Earth and Space Sciences at Columbus State University, GA

Earth and Space Sciences at Columbus State University, GA Welcome to CSU's Department of Earth & Space Sciences page! Check out https://ess.columbusstate.edu/

Our faculty have expertise in astronomy, atmospheric and environmental science, engineering, geology, physics, robotics, and science education.

ESS welcomes back alumnus and Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, Matt Perry - the keynote speaker at t...
04/24/2026

ESS welcomes back alumnus and Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, Matt Perry - the keynote speaker at today's Tower Day undergraduate research conference!

https://www.columbusstate.edu/academic-affairs/research/tower-day.php

Matt, a 2013 graduate of the ESS Astrophysics and Planetary Geology track, is a geophysicist and planetary scientist whose work focuses on using radar data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (SHARAD) to model the surface and subsurface of Mars - including the search for water on the red planet!

https://www.psi.edu/staff/profile/matthew-perry/

Matt will provide the keynote address for Tower Day 2026 on the main stage at the Cunningham Center on CSU's main campus. Join our celebration of undergraduate research and learn how Matt got his start right here in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences!

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Interested in a career in robotics engineering or earth and space science? Learn how you can use one of our B.S. or M.S. degrees as a springboard into a career in robotics engineering, astronomy, environmental science, geology, or science education by visiting our ESS departmental website!

https://www.columbusstate.edu/earth-space-sciences/

Our ESS Spring 2026 Seminar Series concludes on Tuesday, April 28th, with a joint presentation from ESS graduate student...
04/23/2026

Our ESS Spring 2026 Seminar Series concludes on Tuesday, April 28th, with a joint presentation from ESS graduate students: James Wiggins- MSNS Geosciences, Ayomiposi Akinyemi- MSNS Environmental Sciences, and *not pictured* William Merino- MSNS Geosciences.

James, Ayomiposi, and William will all briefly present on their current research projets.

ESS seminar presentations are open to the public, so feel free to share this announcement with anyone who might be interested in attending.

When: Tuesday, April 28th, 2026 at 12:30pm
Where: Jordan Hall 213 and Microsoft Teams

For more information on joining ESS Seminar through Microsoft Teams, please email Dr. Troy Keller: [email protected]

Our ESS Spring 2026 Seminar Series continues next week, Tuesday, April 21st, with a presentation from one of our very ow...
04/16/2026

Our ESS Spring 2026 Seminar Series continues next week, Tuesday, April 21st, with a presentation from one of our very own, Courtney Lamborn, CSU Senior Geology Major.

"Progressive Strain Modeling using an Excel Spreadsheet: Comparisons to Real-World and Digital Clast Deformation"

Courtney's presentation will compare digital and mathematical models of rock deformation with observed deformation from rocks caught in continental collisions that form mountain belts like the Appalachians. In addition, her presentation will explore how a technique designed to analyze rock deformation may also be useful in determining paleocurrent directions in ancient sedimentary environments.

ESS seminar presentations are open to the public, so feel free to share this announcement with anyone who might be interested in attending.

When: Tuesday, April 21st, 2026 at 12:30pm
Where: Jordan Hall 213 and Microsoft Teams

For more information on joining ESS Seminar through Microsoft Teams, please email Dr. Troy Keller:
[email protected]

Our ESS Spring 2026 Seminar continues next week, Tuesday, April 14th, with a presentation from one of our very own, CSU ...
04/10/2026

Our ESS Spring 2026 Seminar continues next week, Tuesday, April 14th, with a presentation from one of our very own, CSU Professor of Astrophysics, Dr. Rosa Williams.

"New Developments in the DeMCELS Survey"

N19 is a complex region of the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way. N19 contains the supernova remnants (SNRs)- the remains of exploded stars. Astronomers don't agree on how many SNRs are in the region, or what the boundaries of each are! Dr. Williams will discuss how she and several student researchers are using new high-resolution optical emission-line images together with X-ray data to try and untangle this question. Depending on the results, they may find these remnants are combining with each other to form a larger structure.

ESS seminar presentations are open to the public, so feel free to share this announcement with anyone who might be interested in attending.
When: Tuesday, April 14th, 2026 at 12:30pm
Where: Jordan Hall 213 and Microsoft Teams

For more information on joining our ESS Seminar through Microsoft Teams, please email Dr. Troy Keller: [email protected]

Join us in celebrating M.S.N.S. Candidate in Environmental Science, Mary Claire Streat as she presents and defends her t...
04/07/2026

Join us in celebrating M.S.N.S. Candidate in Environmental Science, Mary Claire Streat as she presents and defends her thesis: "Impacts of Land Cover and Culverts on Stream Water Quality in West Georgia"

When: Friday, April 10th at 2:00pm
Where: Jordan Hall 213 and Microsoft Teams

For more information on joining virtually, please email Dr. Troy Keller at [email protected]

*Light refreshments will be served for in-person attendees

Kudos to ESS Assistant Professor of Atmosphere Science, Dr. Steve Jessup, who along with two students, attended the Sout...
04/01/2026

Kudos to ESS Assistant Professor of Atmosphere Science, Dr. Steve Jessup, who along with two students, attended the Southern Appalachian Weather and Climate Workshop in Asheville, NC.

Dr. Jessup spoke about his Meteorological Process Mapper, a new tool for evaluating weather balloon sounding data for severe weather applications. The students had a great time learning about new forecast techniques and the latest in atmospheric research

If you would like to learn about opportunities in atmospheric science at CSU, please contact Dr. Jessup at [email protected]

Interested in a career in earth and space science or robotics engineering? Learn how you can use one of our B.S. or M.S.. degrees as a springboard into a career in astronomy, environmental science, geology, science education, or robotics engineering by visiting our ESS departmental website!
https://www.columbusstate.edu/earth-space-sciences/

Our ESS Spring 2026 Seminar Series continues next week, Tuesday, April 7th, with a presentation from one of our very own...
04/01/2026

Our ESS Spring 2026 Seminar Series continues next week, Tuesday, April 7th, with a presentation from one of our very own, CSU Professor of Geology, Dr. David Schwimmer.

"A Full-Body Skeletal Reconstruction of a 9m (30') Giant Crocodilian, and What We Know About the Life of Deinosuchus"

The first complete reconstruction of the eastern species of the Late Cretaceous crocodilian, Deinosuchus, has been mounted in the Tellus Museum in Cartersville, GA. Dr. Schwimmer was involved in the design and data of the reconstruction. It tells a great deal about the morphology and life of the creature. Among other data, it was the largest predator along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America during the late Age of Dinosaurs, and fed on turtles and younger tyrannosaurs. Fun fact about the Deinosuchus was that it was extraordinarily common in what is now the Chattahoochee River Valley, 40km south of Columbus, possibly at the mouth of the river at the time.

ESS seminar presentations are open to the public, so feel free to share this announcement with anyone who might be interested in attending.

When: Tuesday, April 7th, 2026 at 12:30pm
Where: Jordan Hall 213 and Microsoft Teams

For more information on joining our ESS Seminar through Microsoft Teams, please email Dr. Troy Keller: [email protected]

*Free pizza is provided to in-person attendees on a first come, first serve basis.

Our ESS Spring 2026 Seminar Series continues this week, Saturday, March 28th, with a special live edition of the award-w...
03/25/2026

Our ESS Spring 2026 Seminar Series continues this week, Saturday, March 28th, with a special live edition of the award-winning Made of Stars podcast, hosted by producer, Wed Carroll, and astronomer and CSU professor, Dr. Shawn Cruzen.

"Made of Stars Live from the CCSSC Planetarium"

Made of Stars is a fun and fast-paced look at the latest in space new, covering everything from baby planets to black holes, quasars to quantum mechanics, and the most exciting developments in space exploration. In 2022, Dr. Cruzen and Wes won the Georgia Association of Broadcasters' Excellence in Broadcasting Award for the Best Podcast. Join us for the first-ever live recording of fascinating insights into our universe!

ESS seminar presentations are open to the public, so feel free to share this announcement with anyone who might be interested in attending.

When: Saturday, March 28th, 2026 at 7:00pm
Where: Coca-Cola Space Science Center Omnisphere Theater Planetarium

Our ESS Spring 2026 Seminar Series continues tomorrow, Tuesday, March 24th, with a presentation from one of our very own...
03/23/2026

Our ESS Spring 2026 Seminar Series continues tomorrow, Tuesday, March 24th, with a presentation from one of our very own, Delta Flowers, CSU Senior Astrophysics-Planetary Geology Major.

"Assessing the Potential for Preservation of Shock Features in the "Woodbury-Manchester-Roosevelt Structure", Southern Appalachian Piedmont (USA), Using a Global Database of Terrestrial Impact Structures"

Terrestrial impact craters are widespread but are often erased on Earth by erosion and tectonism, with most well-dated confirmed astroblemes being Paleozoic or younger, highlighting the difficulty of preserving shock features through geological overprinting. Using an expanded global database of over 200 confirmed impact structures, including information on crater modification and post-impact metamorphism, we evaluate whether hypervelocity impact features can survive metamorphic overprinting, with particular focus on the proposed "Woodbury-Manchester-Roosevelt" structure in the southern Appalachians. Viewed through the lens of our database, and coupled with age and tectonic constraints, we suggest the structural setting for rocks of the Pine Mountain belt is more consistent with a tectonic and not impact origin.

ESS seminar presentations are open to the public, so feel free to share this announcement with anyone who might be interested in attending.

When: Tuesday, March 24th, 2026 at 12:30pm
Where: Jordan Hall 213 and Microsoft Teams

For more information on joining our ESS Seminar through Microsoft Teams, please email Dr. Troy Keller: [email protected]

*Free pizza is provided to in-person attendees on a first come, first serve basis.

Kudos to ESS undergraduate geology student Logan Collins, who presented the results of his undergraduate research projec...
03/11/2026

Kudos to ESS undergraduate geology student Logan Collins, who presented the results of his undergraduate research project at the Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America, Joint SE-SC-NC Section, in Memphis, TN.

"Clast Orientation and Aspect Ratio Anisotropy Inheritance as a Function of Grain Size: Comparison of Sedimentary Rocks from the Southeastern U.S. and Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico"

https://share.google/KoZ7hGprozwpofzG2

Logan is part of a group of ESS students and faculty who attended the March 8-11 conference.

Congratulations to all of our ESS presenters!

It's the last day of the Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America, Joint SE-SC-NC Section, in Memphis, TN and...
03/11/2026

It's the last day of the Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America, Joint SE-SC-NC Section, in Memphis, TN and ESS students and faculty continue with their research presentations. Professor of Geology, Dr. Clint Barineau co-convened a session...

New Research in the Appalachian-Ouachita Orogen: Integrated Studies from the Foreland to the Hinterland
..with colleagues from the U.S. Geological Survey and Oklahoma State University. As part of that session, Dr. Barineau presented results from one of his collaborative research projects...

"Intra-Backarc Subduction Initiation as a Driving Mechanism for the Southern Appalachian Taconic"

Https://share.google/gMT2V1iSNedbGYag1

Dr. Barineau also worked with a group of ESS students who attended the March 8-11 conference to present their undergraduate research projects.

Congratulations to all of our ESS presenters!

Congratulations to ESS undergraduate geology student Courtney Lamborn, who presented the results of her senior thesis re...
03/10/2026

Congratulations to ESS undergraduate geology student Courtney Lamborn, who presented the results of her senior thesis research and ESS student coauthors at the Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America, Joint SE-SC-NC Section, in Memphis, TN.

"Progressive Strain Modeling using an Excel Spreadsheet: Comparisons to Real-World and Digital Clast Deformation"

https://gsameetings.secure-platform.com/se26/solicitations/103012/sessiongallery/schedule/items/96044/application/13553

Coutney is part of a group of ESS students and faculty who attended the March 8-11 conference.

Hats off to all of our ESS presenters!

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