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Detailed Information

Programs of Study

The School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS) offers graduate programs in the geosciences leading to the degrees of Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in the following areas of specialization: atmospheric chemistry and air quality, atmospheric dynamics and climate, solid earth and environmental geophysics, oceanography, hydrologic cycle, and geochemistry. In addition, the School offers a Professional Track Master’s Program in atmospheric sciences that takes one year. A student completing this degree has all the course requirements for membership in the American Meteorological Society and for employment by NOAA and the National Weather Service.

The core curricula in each area of specialization are designed to provide students from diverse academic backgrounds with a common introduction to fundamental chemical and physical principles. More advanced courses are also available to introduce students to current academic and research topics. Doctoral students pursue their thesis research upon successful completion of the comprehensive examination, which consists of a written original research paper or proposal and an oral examination that covers the paper and fundamental principles within the student’s area of specialization.

In addition to the required courses in a student’s area of specialization, doctoral candidates complete 9 credit hours of study in an academic minor. This can be satisfied in another discipline within the School or in other academic units at Georgia Tech, such as in chemistry and biochemistry, physics, mathematics, public policy, computer sciences, or environmental engineering. EAS students can also participate in a certificate program in geohydrology, which is based on educational criteria of the American Institute of Hydrology and is administered by the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. To accomplish this, students supplement their graduate program of study with a specified set of engineering and EAS courses. A remote-sensing certificate may be obtained by completing a prescribed set of twelve core and elective courses. Also, marine science research may be carried out in cooperation with the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. Students conduct their thesis research at Skidaway after completing course work at Georgia Tech.

Research Facilities

The School is well equipped with a wide variety of computational, laboratory, and field measurement research tools. Computational facilities include a large array of high-performance workstations, personal computers, and data servers that are used to analyze, simulate, and predict different components of the earth system, including global climate, regional air quality, and geologic fluid flow.

Several chromatographs, spectrophotometers, and various elemental analyzers are available for analytical measurements of chemical constituents in solid, liquid, and gaseous samples. In addition, there are several mass spectrometers equipped for the measurement of isotopic ratios in different types of samples. A clean-room facility houses ICP-MS instruments used for measurements of trace metals. Interaction of EAS with the Schools of Biology and Civil and Environmental Engineering has resulted in the recent opening of an interdisciplinary instrumental facility to quantify biomolecules and natural substrates involved in geomicrobial processes.

For field studies, equipment includes electrodialysis and reverse osmosis systems to separate natural organic matter from aquatic environments; several benthic landers and underwater instruments for in situ measurements in marine and freshwater environments; ground-penetrating radar and electromagnetic conductivity meters to determine the resistivity of soils and sedimentary environments; magnetometers and gravimeters to measure the magnetic properties of the earth; seismometers, geophones, and seismographs to study earthquakes; and a variety of chemical instruments to collect and analyze the composition of aerosols from airplanes. These instruments are used in research projects that include understanding and quantifying biogeochemical processes in the water column and sediments of rivers, lakes, coastal marine environments, and the open oceans. They are also used in studies aimed at understanding and quantifying the formation and reactivity of aerosols in polluted and pristine environments or to identify past environmental events recorded in ice at the earth’s poles or in deep-sea sediments.

Finally, the School maintains several facilities for environmental monitoring. The geophysics program maintains a seismic network in Georgia to study earthquakes in the region. The atmospheric chemistry program maintains mobile and fixed-site sampling facilities, including state-of-the-art chemical ionization mass spectrometers and laser spectrometers for detection of trace-gas species and a variety of meteorological and analytical instruments for detailed studies of chemical processes. Several field stations are also accessible for environmental studies on the Georgia coast, and a research vessel is available for oceanographic research with scientists at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography.

Financial Aid

Graduate research and teaching assistantships are available to applicants with outstanding records and high research potential. Research and teaching assistants receive a tuition waiver plus a twelve-month stipend of $23,500. President’s Fellowships and President’s Minority Fellowships are awarded to qualified matriculants on a competitive basis. These fellowships provide stipend supplements of $5500 and are renewable for up to four years. The Institute also participates in a number of fellowship and traineeship programs sponsored by federal agencies. Traineeships associated with specific programs, such as water resources planning and management, are also available through the Environmental Resources Center.

Cost of Study

Nonresident tuition is $11,871 per semester in 2008–09. Additional information regarding tuition waivers for graduate assistants is described above. The 2008–09 matriculation fees for graduate assistants are $592 per semester.

Living and Housing Costs

Room and board costs for individual graduate students are about $6000 per semester for 2008–09. Contemporary on-campus graduate student housing is available, as is private off-campus housing.

Student Group

There are currently about 90 graduate students in the School, representing a diverse body of academic, ethnic, and national backgrounds. Successful applicants typically have degrees in the physical, chemical, or biological sciences or in engineering, as well as a keen desire to understand the chemistry and physics of the natural environment.

Location

Georgia Tech is located on a 400-acre campus in the heart of midtown Atlanta, a modern, cosmopolitan city with a variety of cultural, historical, and outdoor attractions. The city benefits from a moderate climate, which permits a broad range of year-round outdoor activities. Additional information on Atlanta can be found on the Web at http://www.accessatlanta.com.

The Institute

Georgia Tech was founded in 1888 and is a member of the University System of Georgia. The Institute has a tradition of excellence as a center of technological research and education, with a strong focus on interdisciplinary activities. The School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences is the cornerstone of a new campus building that fosters interdisciplinary research in environmental sciences and technology.

Applying

Application information is available from the Graduate Admissions Committee. Prospective applicants are also encouraged to directly contact faculty members with whom their interests best coincide. Applicants are required to submit scores from the General Test of the Graduate Record Examinations. Minimum TOEFL scores of 550 (paper-based) or 213 (computer-based) are required of all international applicants whose native language is not English. To ensure full consideration of available fellowships and assistantships, completed applications for the fall term should be received by January 15.

The Faculty and Their Research

• Michael H. Bergin, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon, 1994. Atmospheric chemistry, atmospheric aerosols, climate impacts.
• Robert X. Black, Associate Professor; Ph.D., MIT, 1990. Atmospheric climate dynamics, diagnostic methods, model validation.
• Annalisa Bracco, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Genova (Italy), 2000. Ocean mesoscale dynamics, ocean transport and mixing, coupled ocean-climate variability.
• Kim M. Cobb, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., California, San Diego (Scripps), 2002. Tropical Pacific climate change (past and present), carbonate geochemistry, multiproxy approaches.
• Judith A. Curry, Professor and Chair; Ph.D., Chicago, 1982. Climate, remote sensing, atmospheric modeling, air-sea interactions.
• Yi Deng, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Illinois, 2005. Midlatitude atmospheric dynamics, inverse modeling, stochastic parameterization in climate models, weather risk modeling.
• Emanuele Di Lorenzo, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., California, San Diego (Scripps), 2003. Ocean and climate dynamics, ocean modeling and data assimilation.
• Josef Dufek, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Washington (Seattle), 2006. Volcanology/petrology and multiphase-flow modeling.
• Kurt Frankel, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., USC, 2007. Tectonics and fluvial geomorphology, active tectonics, cosmogenic nuclide geochronology, applications of GIS and remote sensing.
• L. Gregory Huey, Professor; Ph.D., Wisconsin–Madison, 1992. Atmospheric chemistry, chemical kinetics, trace-gas measurements.
• Ellery Ingall, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Yale, 1991. Marine biogeochemistry; carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling.
• Jean Lynch-Stieglitz, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Columbia, 1995. Paleooceanography, paleoclimatology, stable-isotope geochemistry.
• Athanasios Nenes, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Caltech, 2002. Atmospheric aerosols, clouds, and climate; cloud microphysical processes.
• Andrew Newman, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Northwestern, 2000. Active deformation and brittle failure of the earth’s lithosphere in seismic and volcanic provinces.
• Carol Paty, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Washington (Seattle), 2006. Planetary magnetospheric science/plasma physics.
• Zhigang Peng, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., USC, 2004. Geophysics, earthquake seismology.
• E. Michael Perdue, Professor; Ph.D., Georgia Tech, 1973. Geochemistry and environmental chemistry of humic substances.
• Irina M. Sokolik, Professor; Candidate of Science (Ph.D. equivalent), Russian Academy of Sciences, 1989. Radiation, remote sensing, aerosols.
• Andrew Stack, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Wyoming, 2002. Mineral surface reactions and how they affect groundwater and soil chemistry.
• Marc Stieglitz, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Columbia, 1995. Surface hydrology, watershed dynamics, land surface–climate interactions.
• Martial Taillefert, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Northwestern, 1997. Aqueous inorganic geochemistry, chemical oceanography, geomicrobiology, metal cycling in aquatic systems.
• Philippe Van Cappellen, Professor; Ph.D., Yale, 1991. Biogeochemistry, mineral-water interactions, reactive transport modeling, biogeochemical cycles and global change.
• Yuhang Wang, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Harvard, 1997. Atmospheric chemistry, chemical modeling and forecasting.
• Rodney J. Weber, Professor; Ph.D., Minnesota, 1995. Atmospheric chemistry, aerosol measurements and formation.
• Peter J. Webster, Professor; Ph.D., MIT, 1972. Atmospheric and ocean dynamics, ocean-atmosphere interaction, wave propagation, prediction and decision theory.
• Paul H. Wine, Professor; Ph.D., Florida State, 1974. Atmospheric chemistry, photochemical kinetics.

Correspondence and Information

Georgia Institute of Technology
EAS Graduate Admissions Committee
School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0340
Telephone: 404-894-3893
Fax: 404-894-5638
Email: gradinfo@eas.gatech.edu