News

He will be honored at the State of the College Address and Faculty & Staff Excellence Awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 14th, 2026 in LeFrak Concert Hall.

This award recognizes Dr. Longpré’s outstanding scholarship in 2025, including five high profile scholarly publications from the Longpré research group in 2025 (Nature Communications, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Bulletin of Volcanology, and two articles in Nature Geoscience). At the center of our nomination was Longpré et al.’s 2025 Nature Geoscience original research article entitled “Shifting melt composition linked to volcanic tremor at Cumbre Vieja volcano”, with co-authors including group members Samantha Tramontano (now an Assistant Professor at York College) and Doctoral Student Franco Cortese. Well done! Due to the high impact findings from this study the Nature Geoscience editors selected the article to have an accompanying “Research Briefing” article published, entitled “Magma composition drives tremors during a volcanic eruption” (Longpré and Tramontano, 2025), which helps to explain the importance of this research to a broader, non-specialist audience. It is worth noting that the 2025 publications had multiple Longpré lab co-authors spanning undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral researchers.

SEES would like to congratulate Marc-Antoine, and his entire research group! Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition!

 

The School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES) is very sad to announce the recent passing of SEES Emeritus Professor, Dr. David Speidel. He received his bachelor’s degree in geology from Franklin and Marshall College in 1960 and a PhD in geochemistry from Pennsylvania State University in 1964, before joining the faculty at Queens College in 1966 as one of the first members of the Geology Department.

He was a prolific researcher with wide ranging interests. While his primary field of study was phase equilibria in magnesium oxide-iron oxide systems and ferromagnesian mineral stability in igneous rocks, he also had research interests in environmental geochemistry, probability analysis of impact craters and near-Earth asteroids, and probability analysis of earthquake magnitude frequencies. He was a fellow of the Geological Society of America and an active member of professional organizations including the Mineralogical Society of America, the American Geophysical Union, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

In addition to his many research contributions, he performed extensive service for his broader professional organizations, our department, and the college. He was a visiting scholar from 1977 – 1978 with the congressional research services, which led to publication of a book entitled “The Natural Geochemistry of our Environment”. He also was a section head in the Earth Science Division at NSF from 1988 to 1989. He served Queens College in many important roles including: chair of the Geology department (from 1980-1988, now the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences); the first Dean of the Division of Mathematics and National Sciences; the first Dean of Graduate Studies and Research; Chairperson of the Academic Senate (1992-1996); Acting Provost, Provost and Senior Vice President for academic programs (1998-2000).

He retired in 2003 after 37 years of service to the College, remaining active at as an Emeritus Professor in SEES for another 23 years. In Retirement he served as Chair of the QC Retirees Association for several years. He remained a familiar presence in SEES, regularly attending our department colloquium, meeting with younger faculty, providing valued guidance and advice, and bringing us news articles and papers related to our research interests. He was a cherished member of our SEES family and he will be dearly missed.

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SEES Student Nicole Liew was selected to join the University of Washington’s VISIONS25′ expedition to Axial Seamount in the NE Pacific Ocean! VISIONS is an anual expedidition that services the Ocean Observatories Iniative Cabled Array. Check out her blog as she describes her daily adventures!

Laiba Mahmood, an undergraduate student in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, has been named a recipient of the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for 2025. The scholarship, awarded to students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, supports outstanding undergraduates with strong potential to become future leaders in research. Laiba is one of 441 scholars nationally recognized for the 2025-2026 academic year and the ninth Goldwater Scholar in Queens College history.

Laiba is currently studying environmental biology and geology, with a keen interest in planetary science and astrobiology, particularly the study of planetary habitability and the evolution of life. Throughout her undergraduate journey, Laiba has gained research experience in microbial biogeochemistry at the University of Michigan and modeled landscape and species evolution in the LEGACi Lab. This summer, she will be conducting planetary habitability research through a NASA internship to better understand the geochemistry of potential organics in Europa’s oceans. Looking ahead, Laiba plans to pursue a Ph.D. in planetary science to better understand the evolution of life and its potential beyond Earth.

“Winning the Goldwater Scholarship is an incredible honor that solidifies my place in science. To be honest, I almost backed out of applying multiple times, doubting my own capabilities. I’m so grateful I pushed through with the support of my mentors and family, who saw something in me that I struggled to see in myself. This scholarship motivates me to continue pursuing science, and I’m excited for what the future holds.”