http://www.corsinet.co Assemblages Abhijit
maturation of organic
m/trivia/l-triv.html matter Arndt
Basu et. al.
Departmental Schummerlmann &
FE Isotope
Grzegorz P. Lis Organic
News Geochemistry, Jan
Fractionation &
Kinetics of FE Release
Colloquium Schedule Phase transitions in
During Dissolution of 2
natural zeolites and the
Very Different
November importance of PH2O
Amphiboles Laura
David Bish & Hsiu-Wen
Wasylenki et. al.
11/01: No colloquium Wang, Philosophical
Magazine, June
11/08: Joe Smyth, Sulfide Mineralogy of
University of Colorado: Geodetic Observations the Bic Layered
Water in the Earth's of Active Intraplate Intrusion, Baraga
Interior. Crustal Deformation Basin, N. MI Kellie
in the Wabash Valley Donoghue & Ed Ripley
11/15: Roel Snieder, Seismic Zone and the
Colorado School of Southern Illinois And many more...
Mines: The Global Basin Gerald Galgana
Energy Challenge. & Michael Hamburger,
SRL Sept./Oct.
11/22: No colloquium
11/29: David Fike,
Washington University,
St Louis: A high-
resolution δ34S
approach to investigate
the impact of
environmental
conditions on microbial
sulfur cycling