Earth Science Week 2011 - "Our Ever Changing Earth"

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO MADE THIS YEAR ANOTHER GREAT YEAR!

As part of the nation wide Earth Science awareness campaign FHSU Department of Geosciences hosts events and contests throughout the month of October including: Photography Contest, Scavenger Hunt,   GeoCaching, T-shirt Design Contest, and Mosasaur Sculpture Contest.

Geosciences Photography Contest - Closed for 2011. Thank you all participants of this year's contest!  Winners will be notified by email to provide high-quality images for printing and on how to receive their prizes. Here are the winners of this year's contest:

Please note these images are the property of the photographer and can not be copied, used, or reproduced without permission of the photographer.

Grand Champion - Brad Penka
"The Georgetown Loop Railroad seeks to preserve a once prominent form of mountain transportation the narrow-gauge railroad. At the end of the nineteenth century, there were hundreds of miles of narrow-gauge railroads snaking through the Rocky Mountains. These narrow-gauge trains provided the only form of mechanized transportation over the treacherous terrain. ‘Narrow gauge’ rails were only three feet in width (measured from inside to inside of the rails) in comparison to the U.S. standard gauge of four feet, eight and one-half inches. This narrower spacing required less grading along the mountainside and also allowed for a tighter turning radius. Many of today’s highways are built over these 19th century railroad grades. A portion of Interstate 70 alongside Georgetown runs parallel or directly on the former Colorado Central roadbed.  At one time these trains carried hundred of persons per day from Denver into Georgetown for both business and pleasure. Today, these trains still carry hundreds of persons each day, but now strictly for pleasure. Nevertheless, thousands of people each day still travel the old roadbeds from Denver to Georgetown in a new form of iron horse, the automobile."

Ecology
1st Place - Scott Schmidt	Full Circle:"A white-tailed deer carcass laid alongside a two-track road winding through a sand prairie in central Kansas. Coyotes and crows picked the bones clean. As I came upon this scene, I recalled my childhood days - throwing a ball of yarn across the classroom while my science teacher explained the food web. Every few weeks I coursed the same route and took note of the trophic yarn slowly unraveling before my eyes until a sun-bleached ribcage and mat of coarse hair were left. Then, a beautiful wild rose bloomed amongst the remains. To me, this image exemplifies the phrase, 'from death comes life'."
2nd Place - Korby Boswell	"Vacation to Yellowstone National Park. The wildlife was completely amazing."
3rd Place - Kristen Pollacik	"Within Blue Springs State Park one can see many flora and fauna. Here is a picture of one of the many oak species that lines the springs. The curtain like structures hanging from the tree is another plant species. This species is what is commonly known as Spanish moss or Tillandsia usneoides. The species of oak tree that the "moss" grows on is Southern live oak ( Quercus virginiana). The species is actually a flowering plant within the Bromeliad family. It is also known as an epiphyte primarily because it is commonly found growing on other plant life. The species has no aerial roots, but absorbs nutrients and moisture from the air. The species doesn't kill its host, but lowers the plant's photosynthesis capabilities from blocking out sunlight. The neat aspect of the specie is that it can help increase wind resistance of the host plant which proves to be handy during hurricane season. Also, the specie provides excellent habitat for many local animal species such as snakes, bats, and spiders."
Weather
1st Place  - Scott Schimdt	White Christmas: "Christmas morning is always full of surprises. I didn't get the partridge in a pear tree I had asked for; however, I was more than thrilled to see a pheasant in a lilac bush, snow-covered ground, and trees iced with a glittering hoar frost. Hoar frost occurs when the temperature of a surface is lower than the dew point of the air and the dew point is below freezing; ice crystals form rather than dew drops."
2nd Place  - Brad Penka	"Stratus clouds form when weak upward moving air currents lift a layer of air high enough to reach its condensation point. When this upward motion is strong enough, it can develop into supercells that can rapidly produce severe weather and tornadoes. This storm, although very weak, created a moderate upward and counterclockwise rotation that resembled the precursor to a tornado. However, the rotation was very wide and weak and the storm was never able to fully develop, producing little more than light winds and moderate precipitation."
3rd Place - Erin Carroll	"This is a picture I took on the outskirts of Council Grove, Kansas. There was a tornado warning and soon after this picture was taken there were about 3 funnel clouds that formed. My favorite thing about this picture is that in the bottom right corner, you can see how sunny it was, but the rest of the sky is very dark."
Geology
1st Place - Brad Penka	"Granite is a prominent mineral found in the mountains of Colorado. This colorful example of igneous rock was formed from the crystallization of magma below the Earth's surface following the uplift of the mountains. It is a blend of quartz, feldspar, mica, hornblende, and other minerals. As the magma slowly cooled, the minerals crystallized. Over millions of years, the mountains were slowly eroded and exposed the stone. When sunlight is reflected off of its surface, a variety of colors appear. The thin sheet-like crystals of mica are especially pearlescent and create the illusion of thousands of tiny lights on the rock's surface. Close-up photography creates a unique abstract design."
2nd Place - Korby Boswell	"The natural beauty of the Grand Canyon."
3rd Place - Elizabeth Deering	"This picture was taken near the summit of Mauna Kea on the big island of Hawaii. It depicts one of the many iron rich cinder cones seen on the volcano. Cinder cones are steep mounds of volcanic fragments that have accumulated downwind from a vent. They are usually found on the flanks of volcanoes and consist of scoria and spatter from previous eruptions. The cinder cones found near the summit of Mauna Kea (like the one in this picture) are most likely from the volcanoes most recent eruption approximately 4,000-6,000 years ago."
3rd Place - Scott Schmidt	"The Rio Grande Rift is the result of tectonics forces stretching the Earth's crust and blocks subsiding along bounding faults. Fast-flowing streams erode the volcanic San Juan Mountains and fan sand and sediments onto the floor of the San Luis Valley. Strong winds deposit alluvial sediments at the edge of the Sangre de Christo Mountains and form the Great Sand Dunes."
Our Ever-Changing Earth
1st Place - Brad Penka	"The Georgetown Loop Railroad seeks to preserve a once prominent form of mountain transportation - the narrow-gauge railroad. At the end of the nineteenth century, there were hundreds of miles of narrow-gauge railroads snaking through the Rocky Mountains. These narrow-gauge trains provided the only form of mechanized transportation over the treacherous terrain. Narrow gauge rails were only three feet in width (measured from inside to inside of the rails) in comparison to the U.S. standard gauge of four feet, eight and one-half inches. This narrower spacing required less grading along the mountainside and also allowed for a tighter turning radius. Many of today's highways are built over these 19th century railroad grades. A portion of Interstate 70 alongside Georgetown runs parallel or directly on the former Colorado Central roadbed. At one time these trains carried hundred of persons per day from Denver into Georgetown for both business and pleasure. Today, these trains still carry hundreds of persons each day, but now strictly for pleasure. Nevertheless, thousands of people each day still travel the old roadbeds from Denver to Georgetown in a new form of iron horse, the automobile."
2nd Place - Meredith Morris	"The apple represents the Earth and how it is constantly changing. From the seeds and making another apple, to decomposing and enriching the soil. Either way,   the apple will always be a part of the Earth in some way."
3rd Place - Daniel Mason	"A picture of a waterfall and how water is constantly changing the earth."
3rd Place - Kristen Polacik	"The Earth is constantly changing around us. We view our Earth as changing due to human intervention in modern times, but we forget that Earth changes through its natural fluxes on its own terms. Within this picture, the Earth is going through a temporary change due to the dry season. Soil becomes cracked due to high heat, wind, and very little moisture availability. Plant life becomes patchy in areas due to slow growth and die off from lack of resources. In western Kansas, where this picture was taken, the average annual precipitation is roughly 16 inches. Summers in this are can be very hot with little rainfall. The majority of the precipitation comes in the springs months, which as most Kansas natives know is the beginning of tornado season."
Water
1st Place - Erin Carroll	"Without lakes, rivers, streams, and oceans we wouldn't have any source of water. In Finland, there are over 10,000 different lakes. I like the way that this picture shows the clouds reflecting off the surface of the lake, and the trees in the background. I also feel like the dock ads a special touch because it shows that the lake is also used for recreation."
2nd Place - Shelby Hild	"Leaves in the water under the Jellison Bridge."
3rd Place - Scott Schmidt	"American White Pelicans: As I led a tour through Cheyenne Bottoms, a few of my guests were perplexed by the presence of pelicans in Kansas. Imagine the look on their faces as they gazed upon an unfathomable flock of white. While a picture is worth a thousand words, a picture of a thousand birds illustrates the worth of every drop of water in this wetland. It's no wonder Cheyenne Bottoms has been designated a Wetland of International Importance."

  Scavenger Hunt - Closed for 2011. Check back on September 2012 for next Hunt.  For FHSU Students Only. The hunt commences during Earth Science Week, with the first half of clues released during Earth Science Week and the second half the following week.  Student teams may register to participate any time before the hunt starts.  

Geocaching Event - Closed for 2011. Open to anyone to participate. This is a one day Geocaching event consisting of six cumulative caches.  

• Fastest Team - Jericka Cameron & Emily Goad
• Participants Who Completed the Course - Josh Dennison, Adonis Jones, Brenna Harfert, Tayler Ostmeyer, Ame Drees, Jesse Hart, Jerika Cameron, & Emily Goad

T-Shirt Design Contest - Closed for 2011. Winning entry this year goes to Anthony Luna! Watch for Geosciences students and faculty sporting unique shirts. For current FHSU Students, Geosciences Alumni, or GeoClub members Only. Show the world what the Geosciences Department is all about. Submit your graphic or textual vision of the department. Winning entry will be used on departmental activity and promotion t-shirts.   

Celebrate National Fossil Day  - Celebrate on the FHSU Campus and at the Sternberg Museum of Natural History!

Traveling T-Rex - Stop by the Sternberg Museum of Natural History (3000 Sternberg Drive, Hays) to check out the golden traveling T-rex. No admission fees required to see this little dino replica who will be in the lobby one day only. If you are participating in any other National Fossil Day or Earth Science Week event this traveling T-rex may be able to help you. The Traveling T-Rex has moved on for 2011, thank you to all those who helped!

Picture Time -  Stop by the Sternberg Museum to check out the new life sized Mosasour model in the lobby. You may want to bring your camera along to get a picture with this thematic model.

Mosasaur Sculpture Contest - Enter your very own Mosasaur sculpture for judging by the Sternberg Museum staff. This contest is open for entries from National Fossil Day through GIS Day. Click the link for complete contest rules and information. If interested, please download and fill out contest form.

What is Earth Science Week and Why celebrate?

The American Geological Institute established Earth Sciences Week in 1998 to raise awareness of the geosciences and their importance to society. It is supported by the US Geological survey, NASA, NOAA, the National Park Service, and the AAPG Foundation.