Kudos: Kent Murray

Kent Murray is known throughout metropolitan Detroit as a passionate scientist.

But word has spread far beyond southeast Michigan.

International Innovation, a European publication that covers the climate, energy, environment and research, recently featured a story about Murray’s work at University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Murray, professor of geology and environmental science, established the Geosciences Institute for Research and Education (GIRE) at UM-Dearborn in 2004.

The story delves into Murray’s work with GIRE, which helps earth science teachers, along with middle school and high school students from metropolitan Detroit understand how the geosciences can be used to solve community-based environmental problems.

“We’ve been conducting these three-week summer workshops for middle school and high school teachers and selected students for seven years now and the popularity has grown each year,” Murray said. “The participants have been incredibly enthusiastic about conducting environmental research alongside faculty and our graduate and undergraduate students. The support of the teachers and students allows my research group to get far more accomplished each summer than we could without their help.”

GIRE is funded by two grants from the National Science Foundation.