Gerald T. Rustic, Assistant Professor

rustic@rowan.edu
856-256-5277
324 Discovery Hall
Pronouns: he/his

The TROPIC lab is currently investigating the spatial variability of ENSO during the last glacial maximum (~20-25kya) through an NSF-funded P2C2 grant! Research positions are available.

Other research projects include investigation of surface and subsurface hydrology of the Eastern Tropical Pacific through the Holocene to understand climate variability over the last 10,000 years, and characterization of eastern equatorial Pacific conditions during the last interglacial (MIS 5e, ~120-125kya).
 
Courses taught:
GEOL 01101 Physical Geology
GEOL 01102 Earth Through Time
GEOL 01131 Earth in Transition
GEOL 01133 Climate, Catastrophes, Civilizations and Collapses
GEOL 01230 Paleoclimatology
GEOL 01250 Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions
GEOL 01435 The Ice Ages and Quaternary Geology
 
Research keywords: ENSO, paleoceanography, paleoclimatology, climate change, oceanography, foraminifera, laboratory methods
 
Research
Dr. Rustic is a paleoceanographer and paleoclimatologist. Dr. Rustic’s lab is The Rowan Oceanographic – Paleoceanographic Investigation Center, or TROPIC. He studies how the Earth’s climate varied in the past and in particular how the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has influenced (and been influenced by) climate changes in Earth’s history. He uses various proxies to reconstruct past ocean conditions, including the chemical and isotopic composition of single-celled organisms called foraminifera and the amounts of organic molecules called alkenones produced by algae. Foraminifera are wonderful little geochemists that record oceanic conditions through time, providing a window into past climates. After all, the Earth’s surface is 70% water, and the ocean and its interactions with the atmosphere are vital components of the global climate system! 

Dr. Rustic is the founder of TROPIC, which houses a trace elemental analytical facility using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The laboratory has a ThermoScientific iCAP 6500 duo ICP-OES with ASX-520 autosampler, multiple microscopes, sediment handling equipment, chemical cleaning facilities and foraminifera preparation areas. 
 
Education
2015-2017 Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University
2015 Ph.D. Earth and Environmental Sciences, City University of New York
2013 M.Phil. Earth and Environmental Sciences, City University of New York
2011 M.S. Environmental Science, Rutgers University
1995 B.S. Biology and Geology, University of Rochester
 
More information
Digital Works
Google Scholar
TROPIC homepage