Dr. Ellen Cowan, Professor, sedimentary record of climate change, geoarchaeology and geomorphology
Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
Society Fellowship
The Geological Society of America
Dr. Ellen Cowan, Professor in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, was named a Fellow by the Geological Society of America in 2018 and will be honored at the GSA Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, IN this November.
The society fellowship recognizes geoscientists who have made extraordinary contributions to the field through their research, teaching, leadership, public outreach and other activities. Cowan's long record of mentorship of undergraduate researchers and integration of research into classroom activities were highlighted in her nomination.
Fellowship recognition is an honor bestowed on the best in the geology profession by election at the spring GSA Council meeting. GSA members are nominated by existing GSA Fellows in recognition of their distinguished contributions to the geosciences through such avenues as publications, applied research, teaching, administration of geological programs, contributing to the public awareness of geology, leadership of professional organizations and taking on editorial, bibliographic and library responsibilities.
“Ellen Cowan is an exemplary geoscience teacher and researcher who has achieved an outstanding record of inspiring and mentoring students by actively involving them in her research projects, continuously directing senior honors theses and effectively teaching, while integrating her research experiences into content of her upper-level undergraduate courses,” stated Dr. Fred Webb Jr. who nominated Cowan and is the Emeritus Professor of Sedimentary Geology, in theDepartment of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Appalachian.
Cowan teaches a variety of introductory and advanced classes, including Introduction to Physical Geology, introduction to Oceanography, Geomorphology, and Geoarchaeology, but conducts research in glacial-marine sedimentology and climate change and in transport of coal ash from spills into rivers in North Carolina and Tennessee. Next semester she will join a two-month long expedition to Antarctica as part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), which will drill sediment cores into the seafloor to document the history of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
To learn more read visit Cowan’s faculty profile.
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About the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences
Located in Western North Carolina, Appalachian State University provides the perfect setting to study geological and environmental sciences. The Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences provides students with a solid foundation on which to prepare for graduate school or build successful careers as scientists, consultants and secondary education teachers. The department offers six degree options in geology and two degree options in environmental science. Learn more at https://earth.appstate.edu.
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is home to 16 academic departments, one stand-alone academic program, two centers and one residential college. These units span the humanities and the social, mathematical and natural sciences. The College of Arts and Sciences aims to develop a distinctive identity built upon our university's strengths, traditions and unique location. The college’s values lie not only in service to the university and local community, but through inspiring, training, educating and sustaining the development of its students as global citizens. There are approximately 6,100 student majors in the college. As the college is also largely responsible for implementing Appalachian's general education curriculum, it is heavily involved in the education of all students at the university, including those pursuing majors in other colleges. Learn more at https://cas.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University, in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The transformational Appalachian experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and embrace diversity and difference. As one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, Appalachian enrolls about 19,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
Oct. 30, 2018
Andrew Scott
BOONE, N.C.
Dr. Ellen Cowan picture for the Geological Society of America fellowship. Photo by Troy Tuttle
Dr. Ellen Cowan picture for the Geological Society of America fellowship. Photo by Troy Tuttle