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Geosciences Theses

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Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

First Skulls of Arctomeles dimolodontus (Mustelidae: Melinae) from the Gray Fossil Site (Early Pliocene, TN) Reveal Extreme Intraspecific Variation, Charles Bruce

New Reports of Smilodon and Panthera from North American Cave Sites with Reviews of Taxonomy, Biogeography, and History, Matthew Bushell

Femoral Osteohistology in American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) Reveals High Variation in Growth and Facilitates Interpretation of an Early Pliocene Alligator, Davis Gunnin

Identifying Taphonomic Distribution Patterns at the Gray Fossil Site, Shawn Haugrud

Geometric Morphometric Analysis of Modern Viperid Vertebrae Facilitates Identification of Fossil Specimens, Lance D. Jessee

Geophysical, Archaeological, and Geospatial Investigations at Presidio Los Adaes, 18th Century Capital of Spanish Texas, Robert Linam

An Early Pliocene Fish Assemblage from the Southern Appalachians: Ichthyofauna of the Gray Fossil Site, Shay Maden

Assessing a Pandemic: Spatiotemporal Analysis of COVID-19 in Tennessee School-Age Children, Omobolaji Olawuyi

Extracting Topography from Historic Topographic Maps Using GIS-Based Deep Learning, Briar Pierce

Isotopic Ecology of Bison and Bootherium at Big Bone Lick, Kentucky, Frances Stephenson

Age and Paleontology of the Turin Pit locality, Monona County, Iowa, Samantha Wright

Early Pliocene Mice and Rats from the Gray Fossil Site of Eastern Tennessee: Implications for the Evolution of Cricetidae and Understanding of the Past Ecosystem, Ziqi Xu

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

The Paleoecology of High-Elevation Bison in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and Implications for Modern Bison Conservation, Darian Bouvier

Community Structure Analysis of Mammals Found at the Gray Fossil Site, TN, Sarah Clark

Community Structure Analysis of Turtles with Application to the Early Pliocene Gray Fossil Site, Julian Conley

Water Quality Assessment of Karst Spring Water as a Private Water Supply Source in Northeast Tennessee, Lukman Fashina

Species Data and Vector Modeling: Evaluating Datasets for Improved Models of Ixodes ricinus Tick Distribution in Europe Under a Changing Climate, Steven Jones

An Evaluation of Castor californicus and Implications for the Evolution and Distribution of the Genus Castor (Rodentia: Castoridae) in North America, Kelly Lubbers

Fossil Mammals from Hickory Tree Cave, Sullivan County, Tennessee, Alexis Rivera

Evaluating Spatial-Temporal Patterns in US Tornado Occurrence with Space Time Cube Analysis and Linear Kernel Density Estimation: 1950-2019, Darrell L. Wiser

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Gravel Geology and Muskoxen Paleontology of a Late Pleistocene Fossil Site in Saltville, Virginia, Nickolas A. Brand

Spatial Analyses of Gray Fossil Site Vertebrate Remains: Implications for Depositional Setting and Site Formation Processes, David Carney

Analysis and Risk Estimation of High Priority Unstable Rock Slopes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina, Samantha Farmer

Isotopic Analysis and Mobility Mapping of Mammuthus columbi from the Mammoth Site in South Dakota, Matthew Harrington

Morphology and Paleoecology of Nimravides galiani (Felidae) and Barbourofelis loveorum (Barbourofelidae) from the Late Miocene of Florida, Christianne Ormsby

Using an Inventory of Unstable Slopes to Prioritize Probabilistic Rockfall Modeling and Acid Base Accounting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Thomas A. O'Shea

Distinguishing Mustela From Neogale (Mustelidae) Through Both a Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Skull and Tooth Morphology, Ronald W. Peery

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Encephalization in Commensal Raccoons: A Unique Test of the Cognitive Buffer Hypothesis, Peter M. Anderson

Climate Variability from 1980 to 2018 and its Effect on Wind Directions, Wind Speeds, and Vog Dispersal in Hawaii, Monica Ayala

A Tale of Two Species: Black-tailed and White-tailed Prairie Dog Biogeography from the Last Interglacial to 2070, April Dawn Bledsoe

Archaeological, Geophysical, and Geospatial Analysis at David Crockett Birthplace State Park, in Upper East Tennessee, Reagan Cornett

Ontogenetic and Adult Shape Variation in the Endocast of Tapirus: Implications for T. polkensis from the Gray Fossil Site, Thomas M. Gaetano

Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction of Quaternary Saltville, Virginia, using Ostracode Autecology, Austin Gause

Utilizing the Public on Public Lands: The Application of Community Science to Monitor and Model Erosion in National Forests, Jacob L. Hansen

An Unusual Mastodon Revisited: Providing a Regional Focus for Mammut americanum (Proboscidea, Mammutidae) in the Southeast, Matthew Inabinett

Changes in Land Use Land Cover (LULC), Surface Water Quality and Modelling Surface Discharge in Beaver Creek Watershed, Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, Tosin James

Stacking the Odds for Better GPR: An Antenna Comparison, Montana Kruske

Storm Sampling to Assess Inclement Weather Impacts on Water Quality in a Karst Watershed: Sinking Creek, Watauga Watershed, East Tennessee, Porcha McCurdy

Past, Current, and Future Potential Distributions of Red Spruce and Fraser Fir Forests in the Southern Appalachians: Interpreting Possible Impacts of Climate Change, Danika Mosher

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Differentiating Black Bears (Ursus americanus) and Brown Bears (U. arctos) using Linear Tooth Measurements and Identification of Ursids from Oregon Caves National Monument, Emily Bogner

Debris-Slide Susceptibility Modelling Using GIS Technology in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Raja Das

Comparing Structure from Motion Photogrammetry and Computer Vision for Low-Cost 3D Cave Mapping: Tipton-Haynes Cave, Tennessee, Clinton Elmore

Manus Descriptions of an Undescribed Mastodon from the Latest Miocene-Earliest Pliocene Gray Fossil Site, with Comparisons to other North American Proboscidean Taxa, Brenna Hart-Farrar

Communications and Methodologies in Crime Geography: Contemporary Approaches to Disseminating Criminal Incidence and Research, Mitchell Ogden

A Systematic Assessment of Socio-Economic Impacts of Prolonged Episodic Volcano Crises, Justin Peers

Modeling Extreme Heat Events Using Global Reanalysis Data: An Assessment of Current Climate Data and the Need for Improved Weather Station Data in Tennessee, John Reasons

Ecometric Estimation of Present and Past Climate of North America Using Crown Heights of Rodents and Lagomorphs: With Application to the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum, Julia Schap

Automation of State Climate Office Processes & Products: Developing Efficient Approaches for Data Dissemination, Michael Shoop

Paleoecology and Land-Use of Quaternary Megafauna from Saltville, Virginia, Emily Simpson

Potable Water Leakage Prediction and Detection using Geospatial Analysis, Jacob Tittle

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Geostatistical Analysis of Potential Sinkhole Risk: Examining Spatial and Temporal Climate Relationships in Tennessee and Florida, Kimberly Blazzard

Improving Sinkhole Mapping Using LiDAR Data and Locating Sinkhole Hotspots in Johnson City, TN, Kingsley Fasesin

FM Radio Signal Propagation Evaluation and Creating Statistical Models for Signal Strength Prediction in Differing Topographic Environments, Timothy Land

Fossil Moles from the Gray Fossil Site, TN: Implications for Diversification and Evolution of North American Talpidae, Danielle Oberg

Warning Confidence and Perceptions of Lava Flow Hazard Diversion Strategies at Kīlauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes, Hawai‘i, Ashleigh Reeves

Postcranial Morphology and the Locomotor Adaptations of Extant and Extinct Crocodylomorphs and Lepidosaurs, Laura Rooney

Native American Occupation of the Singer-Hieronymus Site Complex: Developing Site History by Integrating Remote Sensing and Archaeological Excavation, Claiborne Sea

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Vulnerability Assessment of Groundwater to NO3 Contamination Using GIS, DRASTIC Model and Geostatistical Analysis, Adela Beauty Adu Agyemang

Spatiotemporal Analyses of Recycled Water Production, Jana E. Archer

Sciurids (Rodentia: Sciuridae) of the Late Mio-Pliocene Gray Fossil Site and the Late Miocene Tyner Farm: Implications on Ecology and Expansion of the Sciurid Record, Cheyenne J. Crowe

Groundwater Flow Tracing in Carter Saltpeter Cave and Toll Branch, Carter County, TN, Aaron G. Doyka

Landscape-Scale Geophysics at Tel Shimron, Jezreel Valley, Israel, Rachel Grap

Cranial Morphological Distinctiveness Between Ursus arctos and U. americanus, Benjamin James Hillesheim

Black Bears (Ursus americanus) versus Brown Bears (U. arctos): Combining Morphometrics and Niche Modeling to Differentiate Species and Predict Distributions Through Time, Theron Michael Kantelis

Niche Modeling for the Giant Panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, and the Original Panda, Ailurus fulgens: Habitat Preferences and Evolutionary Consequences, Lauren M. Lyon

Late Quaternary Dragon Lizards (Agamidae: Squamata) from Western Australia, Julie Rej

A Paleontological Analysis of Late Pleistocene Proboscidea from Saltville, Virginia: Taphonomy, Systematic Paleontology, and Paleobiology, Rachel Silverstein

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Tornado Density and Return Periods in the Southeastern United States: Communicating Risk and Vulnerability at the Regional and State Levels, Michelle Bradburn

Peccaries (Artiodactyla: Tayassuidae) from the Late Miocene to Early Pliocene Gray Fossil Site: Regional Implications with a Review of Tayassuinae, Evan M. Doughty

Description of Cranial Elements and Ontogenetic Change within Tropidolaemus wagleri (Serpentes: Crotalinae)., Nicolette L. Hill

New Records of Colubrids from the late Hemphillian Gray Fossil Site of Northeastern Tennessee, Derek J. Jurestovsky

AAAneurysm Outreach Screening Data and Emergency Healthcare Accessibility in Louisiana: Identifying High-Risk Populations for Targeted Interventions, Amy M. Poole

Ecological Niche Modeling of the North American Giant Salamander: Predicting Current and Future Potential Distributions and Examining Environmental Influences, Selena S. Roark

Description, Taphonomy, and Paleoecology of the Late Pleistocene Peccaries (Artiodactyla: Tayassuidae) from Bat Cave, Pulaski County, Missouri, Aaron L. Woodruff

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Additional Research and Taxonomic Resolution of Salamanders (Amphibia: Caudata) from the Mio-Pliocene Gray Fossil Site, TN, Hannah E. Darcy

A Systematic Review of the Soricimorph Eulipotyphla (Soricidae: Mammalia) from the Gray Fossil Site (Hemphillian), Tennessee, Joshua Doby

Ontogenesis in the Cranium of Alligator mississippiensis Based on Disarticulated Cranial Elements, William Henry Harris

Using Kriging, Cokriging, and GIS to Visualize Fe and Mn in Groundwater, Crystal Johnson

Discovering Rock Features with Geophysical Exploration and Archaeological Testing at the Mississippian Pile Mound Site, Upper Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee, Jeremy G. Menzer

Using Geometric Morphometrics to Differentiate Lower First Molars of Microtus Species: A Review of the Clark’s Cave Bone Deposit, VA, Mark Shelleman

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Non-anguimorph Lizards of the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene of Florida and Implications for the Reorganization of the North American Herpetofauna, Kevin Chovanec

Analysis of Snake Creek Burial Cave Mustela fossils using Linear & Landmark-based Morphometrics: Implications for Weasel Classification & Black-footed Ferret Conservation, Nathaniel S. Fox III

Continuous Tracking of Lava Effusion Rate in a Lava Tube at Kilauea Volcano Using Very Low Frequency (VLF) Monitoring, Richard A. Freeman

Evacuation and Shelter in Place Modeling for a Release of Uranium Hexafluoride, Joseph B. Harris

Late Pleistocene and Holocene Bison of Grand Canyon and Colorado Plateau: Implications from the use of Paleobiology for Natural Resource Management Policy, Jeffrey M. Martin

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Hydrogeology and Groundwater Flow of the Morrell Cave Spring Shed, Sullivan County, Tennessee, Taylor G. Burnham

Analysis of the Blancan Procyonids of Florida, Laura S. Gilmore

Identifying Myotis Species Using Geometric Morphometrics and its Implications for the Fossil Record and Conservation, Kyle J. Jansky

Site Location Modeling and Prehistoric Rock Shelter Selection on the Upper Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee, Lucinda M. Langston

A Glyptosaurine Lizard from the Eocene (late Uintan) of San Diego, California, and Implications for Glyptosaurine Evolution and Biogeography, David Moscato

A New Species of Teleoceras from the Late Miocene Gray Fossil Site, with Comparisons to Other North American Hemphillian Species, Rachel A. Short

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Landmark Analysis of Musteloid Carnassials Applied to Taxonomic Identification and Examination of Sexual Dimorphism and Regional Morphotypes, Joel Alvin Christine

A Systematic and Taphonomic Analysis of Late Pleistocene Cervid Remains and Isotopic Paleoecology of Herbivores from Guy Wilson Cave, Southern Appalachians, Tennessee, Amanda K. Giesler

Description of Jefferson’s Ground Sloth (Megalonyx jeffersonii) from Acb-3 Cave, Colbert County, Alabama, with Comments on Ontogeny, Taphonomy, Pathology, and Paleoecology, Sharon Elizabeth Holte

Phylogeny of Panthera, Including P. atrox, Based on Cranialmandibular Characters, Leigha M. King

Cursorial Adaptations in the Forelimb of the Giant Short-Faced Bear, Arctodus simus, Revealed by Traditional and 3D Landmark Morphometrics, Eric Randally Lynch

Non-Ranid Anurans of the Mio-Pliocene Gray Fossil Site, Tennessee, Sarah Ann Schattauer

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

Using Geographical Information Systems to Investigate Spatial Patterns in Fossils of Tapirus polkenis from the Gray Fossil Site, Washington County, Tennessee, Winn Addison Ketchum