Assistant Professor

Research

Dr. Buynevich's specialties include coastal geomorphology, event sedimentology, and marine geology. He comes to Temple from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution where he has been conducting research on coastal evolution, aeolian landscape dynamics, and geological records of extreme events. He teaches physical geology and coastal geomorphology.

Assistant Professor

Research

Dr. Alexandra Krull Davatzes studies the geology of Mars and Earth's best Martian analog, the Archean Earth.  She is a member of the HiRISE camera team, which is taking photos of the martian surface from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.  Her goal is to better understand the large catastrophic flooding events that occurred in Mars' history.  She is also looking at evidence of microbial life associated with Archean meteorite impact layers.  She teaches environmental geology, sedimentary petrology, and planetary geology.

Assistant Professor

Research

Dr. Nicholas C. Davatzes studies the development of fault zones, their physical properties, and the stresses in the earth that drive their movement. His research incorporates fieldwork to study the anatomy of ancient faults, laboratory rock mechanics experiments, borehole studies of stress in the earth, and numerical analysis of faulting mechanics. His goal is to investigate how the physical properties of fault zones arise from the processes that deform rock during faulting. Dr. Davatzes is currently part of the U.S. Enhanced Geothermal Systems project that seeks to tap the massive heat of the earth to provide an abundant clean energy resource. He currently teaches undergraduate and graduate quantitative structural geology and geomechanics.

Chairperson &

Professor

Research

Dr. Grandstaff's major current research project is use of rare earth elements and other geochemical tools to better understand the depositional and diagenetic environment of fossilization and taphonomy of vertebrate remains. Other research interests include low-temperature geochemistry, and dissolution kinetics of oxide and silicate minerals. Dr. Grandstaff teaches introductory geology, geochemistry, and two graduate geochemistry courses.

Professor

Research

Dr. Myer is currently studying surface properties of minerals and the ceramic properties of pottery and clay sources on the island of Crete. Dr Myer teaches mineralogy and catastrophic geology

Professor

Research

Dr. Nyquist has worked on a variety of geophysical techniques at nuclear and chemical waste sites. Currently he has projects on airborne geophysics to search for unexploded ordnances, and geophysical techniques for detecting groundwater-surface water interaction. Dr Nyquist teaches environmental geology, remote sensing, and geophysics.

Associate Professor

Research

Dr. Terry's research focuses on nonmarine depositional environments, stratigraphy, and paleosols. Current research projects include the interpretation of paleoclimatic change across the Eocene-Oligocene Boundary in Nebraska and South Dakota, paleosol-based interpretations of bone beds in the Badlands of South Dakota, and investigations of K/T and Late Eocene impact signatures. Dr. Terry teaches Physical Geology, Facies Models, and graduate classes in Soils/Paleosols and Basin Analysis.

Professor

Research

Dr. Toran is a groundwater geologist with experience modeling hazardous waste sites. Her current research interests include new methods for detecting groundwater discharge in lakes and streams, and stormwater sampling in karst and urban streams. Dr. Toran teaches introductory geology, climate change, hydrogeology, and groundwater modeling.

Research

Dr. Tumarkin-Deratzian’s research primarily focuses on bone growth in modern and fossil tetrapods, using both gross examination and histological study in thin-section.  Other projects include investigations of growth and evolution in ceratopsian dinosaurs. Dr. Tumarkin-Deratzian teaches introductory geology, evolution, and paleontology and stratigraphy.

Emeritus Professor

Research

Dr. Ulmer's recent petrology research includes (1) building a durable sensor that can aid in predicting when volcanic eruptions are about to happen and (2) preparation of digital video lab-oriented teaching programs on volcanology (with cooperation of the USGS Hawaiian Volcanology Observatory).