Dr. Melissa Scruggs

Guess what is going to be our class discussion topic for the climate change segment in my Intro Earth Science course?

An article in the Daily Mail entitled "America's deadliest volcano enters unprecedented 72-hour tremor phase as eruption threat looms over millions". This is incorrect.

Speaking of bad science in media (and I am using the term "media" pretty loosely here), allow me to use The Daily Mail as evidence of why you should get your science information from reputable agencies rather than crap websites. I'm not going to link the article, but it looks like this:

1/n

Someone is claiming to predict the exact date of a future earthquake. Should you listen? Flowchart begins with a diamond that says “start”. An arrow leads to a box that says: NO (written in big bold capital letters) There are big earthquakes constantly, so if anyone ever DOES (in smaller bold capital letters) figure this out, it will be immediately obvious that their method works and then the world’s seismologists will not shut up about it. You won’t need this flowchart.

Earthquake Prediction Flowchart from @xkcd.com.

cc: @drwendyrocks.bsky.social

Dr. John Wakabayashi, metamorphic petrologist & field geologist, will give TWO lectures next week at Wichita State: 1) a Dept lecture at 3:30 pm on Wednesday, Nov 12, entitled “The 2025 State of the Franciscan”, in the Geology Dept Lecture Hall, room 101 2) a Public lecture at 3pm on Thursday, Nov 13, entitled “Geologic fieldwork as cutting edge science: Recognition of new patterns leads to major advances”, in Hubbard Hall room 208 This is a public event, open to all who would like to attend!!

I’m very excited to announce that the always fantastic field geologist Dr. John Wakabayashi is invited as Wichita State Geology’s Watkins Lecturer next Wed & Thurs, 12-13 Nov.

If you’re around south-central KS/northern OK & interested in Earth Science, this is a multi-day event not to be missed!!

This is very, uh, not great. Just fyi. Especially for those of us in the direct path of a major tsunami from Alaska. 🙃

Undergrad Ricky Nichols presenting his preliminary fieldwork on Big Obsidian Flow at Newberry Caldera, Central Oregon. Stop by poster 277 from 3:30-5:30pm today (10/19/25) to learn more!

I had to back out of #GSAConnects but my VERY FIRST STUDENT is still there presenting our summer fieldwork at Newberry Volcano. 🌋🥳

Stop on by Poster 277 between 3:30-5:30 pm today to learn about what mafic enclaves can tell us about Central OR’s last eruption & where magma is beneath this caldera!!

Dear funding agencies,

I know we all want to discover the wonder drug that will cure the horrible diseases, but to do that, we need to invest in basic, unsexy, foundational research on how the systems work. Funding can’t all be drug development.

Sincerely,
Looking for basic research grants.

Nevermind cutting funding to train the next generation of geologists to find the things they want to mine…..

In all my years of existence, I have never once stepped foot into an IKEA and it’s now a point of pride for me.

If a tiny fraction of the resources deployed towards AI was invested instead in actual artists we'd be enjoying a renaissance rather than drowning in a sea of garbage

I’ll admit, #Tugtupite is a toughie, but as a Mineral Cup rookie, we all know that the Reindeer Blood stone’s approach will be to slide its blade along the stubby sides of #Kyanite to no effect whatsoever! Anisotropic. Beautiful DEEP blue. Kyanite is rested and ready to be #MinCup25 champion!

Dude, SRSLY?!? Why would somebody ballot-stuff? MinCup is supposed to be a fun competition-it’s not that deep!!

Portland doesn’t need the military. Portland has its own defenses.

It sure is! Taken in 2022, iirc.

I genuinely had this conversation w/ my 1st year grad student TODAY.
There's STILL no solicitation posted, but the hard deadline stands - making it impossible to know the specific guidelines for the application or even apply! This is INFURIATING as an advisor and a scientist & totally unacceptable.

To eat through the awfulness, here is a reminder that nature is, in the most literal sense, AWESOME.

You and me both, dude.

Signs Referencing Climate Change Along with Web Pages Removed from Acadia National Park The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by The Witham Family Hotels Charitable Fund.

The federal government has censored the work of dozens of scientists, including work by my lab, on the impacts of climate change on Acadia National Park. Signs have been removed from Cadillac and Great Meadow. They’re also removing signs about the Wabanaki’s sacred connections to Cadillac.

As you cancel streaming services, here is a casual reminder that only 16% of Americans read for pleasure anymore, and your local library has hundreds or thousands of books you haven't read.

They would love to see you stop by and renew your library card.

This is the playbook, folks.

If you're not paying attention now and doing something about it, then you're going to have to sit down the rest of your life because democracy is being taken away.

Do not be quiet in this moment.

The people I know who hard scrabbled their way out of poverty - ACTUAL poverty - don’t call themselves “self made”. They are more apt to call themselves ‘community made’. They see and acknowledge the ones who helped them build along the way.

And will then become someone else’s community too.

Cuprosklodowskite has a cool name, is a uranium mineral, and has our vote in today’s #MinCup25 matchup. eos.org/tag/uranium

Plus you add a couple of googly eyes and it’s a Muppet, so it’s got that going for it.

Strongly leaning towards Scrabble champion #Cuprosklodowskite over #Ikaite. Not only is it a radioactive devil & named after Marie Skłodowska Curie, its color range — “green” to “more green” — gives it a deadly look. It’s mad, bad & dangerous to know. #MinCup25 might just be a Green v Blue tourney!

Between the green color, elongate crystals, and tongue twister name, #cuprosklodowskite is one of my favorite minerals! (Okay, I’ve been going through a green phase for the past few years.)

Fun fact: the #cuprosklodowskite specimens on display at LANHM has a misspelled display card, which I noticed when visiting with a few members of my Twitch community several years ago.

Try saying “cuprosklodowskite” 6x fast & when you can’t, go vote for it!!!

Yup - that’s a URM for sure!!!

I doubt Kyanite will win top prize in this year's #MinCup but I really think it ought to one of these years.

a) pretty
b) anisotropic
c) index mineral for certain types of metamorphism
d) classic example of a polymorph (with sillimanite and andalusite)

I will always diligently vote against kyanite for what it does to quartz 🤬

KC has been a blue dot in a red state for years. I was lucky enough to attend predominantly black K12s & grew up around all types of people from myriad backgrounds-really shaping my worldview.

Breaking up KC’s voting districts gets rid of one of the few strongholds where it still feels safe to be.

I’ve waited for so long for this topic to be addressed.