KANSAS STATE

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     The Kansas State University Department of Geology had the pleasure of two new faculty members this year.  Kirsten Nicolaysen joined us as a petrologist geochemist.  Kirsten has already been busy with teaching new classes, traveling the world for fieldwork, and working to set up a geochemistry lab facility.  Dr. Mike Brady has been with us as our Distinguished Visiting Professor of Petroleum Geology.   Students have filled Mike's classes and seem to have practically moved into Mike's office in order to maximize their learning while he is here!  Faculty have also enjoyed having Mike on board and we are sorry to see his year here come to an end. 

     Our undergraduate enrollment has been on the rise this year and we already have more freshmen enrolled for next year than past years.  We love seeing the increased numbers, though we've had to scramble to ensure sufficient teaching equipment is in place (e.g. petrographic microscopes)!   Our graduate enrollment is also up.  This year we welcomed Master's students from Kansas, Nigeria, India, and China.  An addition to the graduate program is the new Graduate Certificate in GIS.  Several of our students have opted to pursue this together with their Master's in Geology.

     Several new course offerings have been well received by students.  Kirsten Nicolaysen is currently teaching a volcanology course that will culminate with a field trip to New Mexico in May.  Kirsten is also co-teaching an archeological geology course with Dr. Lauren Ritterbush from the Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and Social Work.  Geophysics field courses have been augmented with the addition of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) capabilities and a Total Station. 

     We have been pleased to have a number of alumni on campus during the past year for events such as our Alumni Advisory Council meeting, the student awards banquet, and a number of guest lectures.  Mr. Bill Barrett from Denver was awarded the Alumni Fellow award by K-State in February.  Whether you're a wildcat or not, come see us in Manhattan.

Mary Hubbard    ph: 785-532-2241
Head and Associate Professor  fax: 785-532-5159
Dept. of Geology    mhub@ksu.edu
Thompson Hall
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 66506

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KANSAS UNIVERSITY Dear Alumni and Friends:
    As we approach the quarter mark for calendar year 2003, I wanted to update you on the status of the Geology Department and announce several upcoming events.  But first, on behalf of our faculty, students, staff, and the Geology Associates Advisory Board I want to thank all of you who have sent in donations over the past several years.  There is no doubt that the resources available through Geology Associates Funds give us a distinct competitive edge, both on and off campus.

     The state budget seems more stable for the time being, but we recently received news from the KU Endowment Association that spending from Endowed funds will have to be scaled back about 20% due to poor market performance (so, what else is new?).  We are not in any dire straits at the moment, but we will need to be a bit more conservative and selective in the near future with regard to scholarship awards, facilities improvements, student research support, etc.  We will provide more information on our needs with the next Geology Associates fund raising letter (sometime over the summer). 

     Dr. Luis Gonzalez joined us in January as Associate Professor.  Luis' specialties include carbonate geochemistry, stable isotope analyses (hydrogen, carbon, oxygen), and application to paleoclimate studies.  At the end of the semester Dr. Paul Enos will complete his phased retirement and officially become a "gentleman scientist"; see below regarding activities to recognize Paul.  Dr. George Tsoflias will join our faculty in August, and Don Steeples has arranged for him to come in May to work during the summer as a research associate on near-surface geophysics projects of mutual interest. 

     Our biggest single problem continues to be space and facilities.  If you know anyone who would like to make a large donation to the Department and obtain naming rights to a major addition to Lindley Hall, please let me know!

     And now for some very important upcoming events:

Geology Honor Banquet: May 2, 2003 - During this year's Department Honors Banquet we will include recognition of Dr. Paul Enos' retirement and his contributions to the Department and profession.  All past students, colleagues, and friends of Paul are invited to attend and participate. If you are interested, please contact Liz Gravatt at 785-864-5628 or egravatt@ku.edu by April 18 to RSVP and for further information. We request $30 per person to help defray the cost of the extra meals.

AAPG Convention 2003 - The convention will be held May 11-14 in Salt Lake City, UT.  As always, the KU Geology Department will be holding an alumni reception.  We do not know the room assigned for our reception yet, so please check the official program.  Please join us if you are at the convention or live in the area. 

Open House & Parents Day - The University will have a general open house in conjunction with Parents Day and the KU vs. Jacksonville State football game on September 20, 2003.  If you are in the area, please stop by the department for a visit.

GSA Convention 2003 - The convention will be held November 2-5 in Seattle, WA.  As always, the KU Geology Department will be holding an alumni reception.  Detailed information on the date, time and location for this event will be provided as the convention draws near.

KU Geology Website - Professor Rick Devlin has kindly taken over the maintenance of our website and is doing a fine job.  Please take a moment to visit it at www.ku.edu/~geology when you have a chance.  Keep an eye out for the forthcoming ALUMNI section of the website, which will include the G-Hawker, downloadable forms for updating your information or donating to our Endowment Funds, a list of all Endowment Funds and their purposes, and information on alumni receptions or other events.  Please let Liz Gravatt (egravatt@ku.edu) know of any other information that you would like to see posted there.  Also, please let her know your current e-mail address so that we can compile an alumni mailing list for even faster dissemination of information.  We can keep your e-mail and mailing address on file ONLY in the Geology Department and not forward it to the Alumni Association if you wish not to receive more general University mailings. 

With best wishes to all,
W. Randall Van Schmus, Chair