3 Greetings from the Interim School Head Jack Pashin 2017 was an exceptional year for the Boone Pickens School of Geology, and 2018 is shaping up to be another great year. This has been a year of exceptional student and faculty achievement, and the School continues to march forward with a series of new milestones. Our latest faculty hire is Dr. Brendan Hanger, who has come from the Australian National University in Canberra. Brendan is our first Teaching Assistant Professor, which is a new position dedicated to undergraduate education. His expertise is in igneous and metamorphic petrology, mineralogy, and field geology, and he has been instrumental in enhancing and revamping our introductory course offerings and providing a broad range of courses that are essential for a solid geological education. Estella and Eliot Atekwana, who helped anchor our school for many years, have taken new positions at the University of Delaware. We miss them greatly and wish them the very best in their new endeavors. Eliot and Estella have both served the School as Head and have provided a wealth of teaching and research expertise that was critical for building our geochemistry and geophysics programs. Estella is now Dean of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment at Delaware, and Eliot is continuing his teaching and research activities with a new professorship at that institution. Fortunately, they remain in the OSU fold, retaining adjunct positions in the Boone Pickens School of Geology. This was a very productive year for the School, with students and faculty presenting 104 papers at technical meetings and winning awards for their presentations. We published 63 peer-‐reviewed papers in international journals and books, and 17 of those papers were senior-‐authored by our students. The student papers are posted on a wall in the atrium of the Noble Research Center, so please stop by and take a look when you are on campus. These publications portray the quality of our research program, which is far-‐reaching and remains healthy with nearly $3.0 million in active research grants. These grants support many students and are important for giving them advanced skills, developing collaborations with peers and stakeholders, and learning how to participate in the discourse that drives today’s most relevant research initiatives. Enrollment in the School has declined, primarily because of limited employment in the energy sector. Industry is turning around, and we will need to market our programs strategically to strengthen enrollment. We now have 152 students in the Boone Pickens School of Geology, with 75 undergraduates, 53 M.S. students, and 24 Ph.D. students. Many undergraduates will graduate this year, which underscores the need for us to bolster our recruitment efforts. Graduate applications remain strong. and we continue receiving applications from students in leading geoscience programs both domestically and internationally. We graduated 37 students with B.S. degrees in 2017. At the graduate level, we produced 13 graduates with M.S. degrees and 1 graduate with a Ph.D. degree. Students in the Boone Pickens School of Geology are supported by a broad range of teaching assistantships, research assistantships, fellowships and scholarships. We graciously thank our donors, whose generosity ensures that our students are supported and receive an education of exceptional quality. These donations are essential for the operation of the School, and without them our capabilities would be nowhere near what they are today. Our students are well- ‐recognized, having won an incredible number of awards in 2017 and 2018. And we can boast championship bragging rights, having topped the world in the number of AAPG Foundation Grants in Aid awarded two years in a row! We lead a good pack, having won 9 grants in 2017; the Colorado School of Mines placed 2nd with 7 grants, and Louisiana State University, Texas A&M, and the University of Kansas tied for 3rd with 4 grants each. In 2018, our students led with 8 grants; the University of Manchester placed 2nd with 7 grants, and the China University of Petroleum, Colorado School of Mines, Rice University, and West Virginia University tied for 3rd, each with 5 grants. The Boone Pickens School of Geology continues to attract recruiters from major and independent petroleum companies. Six companies visited during the Fall, including Chesapeake, Concho, ConocoPhillips, Devon, ExxonMobil, and WPX. This is a strong showing that demonstrates the desirability of students in the Boone Pickens School of Geology, especially considering the challenges the energy industry faces. We deeply appreciate their consideration of OSU geology students, who are hard working and are eager to grasp opportunities and perform the job at hand. Perhaps the biggest news is that the Gary F. Stewart Core Research facility is in the late design stages, and construction is expected to begin this summer. The OSU Foundation worked tirelessly raise $2.2 million toward the construction of the facility, and we thank the alumni, corporations, and other stakeholders who have contributed so generously to help make this facility a reality. The facility will be located in the northwestern part of campus, north of McElroy Road near the intersection of West Tyler Avenue and McDonald Street. We are quite excited about the Core Research Facility, which will provide much needed space to store, lay out, describe, and analyze cores. Space also will be dedicated to drill and cut rocks for analysis, and a clean lab will enable core analysis. A conference room at the facility will be used for classes, seminars, and core workshops. A dedication ceremony was held in the atrium of the Noble Research Center on November 8th prior to the OSU-‐ Kansas State football game. The OSU Foundation helped organize the dedication, and student research posters were displayed around the atrium. The dedication was well attended, and the ceremony was heartwarming and moving. The facility is named for Gary F. Stewart, who as many of you know, is a Professor Emeritus in the Boone Pickens School of Geology and a beloved faculty member. He was honored with testimonials from alumni, faculty, and administrators, including Dean Bret Danilowicz of the College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Stewart was recognized as a friend, colleague, teacher, and mentor. Dr. Stewart addressed the crowd with words that were soft-‐spoken, deliberate, grateful, and emotive. Indeed, there was not a dry eye in the room. After the dedication, attendees visited the future site of the core facility.
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