The Big Blue Rock Pod

Matt, Sarah, and Doug talk with Earth and Environmental Sciences Department Senior Lecturer Summer Brown. They discuss earth science education, teaching, how scientists connect to stakeholders, natural hazard anxiety, the NSF EPSCoR-funded project CLIMBS and the Enviropods Program, the future of earth science education, and much more!

Matt, Doug, and Sarah talk with UK Earth & Environmental Sciences Professor Ed Woolery. The discuss near surface geophysics, shear wave propagation, imaging technique limitations, blind faults, applied geophysics, department chair duties, Ed’s geophysics heroes and much more!

Matt, Doug, and Sarah talk about conferences they attended this summer, along with a little travel in between. They discuss the National Speleological Society Convention, Niagara Falls, Jim Thorpe, Archbald Pothole State Park, the Kansas Geological Survey (the other KGS) Field Conference, geology of New York City, The Natural Hazards Center Workshop, geologic hazards, disaster resilience, effective data dissemination, the geology of Iceland and much more!

Matt, Sarah, and Doug talk about KGS summer activities including the Potter Internship, an Appalachian Karst Hydrogeology Workshop, and participation in the Association of American State Geologists meeting in Utah. They discuss all things state surveys, the first female state geologist, Utah geology, field trips, Snowbird, seismic base isolators, landslides, and much more!

Matt, Sarah, and Doug discuss all things engineering geology with UK Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences professor Sarah Johnson. They talk about engineering geology expertise, site investigations, geology-engineer jokes, terminology for geologists and engineers, engineering geology training, landslides, and the motivation for more applied geology.

It's a game of musical chairs on this episode of the BBRP. KGS landslides expert Matt moves into the guest chair, while Doug and newcomer Rebekah co-host the episode. We discuss how Matt started researching landslides, the types and causes of landslides, what landslide research looks like at KGS and nationally, landslides related to the July 2022 eastern Kentucky floods, Matt's bad-fitting suits, crashing drones, and more.

Matt, Sarah, and Doug discuss earthquakes with KGS geophysicist Seth Carpenter. Tune is as they talk about global and regional activity, mystery of Kentucky’s biggest quake, frog seismometers, and earthquake hazard and risk. And check out our webpage for more information about earthquakes, earthquake hazards, and to view the Kentucky Seismic Network recordings: www.uky.edu/KGS/earthquake/.

Matt, Sarah, and Doug discuss all things geologic time with KGS geologist and geomorphologist Jason Dortch (a lover of geologic time and our first repeat guest!) including the abstract concept itself, the geologic time scale, deep time, love/hate with the Anthropocene, geologic hazards and resiliency, and much more!