UTK Department of Earth, Environmental & Planetary Sciences

09/17/2026

The College of Arts and Sciences is excited to begin recruitment for our next group of student ambassadors! We are looking for reliable student leaders with strong public speaking skills and enthusiasm about their major, and the college. Ambassador applications are now open through Wednesday, October 7.

Link: https://artsci.utk.edu/about/directory/student-ambassadors/

09/14/2026

It’s been 4 weeks since the start of the semester…so let’s go back to summer. Swipe to see what some of our graduate students were up to! 🍊

Natasha Tagle travelled to Australia for her work with the Shoemaker Impact Crater. Natasha’s project investigates the chemistry and sedimentary record of modern ephemeral saline lakes within Shoemaker impact crater, Western Australia, to better understand how ancient crater lakes on Mars preserved geochemical and potential biosignature records. As a part of her research, she also works with the science team on JPL/NASA’s Curiosity Rover.

View of Shoemaker Crater and its lakes from Google Earth.

Stephen Hill and Laya Amini travelled to the barrier islands of central Florida to hunt for ophiuroids (Brittle Stars). By understanding modern brittle star populations they hope they hope to compare their data to populations in the fossil record.

Stephen Hill and Laya Amini travelled to the barrier islands of central Florida to hunt for ophiuroids (Brittle Stars). By understanding modern brittle star populations they hope they hope to compare their data to populations in the fossil record.

Cedar Key has been hit by several hurricanes and the sign next to Stephen shows the water level during each one.

Sonja Schmoyer went to Utah to study inverted river channels and their thermal properties. She flew a drone equipped with a thermal camera to observe different rates of heating and cooling for different types of inverted channels as part of her research with Mars analog sites.

Sonja Schmoyer went to Utah to study inverted river channels and their thermal properties. She flew a drone equipped with a thermal camera to observe rates of heating and cooling for different types of inverted channels as part of her research with Mars analog sites.

Anah Bogdan conducted high-temperature deformation experiments on Iron-rich pyroxene at Brown University to better constrain the viscosity and rheology of the lunar mantle.

George Denny attended SAGE (Summer of Applied Geophysics Experience) in the Valles Caldera near Los Alamos, NM!

George Denny attended SAGE (Summer of Applied Geophysics Exper

09/08/2026

Hiking canyons can be dangerous when storms hit – what you need to know to stay safe. Our own Dr. Anner Paldor talks about why canyons are prone to flash floods and how to stay safe.

The image shown is an elevation map of the Grand Canyon. Steep slopes and narrow passageways channel rain water downstream through the canyon, causing flash floods.

Link (also in bio): https://theconversation.com/hiking-canyons-can-quickly-turn-deadly-when-storms-hit-what-you-should-know-before-going-in-291122

Image credit: Anner Paldor; Data Basin, using ESRI, Census Bureau, NOAA, National Ocean Service, National Geodetic Survey, USGS, TomTom, CC BY

09/03/2026

The Society of Economic Geologist’s UTK student chapter hosted Kayla Young from Crucible to talk about her work with the Halleck Creek Rare Earth Element Project!

Kayla described a potentially novel deposit type in Wyoming and walked through what the future of the site could look like.

08/26/2026

PhD student in environmental geoscience Taylor Wishart discusses how the success of green roofs depends on more than just good intentions and engineering—they need long-term love and care.

The green roof is at the Agriculture & Natural Resources building here on campus. A special thanks to the Plant Sciences department for their hard work in maintaining the green roof.

Article Link: https://theconversation.com/green-roofs-can-help-cool-cities-in-the-summer-heat-but-building-them-is-only-the-first-step-many-dont-survive-288874

08/19/2026

Welcome to the Fall 2026 semester!🍊

If you are new to the Department of Earth, Environmental & Planetary Sciences (EEPS) or are a returning major/minor looking for upcoming opportunities in the department, please join us for a welcome event on Tuesday, August 25th at 5:00 pm in 740 Strong Hall.

We will discuss the different concentrations, research opportunities, future career opportunities, departmental resources, student organizations, and more. You will also have the opportunity to talk with your faculty advisors and fellow students. Drinks and snacks will be provided.

08/17/2026

We’re celebrating the start of the new semester with a brand new installation on our seventh floor! These pieces of artwork by Miles Mayhall (EEPS BS 2025) feature the geologic time scales for Earth, the Moon, and Mars.

08/10/2026

We are excited to feature our newest faculty member, Sean Fettrow's, newest paper! This paper showcases some of Dr. Fettrow's work on permafrost melt impacts arctic environments and geochemical systems

Arctic permafrost regions contain the largest terrestrial carbon stocks on the globe. Thermokarst wetlands are increasingly forming in these Arctic systems due to ground subsidence caused by permafrost thaw, necessitating understanding of how these changing landscapes function and their feedback wit...

07/08/2026

07/02/2026

Congratulations Mariana!