LITHOLOGIC CONSTRAINTS ON THE HYDROLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF REGIONAL AQUIFERS IN THE IBB PROVINCE, WEST-CENTRAL REGION OF YEMEN (MIDDLE EAST)

The lithology of the Ibb Province Yemen (Middle East) consists of Precambrian gneissic bedrocks with post-tectonic intrusions of granite and granodiorite. The overall topography is dominated by extensive volcanic extrusions that randomly surround Ibb Province with minimal Mesozoic sedimentary outcrops. According to the Yemen Geological Survey and Mineral Resource Board (YGSMRB), the origin and age of such extrusive bodies that manifest on the surface as dikes, lava flows, and small (currently passive) cinder-cone volcanoes are of Cenozoic age associated with the rifting episode of the Arabian Peninsula and subsequent opening of the Red Sea. The overall aerial extension of the volcanic extrusions diminishes further east towards Hammam-Damt (Al’Dali Province) with a noticeable shift in magma composition from basaltic to rhyolitic. The regional aquifer, a vital source of drinking water, seems to possess similar hydrogeological properties across the Province. However, physical surveys of watersheds, stream patterns, passive pumping stations, and active freshwater wells suggest that unlike rhyolitic rocks, Basaltic rocks are non-vesicular type, dense and having no apparent hydraulic conductivity and in view of these unique lithological characteristics, do not promote groundwater recharge. Also considering extensional geomorphic control on the drainage pattern, it is possible that investigated drainages are fault or structure-controlled and provide a significant constraint on groundwater flow. Therefore, an assessment of such a geomorphological disadvantage was conducted by correlating with terrain geomorphology, bedrock composition, stream patterns, and hydrologic conductivity observed in water wells

THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT AND ITS IMPACT ON THE CLIMATE AND LANDSCAPE OF PHOENIX, ARIZONA

This paper examines the impact of the urban heat island effect on the climate and landscape of Phoenix, Arizona. Urbanization is quickly becoming the most influential environmental factor because of the exponential growth in the human population coupled with industrialization, modernization, and commercialization, which has become the allure of urban centers worldwide. While urbanization offers numerous advantages, it comes at the cost of altering the environment by replacing permeable natural soils and vegetation with impermeable urban surfaces, such as pavements, buildings, and other such structures. This impervious modification results in absorption of solar energy that is taken up by the surfaces, resulting in an “island” of higher temperatures that distinguish the urban centers from the surrounding, cooler rural areas, aptly named the urban heat island effect. In Phoenix, there has been an increase in the annual mean average temperatures while rural Sedona (Arizona) has seen stable temperatures. Additionally, the Phoenix area has low annual precipitation rates accompanied by high evaporation rates. Apart from a few localities within the Phoenix area, there is a general trend of decreasing groundwater levels. Increasing temperatures and decreasing groundwater levels have a few consequences, including increased danger of land subsidence, increased demand and consumption of energy, and intensifying the effects of the existing desert climate. To mitigate the consequences of the urban heat island, Phoenix’s urban policies must be modified to: (1) increase green infrastructures and recreational areas, (2) increase albedo on urban surfaces, (3) increase multi-storied buildings equipped with green roofs, and (4) reduce dependence on private transportation

INTEGRATING DIGITAL TOOLS IN REMOTE LEARNING TO ENHANCE THE DELIVERY METHODS OF TECHNICAL CONTENT IN UNDERGRADUATE GEOSCIENCES

The global transition to remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic was an extremely difficult task for both students and faculty in geological sciences. Technical courses, such as Structural Geology, Mineralogy, Petrology, and Invertebrate Paleontology, that require in-person lectures and laboratory sessions involving various rocks and mineral samples, fossils, maps, and models, were a major concern at the start. The challenge of delivering the technical content via Microsoft Teams, Skype, Webex, Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, Zoom, and other internet based platforms was not only a burden for the faculty to carry, as students were struggling to conceptualize outcrop-and-type-section-based information and link these to pertinent geological phenomena dealing with depositional environment, provenance and diagenesis. Traditional classroom teaching heavily depends on signature samples and scaled models routinely used in the classrooms. However, the adaptive approach that integrates ArcGIS Pro, Google Earth Pro, and other geospatial tools coupled with digital libraries of rock samples, video simulations, and 3D scaled models can yield positive results. A preliminary assessment followed by subsequent surveying among the students enrolled in gateway geology courses mentioned above at York College – The City University of New York - revealed that not only was the delivery of the content effective for the most part, students managed to comprehend the conceptual aspects of various plate tectonic processes, key deformational features, association of mineral(s) and rock types with particular tectonic setting, post depositional and geomorphological changes on both a micro- and - macroscale

THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY ENRICHMENT OF UNDERGRADUATE ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY STUDENTS FROM INTERNATIONAL SUMMER PROGRAMS. CASE STUDY: SUMMER 2019 3MUGIS, RUSSIA

Hosted by the People’s Friendly University of Russia (RUDN), the Modeling, Monitoring, and Managing of Urban Green Infrastructure (3MUGIS) summer program was organized by the collaboration of the New York City Urban Soil Institute (NYC-USI), City University of New York – Brooklyn College, and under the auspices of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS). The program consisted of one-week lecture sessions and two-weeks of fieldwork across five bioclimatic zones, ranging from the sub-arctic tundra of the Kola Peninsula to the Southern Steps of Rostov, Black Sea. Faculty and guest lecturers included scientists with various expertise from Germany, USA, Russia, Italy, and France. Participants consisted of undergraduate and graduate students from Germany, USA, Russia, and China. Lead instructors enriched the participant with valuable content from different disciplines such as climatology, pedology, ecology, environmental geochemistry, hydrology, botany, and geology. Students were exposed to rigorous and hands-on practical field training at various natural preserves, industrial wastelands, and agricultural farmlands. The instructors provided a wealth of information in multi-disciplinary scientific fields that corroborated with knowledge pertaining to geological and environmental sciences. Participating students from different cultural and scientific backgrounds managed to optimize their own learning experience by sharing key aspects of their field of studies, learning from each other, and distilling information. The result of the three-week summer program was a remarkable expansion of skills that enhanced the participants’ research techniques, and correlated with numerous scientific fields including environmental geology. From a social point of view, international students had a unique platform to enjoy their time and bond with each other, thus promoting soft skills and infusing political boundaries

UPPER CRETACEOUS PEAY BENTONITES (NORTH-CENTRAL WYOMING): PROVENANCE AND TECTONICS INTERPRETATION FROM ASH COMPOSITION

The Peay bentonites belong to the basal Frontier Formation (Bighorn Basin, north-central Wyoming), primarily outcrop in the Bighorn Basin, rest on an extensively bioturbated sandstone unit, the Peay Sandstone, and are generally the thinner bentonitic unit. Beds of very light gray to greenish gray bentonite are also abundant in the lower Frontier units between Kaycee and Mayoworth (Powder River Basin) and are very rarely as much as 3 m thick. Bentonite occurs within the interstratified shale, sandstone, and siltstone sequences of the lower Frontier unit throughout much of the southwestern Powder River Basin. The purpose of this study is to use field, geochemical, petrological, and zircon morphology data to establish a chemical fingerprint of the original ash composition and to provide a tectonic and provenance interpretation. Peay units show distinct mineralogy consisting of quartz, kaolinite, illite, smectite, mixed-layer clays, K-feldspar, plagioclase, chlorite, calcite, and dolomite. Fairly uniform concentrations of SiO2, Na2O, CaO, MgO, Al2O3, Zr, Ti, Nb, and Ni have been noted in the Peay bentonites, such consistent concentrations of these elements in Peay bentonite samples imply that they have not been strongly modified by secondary processes. Peay bentonite samples show a consistent geochemical trend towards the alkali basalt field. On the basis of the similarity in gross stratigraphic development, feldspar compositions and trace element geochemistry, the source for the Peay bentonites is most likely located in the same general area. This is further supported by the presence of Ti-rich augite and the distinctive zircon morphology. The uniformity of composition and similarity in stratigraphic development of Peay bentonites over the region studied argues strongly against the contemporaneous involvement of several extrabasinal volcanoes. Evidence for active Cretaceous volcanism in the Idaho and in south-central Montana has been documented by Gill and Cobban, 1973. The Peay bentonites broadly correlate to the emplacement of batholiths in this region. Igneous rocks in northern Idaho and north-central Montana have yielded isotopic dates similar to those of the Peay bentonites (ca 90 Ma; Obradovich, 1993; Obradovich and Cobban 1975)

UTILIZING DPLOT, SEDLOG, AND ARCGIS PRO TO ENHANCE GEOLOGIC FIELD SKILLS: ROSENDALE, ULSTER COUNTY NEW YORK

Capstone geologic field mapping courses in undergraduate geoscience programs aim to compliment the academic knowledge with technical field skills. As a pilot study, these tools were used to collect field data using folded lower Paleozoic to mid-Paleozoic sedimentary outcrops consisting of clastic, non-clastic and occasional mixed siliciclastics in Rosendale, Ulster County, New York. Rosendale is known for its classic geological outcrops with variable structural, stratigraphic, paleontological and sedimentological complexities – ideal for a field mapping course. Traditionally, students’ data acquisition in the field and its subsequent laboratory analysis to produce a final geologic field report utilized acetate overlays to produce geologic maps, stratigraphic sections, and cross sections. However, the transition into digital mapping has been a challenge due to the limited resources, software access, and adequate technical training. Nevertheless, a recent experiment in utilizing simple-interface softwares such as sedlog, Dplot, and ArcGIS Pro result in additional techniques that enhance data acquisition, graphic representation, and geological interpretation. Employing ArcGIS Pro to initiate geologic field layouts and digital geologic maps enabled students to optimize the accuracy of measurements and geologic correlation of both limited and well-spaced outcrops. Dplot capability of constructing geomorphic profiles to project folding and faulting has provided students with an opportunity to reconstruct the past geological settings and draw conclusions pertaining to the development of the sedimentary basin over time. Constructing stratigraphic type sections via Sedlog generated digital data projections with paleocurrents, sedimentary facies, and stratal thickness. In addition to generating maps and reports suitable for undergraduate research presentation, integrating this software spiked students’ enthusiasm and readiness for conducting geologic fieldwork and, ultimately to pursue higher education and training in geospatial technologies

Estrogens and the risk of breast cancer: A narrative review of literature

In female mammals, the development and regulation of the reproductive system and non-reproductive system are significantly influenced by estrogens (oestrogens). In addition, lipid metabolism is another physiological role of estrogens. Estrogens act through different types of receptors to introduce signals to the target cell by affecting many estrogen response elements. Breast cancer is considered mostly a hormone-dependent disease. Approximately 70% of breast cancers express progesterone receptors and/or estrogen receptors, and they are a good marker for cancer prognosis. This review will discuss estrogen metabolism and the interaction of estrogen metabolites with breast cancer. The carcinogenic role of estrogen is discussed in light of both conventional and atypical cancers susceptible to hormones, such as prostate, endometrial, and lung cancer, as we examine how estrogen contributes to the formation and activation of breast cancer. In addition, this review will discuss other factors that can be associated with estrogen-driven breast cancer

THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY ENRICHMENT OF UNDERGRADUATE ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY STUDENTS FROM INTERNATIONAL SUMMER PROGRAMS: CASE STUDY (SUMMER 2019) 3MUGIS, RUSSIA

Hosted by the People’s Friendly University of Russia (RUDN), the Modeling, Monitoring, and Managing of Urban Green Infrastructure (3MUGIS) summer program was organized by the collaboration of the New York City Urban Soil Institute (NYC-USI), City University of New York – Brooklyn College, and under the auspices of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS). The program consisted of one-week lecture sessions and two-weeks of fieldwork across five bioclimatic zones, ranging from the sub-arctic tundra of the Kola Peninsula to the Southern Steps of Rostov, Black Sea. Faculty and guest lecturers included scientists with various expertise from Germany, USA, Russia, Italy, and France. Participants consisted of undergraduate and graduate students from Germany, USA, Russia, and China. Lead instructors enriched the participant with valuable content from different disciplines such as climatology, pedology, ecology, environmental geochemistry, hydrology, botany, and geology. Students were exposed to rigorous and hands-on practical field training at various natural preserves, industrial wastelands, and agricultural farmlands. The instructors provided a wealth of information in multi-disciplinary scientific fields that corroborated with knowledge pertaining to geological and environmental sciences. Participating students from different cultural and scientific backgrounds managed to optimize their own learning experience by sharing key aspects of their field of studies, learning from each other, and distilling information. The result of the three-week summer program was a remarkable expansion of skills that enhanced the participants’ research techniques, and correlated with numerous scientific fields including environmental geology. From a social point of view, international students had a unique platform to enjoy their time and bond with each other, thus promoting soft skills and infusing political boundaries

INTEGRATING DIGITAL TOOLS IN REMOTE LEARNING TO ENHANCE THE DELIVERY METHODS OF TECHNICAL CONTENT IN UNDERGRADUATE GEOSCIENCES

The global transition to remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic was an extremely difficult task for both students and faculty in geological sciences. Technical courses, such as Structural Geology, Mineralogy, Petrology, and Invertebrate Paleontology, that require in-person lectures and laboratory sessions involving various rocks and mineral samples, fossils, maps, and models, were a major concern at the start. The challenge of delivering the technical content via Microsoft Teams, Skype, Webex, Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, Zoom, and other internet based platforms was not only a burden for the faculty to carry, as students were struggling to conceptualize outcrop-and-type-section-based information and link these to pertinent geological phenomena dealing with depositional environment, provenance and diagenesis. Traditional classroom teaching heavily depends on signature samples and scaled models routinely used in the classrooms. However, the adaptive approach that integrates ArcGIS Pro, Google Earth Pro, and other geospatial tools coupled with digital libraries of rock samples, video simulations, and 3D scaled models can yield positive results. A preliminary assessment followed by subsequent surveying among the students enrolled in gateway geology courses mentioned above at York College – The City University of New York - revealed that not only was the delivery of the content effective for the most part, students managed to comprehend the conceptual aspects of various plate tectonic processes, key deformational features, association of mineral(s) and rock types with particular tectonic setting, post depositional and geomorphological changes on both a micro- and - macroscale

THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT AND ITS IMPACT ON THE CLIMATE AND LANDSCAPE OF PHOENIX, ARIZONA

This paper examines the impact of the urban heat island effect on the climate and landscape of Phoenix, Arizona. Urbanization is quickly becoming the most influential environmental factor because of the exponential growth in the human population coupled with industrialization, modernization, and commercialization, which has become the allure of urban centers worldwide. While urbanization offers numerous advantages, it comes at the cost of altering the environment by replacing permeable natural soils and vegetation with impermeable urban surfaces, such as pavements, buildings, and other such structures. This impervious modification results in absorption of solar energy that is taken up by the surfaces, resulting in an “island” of higher temperatures that distinguish the urban centers from the surrounding, cooler rural areas, aptly named the urban heat island effect. In Phoenix, there has been an increase in the annual mean average temperatures while rural Sedona (Arizona) has seen stable temperatures. Additionally, the Phoenix area has low annual precipitation rates accompanied by high evaporation rates. Apart from a few localities within the Phoenix area, there is a general trend of decreasing groundwater levels. Increasing temperatures and decreasing groundwater levels have a few consequences, including increased danger of land subsidence, increased demand and consumption of energy, and intensifying the effects of the existing desert climate. To mitigate the consequences of the urban heat island, Phoenix’s urban policies must be modified to: (1) increase green infrastructures and recreational areas, (2) increase albedo on urban surfaces, (3) increase multi-storied buildings equipped with green roofs, and (4) reduce dependence on private transportation