September 4, 2020 | 8:00 am - 7:00 pm
Join the Department of Environmental Science and Ecology and the Department of Geological Sciences for the first UTSA Earth Symposium consisting of oral and poster presentations organized in a virtual environment.
Four Earth Symposium Sessions
Session 1: Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation
We invite contributions that consider the interactions between living organisms and their environment, the effects of global change on populations, communities, and ecosystems, and the conservation of biodiversity.
Session 2: Challenges and Opportunities in Water Resources and Management
We invite contributions that look at any issue related to water resource science and management, including surface and groundwater hydrology and water quality, water and its role in ecosystem and public health, water availability, watershed and river processes, aquatic and riparian habitat formation, and conservation and management of aquatic and riparian biotic communities.
Session 3: The Changing Face of the Earth in the Context of Climate Change
We invite contributions at how interactions between the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and cryosphere can be modified by ongoing climate change, as well as lessons that can be learned from the Earth's history.
Session 4: Planetary Science: Extraterrestrial Environments and Terrestrial Analogs
We invite contributions related to planetary science, including studies of surface and interior processes and environments, and their terrestrial analogs. Examples include, but are not limited to, astrobiology and planetary caves; human exploration and habitation; volcanism, lava flows and lava tubes; the cryosphere and cryovolcanism; and planetary oceans and hydrospheres, past and present.
Important Dates
| Date | Action Item |
|---|---|
| June 15, 2020 | Call for abstracts |
| August 1, 2020 | Deadline for abstract submission |
| August 1-5, 2020 | Abstracts review |
| August 6, 2020 | Notification of acceptance |
| September 4, 2020 | UTSA Earth Symposium |
Symposium Schedule
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 8:00 am - 8:10 am | Opening remarks |
| 8:15 am - 9:45 am | Oral session 1 |
| 9:55 am - 11:10 am | Oral session 2 |
| 11:35 am - 12:30 pm | Keynote address |
| 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm | Oral session 3 |
| 2:10 pm - 4:10 pm | Oral session 4 |
| 4:10 pm - 6:10 pm | Poster session |
| 6:40 pm - 7:00 pm | Closing remarks |
Abstract Submission
Abstract submission is closed.
Preparing Your Oral Presentation
Preparing and Recording Your Poster Presentation
Poster presentation guidelines
Poster template (Microsoft PowerPoint)
Registration
Registration is closed.
Program
The detailed program is now available to download.
Poster Presentations
Emily Glotfelty and Eva Wikberg
Behavioral Responses to Increasing Population Size in Colobus vellerosus
Eres A. Gomez and Jennifer A. Smith
Anticoagulant Rodenticides and Secondary Exposure to Raptors in Texas.
Marina Ann Zannino and Jennifer A. Smith
The Effects of Rainfall on Heron Productivity
Cody Campbell, Omar Carrillo, Nancy Benavidez, and Elizabeth Borda
Comparative Transcriptomics of Anchialine Shrimp (Atyidae)
Gabriela Vara and Jennifer A. Smith
The Importance of Herbaria in Research
Jamie Killian and Jennifer Smith
Determining Texas Horned Lizard Population Abundance in Karnes and Wilson Counties Using Visual Encounter Surveys
Logan Day, Skyla Garcia, Jamie Ramos, Victoria Register, and Brian G. Laub
Mapping Potential Freshwater Conservation Areas in the San Antonio Watershed
Namrata Giri and Brian G. Laub
Seasonal Dynamics of Food Resources in Cibolo Creek, Texas
[no video]
Michael McMahan and Yongli Gao
Improving Best Management Practices for Sensitive Karst Features on the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone
[no video]
Rodolfo Fernandez, Alberto M. Mestas Nuñez, Karen Mendiondo, and Christian A. Sustayata
Satellite Salinity Imaging Depicts Deceleration in Gulf Stream Current during Hurricane Dorian, 2019
Alexis Godet, Jacob Byerly, Annie Arnaud-Vanneau, Lucie Bonvallet, and Brahimsamba Bomou
The Impact of Supergreenhouse Conditions on Cretaceous Marine Sedimentation
Richard Gonzalez, Michael D'Emic, Simone Hoffmann, and Thomas Adams
Evolution of Body Size in Pantodont Coryphodon during the PETM
Brenna Halverson, Stuart Kenderes, Jesse Merriman, and Alan Whittington
Thermal Anomalies around Salt Diapirs and their Effects on Maturation of Surrounding Hydrocarbons
[no video]
Elizabeth Hebel and Hongjie Xie
Evaluating Ice Production of Ross Ice Shelf and Terra Nova Bay Polynyas during 2019 Using Sentinel-1 SAR Images and ICESat-2 Data
[no video]
André Michon, Alberto M. Mestas-Nuñez, Hongjie Xie, Zhiwei Wang, and Stephen F. Ackley
Satellite Remote Sensing of Snowpack Variability on Eagle Island, Antarctica
Dianna Price, Alexis Godet, and Thomas Adams
Digitizing Early Cretaceous Dinosaur Trackways to Preserve the Geological Heritage of Central Texas
Christopher Ray, Yongli Gao, Benjamin Schwartz, Phil Lucas, and Lijun Tian
Cave Air CO 2 and Hydrochemical Monitoring of Helictite Cave, VA
Megan Schill, Shawn Brown, Richard Baird, and Allison Veach
Southern Appalachian Mountain Wildfires Increase Soil Microbial Nutrient Scavenging with Burn Severity
[no video]
Christian A. Sustayta, Alberto M. Mestas-Nuñez, and Karen Mendiondo
Comparisons of Geostrophic Current Observations from Buoyancy Gliders and Satellite Altimetry
Don Hooper, S.W. Ximenes, R. Wells, E.L. Patrick, and M. Necsoiu
Developing a Simulant to Replicate the Lunar Regolith
Alan G. Whittington, Graham D.M. Andrews, Stuart Kenderes, Shelby L. Isom, Sarah R. Brown, Holly D. Pettus, Brenna G. Cole, and Kailee J. Gokey
There's a Fault in my Flow: A Reinterpretation of "Pressure Ridges" in Silicic Lava Flows
John Dye and Alan Whittington
Rheology of Mauna Loa's 1984 Eruption
Justice Lira, Alan Whittington, and Brenna Halverson
Rheology of the Andesite Erupted from Fissure 17 of the 2018 Kilauea Lower East Rift Zone Eruption
Awards
Oral Presentations
- 1st place: Miguel Bernardo, "The Development of Porosity in the Upper Cretaceous Austin Chalk Group of Texas"
- 2nd place: Aaron Morrison, "Cryovolcanism: Evolution and Flow Dynamics of Cold Lava Flows"
- 3rd place: Rebecca Nunu, "Using Geochemical Analyses to Discern Source Areas of a Multi-outlet Spring System in West Texas"
Poster Presentations
- 1st place: Rodolfo Fernandez, "Satellite Salinity Imaging Depicts Deceleration in Gulf Stream Current during Hurricane Dorian, 2019"
- 2nd place: Megan Schill, "Southern Appalachian Mountain Wildfires Increase Soil Microbial Nutrient Scavenging with Burn Severity"
- 3rd place: Christopher Ray, "Cave Air CO 2 and Hydrochemical Monitoring of Helictite Cave, VA"
