Notes from the Field
Whether to live at the Jersey shore became more complicated for Kenneth Miller, Distinguished Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, after Superstorm Sandy struck NJ and his home a decade ago. "Superstorm Sandy was the fourth 100-year storm at the Jersey shore since 1991," said Miller, an expert in sea-level change and global warming. Miller and his team have published sobering findings about sea-level change, noting the state needs to plan for at least a three-foot sea level rise by 2100, findings reinforced by a 2019 New Jersey Science and Technical Advisory Panel report.
This article was originally published by Shelley Kusnetz and can be found here.
New Jersey needs to plan for at least a 3-foot sea level rise by 2100, Rutgers researchers warn
Whether to buy or build a home at the Jersey Shore has become more complicated and personal for Kenneth Miller – a Rutgers expert in sea level change and global warming – since Superstorm Sandy struck New Jersey’s seaside communities a decade ago.
“Superstorm Sandy was the fourth 100-year storm we weathered at the Jersey Shore since 1991,” said Miller, a Distinguished Professor in the Rutgers Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, who lived in the coastal community of Waretown, New Jersey, until 2015.
“In the other storms, my house was an island in Barnegat Bay,” he said. “During Sandy, my house was in Barnegat Bay. The mark on my sheetrock testified that the surge was 19 inches above the 100-year mark. The three previous storms – in 1991, 1992 and 2005 – reached but did not exceed the 100-year mark.”
Miller and his team have published sobering findings about sea level change in New Jersey, noting that the state needs to plan for at least a 3-foot sea level rise by 2100 – three times the rise in the past 50 years.
The findings were reinforced in the 2019 New Jersey Science and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) report New Jersey’s Rising Seas and Changing Coastal Storms, and discussed in Miller’s Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences signature course, “Sea Change: The Rise and Fall of Sea Level and the Jersey Shore,” which he has offered since 2007.
“There has been a sea change – if you will – of students’ attitudes since the course was first introduced,” Miller said. “In the beginning, they were skeptical about climate change. Today, 95 percent understand this is a problem caused by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses and want to do something about it.”
Miller said climate change is causing global sea levels to rise at an accelerated pace while the land sinks because of the Earth’s natural movements. Meanwhile, more frequent, severe storm surges such as Sandy can cause sea levels to swell even higher, flooding communities, eroding beaches and destroying marshlands in their wake.
While the number of storms might not be increasing, they are becoming more severe, with once-in-a-lifetime storms such as Sandy that cause storm surges becoming more frequent, Miller said.
Since Sandy, shore communities have focused on replenishing the dunes and widening the beaches, which is the best defense. However, Miller – who offers a lecture “Shall I Sell My House at the Jersey Shore?” – said he is disappointed in how slow funding has been for rebuilding.
“A decade later, some areas still have not been rebuilt, and places like Seaside do not have effective dunes to protect the beach,” he said. “The general attitude has been business-as-usual. We must assess the economic benefits of preserving development and making communities more resilient.”
Although the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s standards for rebuilding are higher than the federal level, they are still too low and don’t take into account sea level rise, Miller said.
“A 1-foot increase in elevation might make a difference: My brother-in-law’s decision to build to 11 feet – 1 foot above the required level – saved his house,” Miller said.
His findings that the sea levels off the New Jersey coast will rise 3 feet by the turn of the century are based on the assumption that we monitor and control emissions. If we continue business as usual, however, we can expect 4 feet or more, Miller said.
“There is 5 percent chance that sea levels will even rise over 6 feet by 2100,” he said. “Should that be considered the standard we apply to structures we design for the next century?”
Assessing Inequities in Shore Communities: Who Stays and Who Leaves?
“New Jersey is trying to be forward-looking with their climate adaptation planning, but more work needs to be done on how we implement social justice in the distribution of federal resources for hazard mitigation and resiliency projects,” said Laura Geronimo, a doctoral student at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers.
Geronimo, who studies how coastal communities adapt in efficient and equitable ways to climate risks like sea level rise and storm surge, has observed local variation in how federal funds are applied for property level flood mitigation strategies by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP): home buyouts and property elevations appear geographically clustered, with buyouts often occurring in riverine communities and elevations occurring in coastal communities.
“When assessing communities for mitigation, FEMA is using cost-benefit analysis (CBA) as a major criterion, which tends to concentrate buyouts in communities where there are lower-value properties, which also tend to be places where there are higher proportions of socially vulnerable populations. Post-Sandy, buyouts were concentrated in places like Woodbridge and Sayreville. Meanwhile, CBA makes it more cost-effective to elevate higher value properties, concentrating elevations in wealthier communities like Toms River and Brick Township,” Geronimo said.
According to Geronimo, elevations may be related to climate gentrification: Elevations tend to enhance property values, and when people elevate they also tend to build back bigger. Conversely, communities where buyouts are implemented may have difficulty finding alternative housing options. Understanding the social equity impacts of buyouts is complex, because this may be the preferred strategy among groups tired of living in the floodplain.
“There should be a continuum of care to not fracture these communities, with assistance in finding affordable alternative housing in desirable and safe locations,” she said.
It’s important to engage communities and understand what people value about a place that keeps them in the flood plain – such as proximity to the ocean or family histories – and their perception of risk, Geronimo said.
In Waretown, a working-class community on the mainland side of Barnegat Bay, Miller said he has seen residents struggle for years to rebuild – if they were even able to.
“The resources were not there, so many people couldn’t do anything, which was truly heartbreaking,” he said. “And the people who reside on the barrier islands live on a threatened sand of time. The community can be maintained through intense beach replenishment or nourishment and by building sea walls, but by 2100, we will be looking at a fundamentally different New Jersey shoreline. "Federal flood insurance allows people to rebuild in these hazardous zones – a policy that Miller said should be re-examined. A question emerges: Should houses in harm’s way be allowed to be rebuilt again and again at taxpayer expense? Even with federal subsidies, insurance rates continue to rise. According to FEMA, more than 12,000 New Jersey policyholders have let their flood insurance lapse, leaving them vulnerable to the next storm." Geronimo said she questions the long-term sustainability of elevating buildings if there is an uncertainty about how the supporting infrastructure will be maintained.
“What happens to communities when road networks, electrical grids and sewer lines are inundated?” she said.
For Miller, the tipping point for selling came when he grew weary from the battle against Mother Nature for a shore home he visited infrequently. While he misses the community he left behind, Miller said he has an appreciation for those who remained.
“For many people at the shore, the fight against nature is well worth it, but they need to be financially committed, have proper insurance, elevate their house to at least 12 feet and be prepared to evacuate,” he said. “While those measures should be good for them for maybe 20 years, it won’t be enough for their grandkids. They won’t be able to inherit those homes.”
“We can’t predict the future. It’s all luck,” Miller said. “We’ve been lucky for 10 years. Will we be lucky for another 10? We are rolling loaded climate dice for more extreme weather events – and at some point, our luck will run out.”
Rutgers led the pursuit of climate solutions after Superstorm Sandy. Visit "In Sandy's Wake" to learn how.
Rutgers climate scientists bring school teachers aboard research vessel
Written by John Chadwick | SAS Senior Writer
When the research vessel Atlantis steamed out of Woods Hole, Mass. on June 2, scientists from Rutgers University and the University of Washington were on board for a 14-day deep-sea coring expedition aimed at resolving key climate science questions.
Lauren Neitzke Adamo, director of the Rutgers Geology Museum, was also aboard to make the mission come alive as a real-time learning experience for K-12 schools in three states and create an enduring lesson in science for students nationwide.
Adamo, a professor of earth and planetary sciences in the School of Arts and Sciences, was joined by her own crew that included four public school teachers. They spent the voyage livestreaming and blogging to students in classrooms, public libraries, and the geology museum.
For Adamo, the voyage was a major step forward for public science education. She discusses the experience below.
Q: This research project had a public education component built in from the start. How did that come about?
A: The principal investigators—which included Chief Scientist Liz Sykes, a professor of oceanography of the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences—had the idea of bringing classroom teachers along to connect with the public and explain the purpose of the research. So it was included as part of the grant. After the National Science Foundation approved the funding, we conducted a nationwide search for our On-board Educators, and eventually recruited four teachers from New York, New Jersey, and Texas.
Q: You are often busy with your own research, and this summer you also have a project to map volcanoes in Costa Rica by drone. What prompted you to take on the role as Chief Outreach Officer for this project?
A: One of the things I love most about being in science is communicating the exciting discoveries to the public, especially to K-12 classrooms. That has become a big part of my job as director of the Geology Museum, and I have extensive experience bringing current science to classrooms and aligning it with the national science teaching standards.
In 2018, I participated in a PolarTREC Expedition in the Swiss Alps, where I was the science communicator on the team. It was my responsibility to engage with the public through blogs, videos, and live-stream events in the field, as well assist with the field work- all of which provided excellent preparation for this project!
Q: Getting this voyage together was really involved, with teachers having to prepare their substitutes to take over while they were away, as well as figure out how to communicate the science to the public while at sea. How did things work out aboard the ship?
A: During the week, we conducted up to four livestreams a day, engaging with classrooms in New Jersey, New York, and Texas, as well as families from all over the country. We spoke to classes and schools that had anywhere from 15 to several hundred students tuning in to hear us talk from the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. The kids were so excited to be able to talk to scientists actively conducting research and each groups had dozens of amazing questions. We were able to engage directly with over 1,000 students during our time at sea! It was an amazing experience not only for the people watching, but also for the educators and scientists leading the sessions.
Q: How does the education work continue now that the voyage is over?
A: We are asking the teachers to create two products. Those will likely be in the form of curriculum that uses the science in their classrooms. The teachers will be working with me over the next six months to develop that content, and we will be posting it on our website so it is available for all teachers to access.
Q: What was the scientific goal of the mission?
A: There is something in climate science called the Holocene Conundrum. It refers to how there are records that show that temperatures in the North Atlantic actually cooled a bit during this time, the last 10,000 years. But that does not match the global trends. So the target of this cruise was to collect sediment off the coast of Nova Scotia and New Jersey to see whether we get the same warming trend that we see globally or the cooling trend that we see in those records.
Q: What did you feel was accomplished through the public education component?
A: I think the main reason we do this is for the students who are all excited to become scientists and then they get a little older and say, “I can’t do it,” and drop out. In our livestreams, they see their own teachers doing science, and they get to see and talk with scientists doing real research. It’s all about fixing the leaking pipeline.
In addition, when you bring climate science to the classroom, not only are you trying to address the science standards, you are also trying to teach the material in a meaningful way and show them that the science is active and alive. Not everyone is going to become a scientist. But if students are learning it in an active and engaged manner, they are going to retain it better and become informed citizens.
An Undergraduate's Experience in the Field
Written by Jason Kawalec, Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences Class of 2023, Planetary Science Major
Date- July 12, 2022
Location- San Pedro, Costa Rica
Today marks my twelfth day living in Costa Rica! I’ve had a wonderful time, full of memorable experiences and new opportunities. The food is delicious, the people are friendly, and the views are spectacular. This is the first time in my life I can see a volcano from my apartment window!
I’m here in Costa Rica as part of a grant funded by the Rutgers Global Program titled “Dangerous While Asleep.” This grant is a collaboration between Rutgers EPS Professors, Dr. Lauren Neitzke Adamo and Dr. Vadim Levin, and University of Costa Rica (UCR) Professor and Rutgers EPS Alumnus, Dr. Paulo Ruiz, to conduct an in-depth examination of the Barva volcano.
Barva is a complex stratovolcano (a volcano built up by alternating layers of lava and ash), located ~25 miles North of the city of San Jose. Barva last erupted in the 1700s and has remained dormant since then. Barva has not been extensively studied due to its long inactivity. The close proximity of a major city (i.e. population of ~340,000 people), means there is a high risk to people and property if the volcano becomes active again. Much can be learned about its eruption history and future volcanic risk by studying the current geomorphology. This project will examine several sites of interest around Barva by drone. The images collected will be developed into high-resolution 3D models and digital elevation maps. I will work with this data and interpret these models over the next academic year for my Honors Capstone for the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program (SASHP) and for my departmental Honors in Geology.
The first few days here were especially unique for me. I was living alone in a country 4,000 miles away from my home and my last experience with Spanish was during my first semester at Rutgers. These few days gave me time to explore the city on my own, attempt (and struggle) to relearn some Spanish, and get settled into my new home, a hotel by UCR in San Pedro called the Gran Casa Universitaria. One day I went to the Museo del Jade (Jade Museum) with Dr. Ruiz and his family. It was incredible to get a sense of just how much culture and history there is behind this land of jungles and volcanoes.
Soon, my friend and fellow Rutgers EPS major, Michael Pinnella, arrived to assist with the field work. I was very happy to see a familiar face. We started moving quickly on our project with Dr. Ruiz, spending time preparing our drones and field equipment, completing a test flight, and outlining our flight routes around several volcanic deposits. Amidst all this, I turned 21 and had my first birthday outside of the U.S.! We celebrated that evening with an Imperial and some Chifrijo – a popular Costa Rican beer and a local delicacy.
My favorite day was our first day in the field at Monte de la Cruz (translates to Mountain of the Cross), a national park located 12 miles North of San Jose. Dr. Ruiz identified two parasitic cones (a smaller cone on the flank of a larger volcano) of the Barva volcano that can be seen in the park. Using our drone, we set out to image and analyze this unexamined part of Barva. We were met with strong winds in the morning that prohibited us from flying at high altitudes. Fortunately, we found success in the afternoon when the winds died down and our drone captured some wonderful aerial photographs of the two cones. We have already started to create the higher resolution 3D models of Barva that will be the most detailed maps of these sites to date. I’m looking forward to returning to Barva and exploring more of Costa Rica once the rest of the team arrives!
Written by John Chadwick, SAS Senior Writer
Bill Sparks was a kid growing up in New Jersey when he came across a magazine photo that showed two geologists doing fieldwork on a mountain in Turkey.
“I thought that looked like a lot of fun,” says Sparks, RC’65. “I could see myself doing something like that.”
And he did.
Sparks majored in geology at Rutgers and went on to a decades-long career at Exxon, beginning as a petroleum geologist working on oil rigs and moving into executive roles that had him traveling to sites around the world. Retired since 1998, he and his wife Grace live in Texas within the Sam Houston National Forest region where they are tree farmers and fossil collectors.
“We are geologists right up till today,” Sparks said.
They are also steadfast Scarlet loyalists, with a special focus on Rutgers students studying geology. The Sparks are longtime supporters of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in the School of Arts and Sciences, where the couple has established three scholarship funds that benefit undergraduate and graduate students.
“I have had a great life doing what I loved,” Sparks said. “My goal has been to help young people experience the same life that I had.”
This year four undergraduates pursued in-depth research projects with assistance from the Sparks Undergraduate Research Fund. The students are Emma Hinds, Anirudh Patel, Michael Pinnella, and Lakshman Prabhakar. Their research—which they presented during a recent poster session at the Wright-Reiman Laboratories—covers the full range of the field, from mapping dormant volcanoes to studying meteorites for clues to the earth’s composition.
“The Sparks fund allows students to participate in research that they normally would not have the means to partake in,” says Lauren Neitzke Adamo, professor of earth and planetary sciences and director of the Rutgers Geology Museum. “Over the years these funds have allowed students to travel to other universities to conduct laboratory investigations, obtain data analysis that is often cost prohibitive, and travel to an array of locations to get their first taste of field work.”
Indeed, Pinnella will travel this summer to Costa Rica where he will use drones to create a 3D model and elevation map of the dormant Barva Volcano.
“Because the volcanos in this region are rugged and heavily vegetated, there really hasn’t been an assessment of the non-active volcanoes,” says Pinnella a geological sciences major.
Prabhakar’s research, meanwhile, will take him to sites around New Jersey and Connecticut to investigate the impact of cataclysmic volcanic eruptions that occurred some 200 million years ago when the supercontinent Pangea was breaking apart.
“This was not an isolated incident,” says Prabhakar, a junior majoring in chemical engineering and geological sciences. “This has happened before on fairly long time scales, and it is associated with extinction, cataclysmic effects to the atmosphere, to life, and, obviously, to rocks.”
Patel, who will begin doctoral studies in astrophysics at Columbia University next fall, said the Sparks grant not only helps defray costs but also serves notice that undergraduate research matters.
“It validates that the work you are doing is meaningful, and that people are looking out and rooting for you,” says Patel, a physics and philosophy double major whose research involves study of meteorites. “It motivates, inspires, and pushes you, and as result you realize you are doing real work and real science, and that it is making an impact.”
Hinds agreed.
“I have always had an innate passion for environmental sciences and for geology as well,” says Hinds, a senior geological sciences major whose project involves studying how monsoon rainfall affects isotopic signatures in coral reefs off the coast of Bangladesh. “Receiving this support means quite a lot.”
Sparks, in an interview from his home, recalled growing up in Colonia, N.J. as an outdoorsy type who liked history and archeology read National Geographic, and was fascinated by rocks in his yard filled with fossils.
At Rutgers, he was particularly drawn to paleontology, which is the study of the history of life on Earth as based on fossils.
“It’s really about dates and working out what was going on hundreds of millions of years ago,” he said. “It was like being an investigator. It was intellectually stimulating, and involved a lot of outdoors time, so it all worked together.”
After getting his master’s degree in geology, Sparks joined Exxon as a junior geologist, working on oil rigs in South Texas and then becoming a production geologist where he evaluated oil and gas reserves. He later moved into senior leadership, including in international exploration and production. He served as president of Exxon’s production company in Indonesia and oversaw technical evaluation and contract negotiations across sites in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Although he missed being out in the field, he relished the opportunity to see the world and meet people from different cultures.
“I got to see the world, and that was a lot of fun,” he said. “It did take me away from the geology, but I enjoyed negotiating and dealing with people who were quite different, and understanding their points of view.”
“Overall, I feel amazingly lucky to have found a profession that fit my passion.”
Undergraduate Majors Selected for Field Camp Scholarships and Research Award
Written by Lauren Neitzke Adamo
Undergraduate Majors, Casey Collins, Emma Hinds, Chase Danyi, Ryan McCracken, and Journey Berry were all awarded scholarships from the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the Steven K. Fox Fund to attend geology field camp during the 2022/2023 academic year. These students will be attending a wide range of field camps at unique geologic sites across the country. They will all participate in 4-8 weeks experiences giving them hands-on experience in how to navigate and map the field. Congratulations to all the 2022 recipients.
Congratulations to Jonathan Miller, the 2022 recipient of the William & Grace Sparks Field Camp Award. This $1,500 scholarship is given to a major in Earth and Planetary Sciences to help offset the cost of attending an external field camp. Jonathan will be using the funds to attend field camp in Scotland this June and July through the University of St. Andrews.
Michael Pinnella was named the awardee of the 2022 Larry & Norma Gordon Scholarship for Undergraduate Field Study in Geological Sciences. This award includes a $1,500 scholarship to help offset the cost of attending a summer field camp. Michael will be traveling to Wyoming from mid-May until early July with Iowa State to Carl F. Vondra Geology Field Station. Located in the Big Horn Mountains and Basin, this permanent field station will provide an intensive geologic mapping experience for Micheal. Best of luck and have a great time!
Lakshman Prabhakar, a junior major in Earth and Planetary Sciences, was awarded the George O. Scott Scholarship for Undergraduate Field Study in Geological Sciences. This is the highest award the department grants to majors to help attend an external field camp. Lakshman was selected for this award based on his high overall academic achievement, excellent course work within the major, and faculty recommendations. This award comes with a $1,500 scholarship, which Lakshman will be using to attend field camp during the winter of 2022/2023. Congratulations Lakshman and keep up the good work!
Jason Kawalec, a junior in the Planetary Sciences Major Track, has been selected as the winner of the 2022 Vinton Gwinn Award for Excellence in Research. This award is given to an undergraduate major in their 3rd or 4th year of their studies who has participated and excelled in independent research. In addition to the academic excellence he has exhibited in all of his course work, Jason has worked on 3 different independent study projects over the last 2 years. He has previously conducted research on creating 3D models of geologic outcrops and samples under the supervision of Dr. Lauren Neitzke Adamo, and on analyzing albedo trends in Martian surface features in satellite data with Dr. Luju Ohja. Jason will be traveling to Costa Rica this summer to conduct drone surveys on several dormant volcanoes to create high-resolution 3D lava flow and potential risk maps. Great job Jason and good luck in Costa Rica!
Seniors, Diana D’Albero and Jessie Friedman, were both awarded the George H. Cook Awards for Department Service. This award is given to advanced students who have gone above and beyond in their service to the department. Diana and Jessie were both instrumental in keeping the undergraduate geology club going over the last year or so, an especially impressive feat during the times of Covid. They are commended for their dedication to always promoting geology at Rutgers and for helping out whenever needed. The department will miss them next year after they graduate, but we wish them all the best in their next adventure.
Why Do Wind Farms Care About Sticky South Jersey Mud?
Driving through fertile farmlands of South Jersey adjacent to the nutrient poor soils of the Pine Barrens reminds geologists of the importance of the underlying geology. Glauconite is a green potassium iron phyllosilicate mineral familiar to most New Jersey geologists because it provides fertile farmlands in the “marls” of the coastal plain. The Cretaceous-Paleogene outcrop (i.e., the geologic boundary marking the end of the Mesozoic and the large extinction event that killed the dinosaurs) paralleling the NJ Turnpike is rich in glauconite, whereas the beachy sands of the Kirkwood-Cohansey Formations found in the Pine Barrens are rich in quartz. Since the time of Lyell, geologists recognized that these New Jersey glauconite layers were deposited during intervals of sea-level rise in continental shelf environments. These glauconite deposits are not only found onshore in New Jersey, but are also buried offshore beneath the modern continental shelf.
Not only are glauconite deposits important in soil and sea-level studies, but they have also become an important obstacle in engineering. Engineers installing offshore wind farms within these deep continental shelf geologic layers are finding that the unusual properties of this mineral pose unique geotechnical challenges. Specifically, glauconite grains tend to easily shatter into gummy, thick, sticky muds when disturbed by drilling or installing foundations due to its crushability. To address these challenges, a team of Rutgers scientists led by Rutgers Professor Ken Miller together with University of Massachusetts Professors Zack Westgate (University of Massachusetts Amherst) and Ryan Beemer (University of Massachusetts Dartmouth), as well as Haley & Aldrich Geotechnical Consulting, were contracted by a Joint Industry Partnership led by the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute through support from with two major offshore energy developers to locate sites to study the geotechnical properties of glauconite.
After an extensive hunt, the Search Farm in Upper Freehold Township was identified as an ideal location for tests. The site, owned by William (Bill) Search, is adjacent to the “Contact Creek” and Crosswicks Creek outcrops first recognized by Dick Olsson in 1960, as containing the contact between the Cretaceous (K) and Paleogene (Pg) and a major mass extinction, the K/Pg boundary. Drilling on the Search Farm in 2009 to study the K/Pg boundary showed that this site has a ~50 ft thick layer of glauconite sands comprising the Paleocene Hornerstown Formation overlying the Maastrichtian Navesink “greensands”. Both deposited on the middle continental shelf during a rise in sea level that inundated this area, and a world-class K/Pg boundary. Mr. Search agreed to lend his farm to the cause of science again in 2022.
From February to April, engineering studies were conducted on the greensands to evaluate their geotechnical properties. Work is still ongoing, but the knowledge obtained from these studies will inform future efforts to establish offshore wind farms. When asked about the significance of this project, Dr. Westgate stated “This project represents the first major joint industry field scale research effort in the US related to pile foundations for offshore wind. The amount of instrumentation deployed and data being collected for various aspects of pile foundation installation and performance will provide a solid basis for assessing the impact of glauconitic sands on East Coast developments.”
372 kg of Moon Rock and "Soil"
Written by Alissa Madera, Graduate Student in the Rutgers Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.
In 1972, Apollo 17 astronauts collected and sealed “soil” samples from the lunar surface that remained unopened until March 2022. Rutgers’ own Dr. Juliane Gross, currently Deputy Apollo Sample Curator for NASA Johnson’s Space Center, experienced firsthand the opening of these samples after 50 years of being sealed. Why wait so long? Samples are now being opened in preparation for the return to the Moon and collection of new lunar samples in the late 2020s!
When NASA sent astronauts to the Moon, they collected and stored samples of rock and “soil” to be returned to Earth for scientific studies. These critical samples helped scientists understand the formation of the Earth-Moon system, as well as identify the Moon’s composition, age, and how the Moon evolved geologically through time. Knowing scientific instruments would make significant progress with time, NASA saved these some of these samples to be opened and studied later in more precise detail with more advanced equipment.
On March 21st, Dr Juliane Gross of Rutgers University, also currently Deputy Apollo Sample Curator for NASA Johnson’s Space Center (JSC) Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Division in Houston, Texas, and her team opened a sealed core sample from the Apollo 17 mission. The opening of the core is a part of NASA’s Apollo Next Generation Sample Analysis (ANGSA) Program driven to understand how well these samples were collected and sealed 50 years ago as NASA prepares to return astronauts to the lunar surface with the Artemis program in the late 2020s.
When collected, the core sample was sealed under vacuum to prevent loss of any precious lunar gasses. A core piercer and gas extraction tool from the European Space Agency (ESA) was developed to extract these gasses prior to opening the core sample so that scientists can better understand the compositions of volatiles that may be trapped in lunar soil. These volatiles can be found as ice at the cold, lunar polar regions and serve as an important resource for astronauts.
Once the gasses were extracted, Dr. Gross and her team began the process of core extrusion. Careful measurements were taken using X-ray CT scan that provided 3D images of the core sample to be used as a “roadmap” for the curators during the extrusion of the core. This process was successfully completed by March 22, 2022 with Dr. Gross and her team being the first people since 1972 to see this sample of lunar soil. The curators will now take the next few months to carefully separate the core into samples that will be sent globally to researchers for scientific studies.
This novel perspective of the Moon provided by the newly opened Apollo 17 core sample will help scientists answer many questions about our closest planetary neighbor. It is an exciting time in planetary science, and we congratulate Dr. Juliane Gross and her team as they make history 50 years later!
Resources:
Plain, Charlie (2022, March 6). NASA Studies ‘New’ 50-Year-Old Lunar Sample to Prep for Return to the Moon. Retrieved March 27 from https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-studies-new-50-year-old-lunar-sample-to-prep-for-return-to-moon
Williams, Catherine Ragin (2022, March 25). Fifty Years Later, Curators Unveil One of the Last Sealed Apollo Samples. Retrieved March 27 from https://www.nasa.gov/feature/fifty-years-later-curators-unveil-one-of-last-sealed-apollo-samples
NASA Science Live: We Just Opened a 50-year-old Moon Sample. Retrieved March 27 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc89Wm75PLw
Cheers to 150 Years!
By Carol Peters, EOAS Communications Team**
As the first and oldest museum in America dedicated to geology, the Rutgers Geology Museum plays a vital role in the education of Rutgers University and local K-12 students and New Jersey residents.
From exhibits featuring rare New Jersey minerals dating back to the early-1800s, to the legendary Ice Age Mastodon skeleton that was discovered in Mannington, New Jersey, and the recently restored giant spider crab specimen, a gift from Japan to Rutgers a century ago, the Rutgers Geology Museum has long been one of Rutgers University-New Brunswick’s greatest treasures and assets.
Founded 150 years ago by George Hammill Cook, who served the university as a professor of chemistry, geology, and agriculture (1853–1889) and vice president (1864–1889), the Rutgers Geology Museum is the first and oldest museum dedicated to geology in America. It is also one of the only geology museums still housed in its original structure.
Today, while the museum is no longer a site of active scientific research, it offers many noteworthy collections and it makes vital contributions to the university and local communities. It supports the university by providing place-based learning opportunities and internships for Rutgers students pursuing degrees across a broad range of subjects, including geology, ecology, evolution, anthropology, history, art history, creative writing, art, American studies, education, and more.
The museum educates the public about topics related to natural history by hosting thousands of K-12 students annually; by serving as a repository of reference material; by disseminating current research; and by providing insight into nineteenth-century scientific education, exploration, and collections. Museum Director Dr. Lauren Neitzke-Adamo said, “we strive to connect with the local K–12 and university communities to inspire the next generation of geoscientists to continue building upon the legacy that the many Rutgers University geologists worked so hard to build.”
To celebrate its 150th anniversary, the museum held its 54th annual Rutgers Geology Museum Open House in January 2022 (the museum hosted its first open house in 1968). The event offered children’s activities based upon the museum’s most popular exhibits: “Paper plate spider crabs” and “Mummy Madness” and an online version of its well-known and beloved mineral sale (a tradition since 1975). Swag featuring the museum’s anniversary logo was also for sale all year long at the museum gift shop.
The celebration also included four public lectures held virtually, “Curating a Culture of Curiosity: Strategies for Managing a Natural History Museum in the Deep South,” presented by Amy Moe-Hoffman, Instructor of Geology, Mississippi State Museum and curator of the Dunn-Seiler Museum; “Nineteenth Century Geology and the creation of America’s First Geology Museum” presented by Dr. Lauren Neitzke-Adamo ; “Why Mary Anning Rocks,” presented by Anya Pearson, trustee of the Mary Anning Rocks Project; and “A Scientific and Architectural History of the Geology Museum” presented by Professor Dr. Carla Yanni of the Rutgers Department of Art History, and Carol McCarty, Rutgers Department of History Researcher.
The museum’s history is explored in the paper “The Rutgers Geology Museum: America’s First Geology Museum and the Past 200 Years of Geoscience Education” published by the Geological Society of America and written by Dr. Lauren Neitzke-Adamo with coauthors A.J. Blandford, Department of History, Rutgers University, Julia Criscione, Rutgers Geology Museum, Richard K. Olsson, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Rutgers University, and Erika Gorder, Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries.
Chronicling the museum’s earliest collections and faculty members, the authors explain that the museum’s first mineral collection – a “cabinet” of minerals — was managed by Dr. Lewis Caleb Beck, who was named Rutgers’ first professor of chemistry and natural science in 1830.
In 1853, Cook replaced Beck, and in 1854, he was named the State Geologist by the New Jersey Geological Survey. He retained this title until his death in 1889.
Acquired around 1899, this massive Spider Crab was on display at the museum until 1985. It was then restored and brought back on display in 2015. Left: Former Curator William Valiant poses with the crab in the early 1900s. Right: The crab on display in 2019 (Photo: Matt Drews)
“As the State Geologist of New Jersey,” Adamo et al wrote, “Cook’s research efforts encouraged the economic development of the clays, soils, iron, zinc, and water supplies throughout the state, and by the end of his career at Rutgers College, Cook had collected and organized more than 4000 mineral and fossil specimens and acquired several other important artifacts, such as a mastodon skeleton from Mannington, New Jersey and several large slabs of Triassic sandstone from Morris County, New Jersey; these sandstone slabs contained footprints from seven different species of ancient reptiles including dinosaur.”
When the first Department of Geology at Rutgers was founded in 1931, the museum became a central focus of geology scholarship in the United States, as well as a major contributor of expertise in the local community. Over the years the museum continued to acquire additional collections, including the significant Rowe collection of florescent minerals which was donated in 1940.
Since the museum expanded its public outreach by hosting its popular annual open houses, it has showcased major scientific discoveries. These include Moon rocks collected in 1969 during the Apollo 11 lunar landing which were exhibited in 1971, and the first public presentation of the rediscovery of the Titanic which was presented by Dr. Robert Ballard of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in 1986.
In the 1990s, the Friends of the Geology Museum was established to create a stronger connection between the museum and its patrons, and in 2015, the museum formed an advisory committee consisting of museum and university staff, undergraduate and graduate students, faculty members, and active museum members. The committee’s aim is to continue to increase the Geology Museum’s educational impact on Rutgers and its surrounding communities.
“Much more time and effort would need to be invested to transform the museum into one of the leading outreach and educational centers in New Jersey; however, the Rutgers Geology Museum remains a treasure within the Rutgers University and New Jersey communities,” Adamo said.
To learn more about the history of the Rutgers Geology Museum, see the paper “The Rutgers Geology Museum: America’s First Geology Museum and the Past 200 Years of Geoscience Education.”
Discover more about the museum, including membership information and upcoming events, on the website.
A New Minor, Major Tracks, and Master's Program
Written by Lauren Neitzke Adamo
When the department changed its name from Geological Sciences to Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) in 2013, it officially acknowledged an ongoing change within the department. With the addition of new faculty and researchers, especially in the field of planetary sciences, the research focus of the department had expanded far beyond the traditional geologic topics. Simultaneously, the interests and needs of the student population began to change, calling for a much-needed update to the undergraduate and graduate curriculum. The result was the creation of a new Undergraduate Minor in Astrobiology and a Master’s program in Environmental Geosciences, as well as three new tracks within the undergraduate major.
The Environmental Geosciences Master’s of Science program, launched in 2015, was designed to prepare students seeking employment in the environmental industry, Non-Governmental Organizations, and state/federal governments. These employers have expressed a preference for hiring graduates with a solid training in geological sciences but with additional training in applying geologic knowledge to solving environmental problems. The core curriculum of this M.S. program includes shallow geophysics, environmental geochemistry, hydrogeology, and data skills such as environmental modeling and Geographic Information System mapping. Students are required to complete an internship project and present a capstone paper under the advisement of three faculty members. The program allows students to enter the workforce quickly, as all coursework can be completed in 1.5 years. Alternatively, students can complete the program in about three years while also working full-time.
In 2018, the NASA Astrobiology Institute awarded EPS Professors Paul Falkowski and Nathan Yee a research and education grant to study the origin of proteins and the co-evolution of the geosphere and biosphere. As a part of this NASA project, Prof. Yee created a new undergraduate course that would focus on Astrobiology, the field of study devoted to the investigation of the origin and evolution of life on Earth and the exploration of possible life outside of Earth. The School of Arts and Sciences officially approved Astrobiology as an undergraduate major in 2020, and in the Fall of 2020, students began to enroll in this program and engage in coursework aimed at understanding the origins of life in the universe. The Astrobiology curriculum is exciting and provides a cross-disciplinary education in Earth and Planetary Sciences, Astronomy, and Biology. At commencement this year, Qifeng He (History Major, Class of 2022) will be the first Rutgers student to graduate with a minor in Astrobiology!
In the Fall of 2019, three new undergraduate major tracks were added to the geoscience curriculum. The well-established geological sciences course of study, centered around the traditional sedimentology, stratigraphy, structural geology, mineralogy, and petrology courses remains. The new planetary and environmental science major tracks include many of the foundational geology courses, but also include supplemental content in the areas of chemistry, astrophysics, and environmental science. A fourth general geological sciences track awards undergraduates with a Bachelor of Arts degree and is designed for students wishing to enter non-science fields after graduation, such as education, journalism, and law.
These curriculum updates have been successful thus far, with increasing numbers of students choosing to enroll in these programs each year. The EPS department is proud to present these new options because it allows our instructors to teach traditional and emerging geologic methods, while also better preparing our students for a variety of career options.
Dr. Paul Falkowski and his Rutgers colleagues have discovered two protein folds important for understanding the evolution of cellular metabolism. Evidence suggests that the processes responsible for facilitating the biological redox reactions shared by members of the "tree of life" may have first appeared billions of years ago during the Archean Eon. Falkowski's team provide clues to not only the ways these ancients cells may have operated, but also the origins of life itself. click here for paper
- Dr. Bermingham opines about Earth's formation in NATURE
- Books by Professor McGhee
- Rutgers geologists return from successful expedition to the southern Argentine margin
- Professor Nathan Yee explores the possibility of life on Mars and beyond
- EPS undergraduate studies Martian soil at NASA
- Rutgers geologists and oceanographers return from Pacific Ocean coring expedition
- Professor Gross to become NASA Deputy Curator of Apollo Moon samples and reflects to USA Today and National Geographic on the significance of the 50-year anniversary of the Moon landing
- EPS at the forefront of astrobiology with ~$6M NASA grant
- Jiacan Yuan predicts weather extremes with global warming (click for story)
- Tikoo explores origins of mysterious "lunar swirls"