By
KIMBERLY MILLER
Palm Beach
Post Staff Writer
— Florida Atlantic University
officials are proposing a unique
Ph.D. in geosciences to train
professionals working on natural
resource management and South
Florida-specific problems such as
coastal erosion and freshwater
scarcity.
The
doctoral program, which faces a
committee of FAU board of trustee
members next week for initial
approval, would be the only one in Florida to combine
geography and geology.
Also,
instead of focusing on traditional
course work, FAU's students would be
specifically trained to enter the
area workforce with organizations
such as the Florida Department of
Environmental Protection, the South
Florida Water Management District,
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and
private environmental consultant
companies.
"I can
see a very clear need for an
expanded program at FAU to provide
this level of a degree," said Mike
Walther, president of Coastal Tech
Corp., an environmental consulting
firm based in
Vero Beach.
Walther's firm handles beach erosion
and works on implementing Florida's beach
management program.
But
when he recently needed to hire a
geologist to partner with his
coastal engineers, he found his new
employee in Canada.
"Unquestionably, by our own
experience, there is a growing need
for coastal geologists," Walther
said.
FAU's
doctorate would be crafted to
include both full-time students and
current professional geoscientists,
who would continue to work while
taking courses.
Students would have to specialize in
one of five areas, including
hydrology and water resources, urban
development and marine paleontology.
Gary
Perry, dean of FAU's College of Science, said the new degree was developed
with input from working
geoscientists, environmental
companies and government
organizations. It would use current
faculty and staff and should not
cost the school additional money.
"This
really addresses the needs of us
down here in
South Florida," Perry
said. "With global warming, climate
change and
Everglades restoration, the time for this is
right."
The
degree must be approved by FAU's
full trustee board and the Board of
Governors, which oversees Florida's 11 public universities.
MEDIA CONTACT: Patsy Jones
561-297-1307, patsyj@fau.edu
FAU Geosciences Professors Author Everglades Book
BOCA RATON, FL (July 11, 2007) – Florida Atlantic University’s
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science geoscience professors Edward J. Petuch,
Ph.D. and Charles Roberts, Ph.D., recently have written “Geology of the Everglades
and Adjacent Areas,” a comprehensive book that contains the first complete
overview of the historical geology of the Everglades, from the effects of the
Chesapeake Bay asteroid impact to the modern Everglades marshlands.
The book explores the overwhelming
amount of geological data that has been gathered from previously unexplored,
inaccessible peripheral areas of where an explosion of housing, commercial,
agricultural and municipal development has rapidly encroached on the edges of
the Everglades.
“Utilizing
Dr. Petuch’s many years of field work in the quarries and canals of South
Florida, we have reconstructed simulated space shuttle scenes of the Everglades
and South Florida at various times in the past,” said Roberts. “From that, we
created an animated map of sea level transgressions and regressions over 30
million years.”
Petuch
and Roberts were able to conduct their field research from drainage canal digs,
land and road fill quarries, and lake excavations for housing developments.
Viewing the significance and frequency of the changes continuing in the Everglades, both Petuch and Roberts consider themselves extremely fortunate that they were
able to gather as much data as quickly as possible.
Petuch has taught at FAU since 1987. He received both his
bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geology from the University of Wisconsin and his Ph.D. from the University of Miami. Roberts has taught at FAU since 1990. He
received his bachelor’s degree in geography-anthropology from Vassar College, and his master’s and Ph.D. in geography from Pennsylvania State University.
For more information, contact Edward Petuch at 561-297-2398
or epetuch@fau.edu, or Charles Roberts at
561-297-3254 or croberts@fau.edu.
-FAU-
Florida Atlantic University opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the
University serves more than 26,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven
campuses strategically located along 150 miles of Florida's southeastern
coastline. Building on its rich tradition as a teaching university, with a
world-class faculty, FAU hosts nine colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt
College of Arts & Letters, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Biomedical
Science, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, the Christine E. Lynn
College of Nursing, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Barry Kaye
College of Business and the Colleges of Education, Engineering &
Computer Science, and Architecture, Urban & Public Affairs.
Lisa Freed
MEDIA CONTACT: Patsy Jones
(561)297-1307, patsyj@fau.edu
FAU Partners With Earth System Science Education Alliance Project
BOCA RATON, FL (July 3, 2007) – The Department of Geosciences in
the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science at Florida Atlantic University has
been selected as a partner institution in the Earth System Science Education
Alliance (ESSEA), an innovative professional development program for
pre-service and in-service middle and high school teachers. As part of this
program, FAU will join other colleges, universities and science research and
education organizations spread among 22 states and the District of Columbia.
“We are
excited about the opportunity to contribute to earth science and environmental
education in South Florida,” said Dr. Russell Ivy, chair of the Department of
Geosciences at FAU. “Dr. Tara Root, Dr. Tobin Hindle and leaders from the
Center for Environmental Education at FAU will develop online teaching modules
in the earth sciences that will be delivered in courses provided by FAU.”
As an
ESSEA partner, FAU will receive funding and training to offer a series of
online Earth system science courses geared toward teachers of specific grade
levels and aligned to national education standards. Working in collaborative
groups, teachers who enroll in ESSEA courses at FAU can earn credits while
learning to teach Earth system science using inquiry-based classroom methods.
“I
believe the cohort of partners we have selected are an excellent mix that will
bring varied and innovative approaches to implementing the ESSEA courses,” said
Theresa Schwerin, IGES’s associate director of education.
ESSEA is
funded through a cooperative agreement awarded to IGES by the National Science
Foundation (NSF) under its Geoscience Teacher Training (GEO-Teach) program,
which supports projects designed to improve the quality of geoscience
education, primarily at the middle and high school levels. GEO-Teach projects
provide pre-service teacher training, in-service professional development and
access to high-quality curricular materials.
“I’m
thrilled with the selections that were made,” said Jill Karsten, program
director for diversity and education in NSF’s Geosciences Directorate. “It is a
diverse set, both geographically and institutionally, and I am excited about
the impact ESSEA will be having.”
Located
in Arlington, Va., IGES was established in 1994 and is a 501(c)3 nonprofit
organization supported by public and private entities. IGES is a trusted leader
in Earth and space science education, communication and outreach, and in
fostering national and international cooperation in observing the Earth.
For more
information on this project, visit: http://essea.strategies.org
or contact Dr. Tobin Hindle at thindle@fau.edu.
-FAU-
Florida Atlantic University opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the
University serves more than 26,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven
campuses strategically located along 150 miles of Florida's southeastern
coastline. Building on its rich tradition as a teaching university, with a
world-class faculty, FAU hosts nine colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt
College of Arts & Letters, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Biomedical
Science, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, the Christine E. Lynn
College of Nursing, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Barry Kaye
College of Business and the Colleges of Education, Engineering &
Computer Science, and Architecture, Urban & Public Affairs.
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