Environmental Science Degree Program
Research Scholarship Fundraiser

November 13, 2012
6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

The University of Texas at Austin
Texas Memorial Museum

Learn more about the exciting new Bachelor of Science degree program, meet some of its students, and find out how these students are planning to use their field and research skills to change the world.  Proceeds from the event will go to support EVS students as they complete independent, capstone research projects and present those projects to national conferences.

The evening will offer a unique opportunity to connect with EVS students and to network with colleagues and peers, and will feature:

• a private tour of the Texas Memorial Museum which will remain open exclusively for the evening's guests;
• a seated dinner with EVS students, faculty, and friends; and
• remarks by Dr. Raymond Lee Orbach, former Under Secretary for Science at the Department of Energy and current Director of the UT-Austin Energy Institute.

Seating for this event is extremely limited, and guests are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets now. Single tickets are available  for $100, half-tables (which provide guests with five tickets) are available for $500, and full tables (which seat nine guests plus one EVS student) are available for $1,000. Event sponsorships are also available. Please contact Dr. Stefania Tafuro at (512) 471-6854 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.

Now entering its third year, the EVS Program teaches its students practical field and research skills and techniques through multiple interdisciplinary field courses. Students are introduced to hands-on practice in their first year introductory field seminar in environmental science and sustainability. They build on this experience with research methods in their second year, geology, geography, or biology related work in their third year, and a capstone senior research project in their final year. These field and lab courses help students bring the classroom coursework, including the traditional Bachelor of Science components of calculus, chemistry, and biology, as well as ecology, hydrogeology, and geographic information systems, into practice. For more information about the EVS Program, contact Deborah Salzberg, Education Coordinator, at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit the program’s website.

During their final year in the EVS Program, students complete a capstone research project which helps them bring their practical training and interdisicplinary perspective to bear on today's environmental challenges.  The subject matter of each project is as unique as the scientists conducting it, and past projects have included themes as varied as:

• An assessment of the essential knowledge of and challenges faced by indoor environmental scientists
• Soil-water infiltration in riparian buffers, grasslands, and mowed grass
• The Mississippi River as a Source for Industrial Influent in Southeastern Louisiana
• Effects of climate change on below ground respiration of native Texas tall grass and fungi
• Hyporheic exchange flows and biogeochemical patterns near a meandering stream

As a new program is committed to providing EVS students with the best possible opportunities to make the most of their education.  More than 30 EVS students will be conducting their senior research this year, and in order to make the most of this opportunity they need funding for everything from consumable supplies and testing materials to funding to get to field sites and attend national conferences.  Your ticket purchase will go directly toward helping EVS students complete their education in a meaningful and exceptional way.

On June 1, 2006, Dr. Raymond Lee Orbach was sworn in as the first Under Secretary for Science at the U.S. Department of Energy, a position created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Prior to and concurrent with his tenure as Under Secretary, Dr. Orbach also served as Director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the third largest federal sponsor of basic research and the primary supporter of the physical sciences in the United States. In 2009, following his service with the Department of Energy, Dr. Orbach came to UT Austin to found the Energy Institute which is developing multi-disciplinary research programs and policy to secure a sustainable energy future. Dr. Orbach's research in theoretical and experimental physics has resulted in the publication of more than 240 scientific articles. He has received numerous honors as a scholar, including two Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowships and a National Science Foundation Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship at Oxford University. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Part of The University of Texas at Austin’s Texas Natural Science Center, the Texas Memorial Museum collection is focused on Texas wildlife, gems and minerals, dinosaurs and fossils, and evolution. Exhibits feature spectacular specimens found in Texas including the largest flying creature ever found: the Texas Pterosaur, with a wingspan of 40 feet. This specimen flies over the Museum’s Great Hall, and is accompanied by an exhibit entitled Natural Wonders: Treasures of the Texas Natural Science Center, which draws directly from the research conducted by university scientists. The Museum is located at 2400 Trinity Street. Public parking is available in the university’s San Jacinto parking garage, directly next to the Museum. A map and driving directions are available on the Museum’s website.