University of Texas at Dallas Department Embraces New Name for Contemporary Earth Sciences Studies
The Department of Geosciences in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM) at The University of Texas at Dallas has a new name to reflect changes in the field since the department was established more than 50 years ago.
The name change to the Department of Sustainable Earth Systems Sciences was finalized in November 2023 by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, said Dr. David Lumley, department head and the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Chair in Geophysics.
“The term geosciences has become too generic to accurately describe the type of research our department is engaged in and the advanced set of multidisciplinary, quantitative Earth-science skills that our students possess,” said Lumley, who is also a professor of physics.
Earth systems science, which encompasses all the coupled physical systems that affect the planet’s environment and climate, is a major focus of National Science Foundation funding over the next 20 years, said Lumley, whose research focuses on time-lapse seismic imaging and inversion. Sustainable Earth refers to the environmentally clean and responsible exploration and production of energy, minerals, water, food and other natural resources over time.
“We must dramatically increase our research and education focus in sustainable Earth systems science to address the National Academies’ grand challenges that threaten our future survival,” he said.
Department faculty conduct research and teach on a wide range of topics, including modern and paleoclimate conditions; natural resource exploration and production; seismic imaging and inversion; hydrogeology and geothermal processes; oceanic geology and plate tectonics; Earth-science related human health and ecosystems; sustainable environments; and computational data analysis. Geosciences was one of the core research divisions of the Southwest Center for Advanced Studies, UT Dallas’ precursor institution.
Lumley said the new name should help attract faculty, research funding, students and employers, which seek graduates with modern Earth-science skills.
In the past couple of years, the department has added four tenure-track faculty members — assistant professors Dr. Kristina Butler, Dr. Nadine Igonin, Dr. Zachary Sickmann and Dr. Yujie Zheng — to support the change.
Dr. David Hyndman, dean of the school, the Francis S. and Maurine G. Johnson Distinguished University Chair, and a hydrogeologist, said this change better reflects the department’s wide range of subject areas and enhances synergies with other academic units in NSM and other schools at UT Dallas.
“This new name exemplifies the school’s growing interdisciplinary research on Earth systems and sustainable resources that will provide solutions to environmental challenges in Texas and beyond. In addition to enhancing recruitment of outstanding faculty, the change presents an exciting opportunity to draw greater interest from prospective students to the department’s academic programs,” he said.