Jay Banner, Ph.D.

Jay Banner is the F. M. Bullard Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences in the Jackson School of Geosciences, and director of the Environmental Science Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests center on climate and hydrologic processes, how they are preserved in the geologic record, including in caves, and how human activities affect the sustainability of water resources.

Banner’s teaching interests are in sustainability, environmental science, geochemistry, and environmental justice. His K-12 and community engagement initiatives include Hot Science – Cool Talks, the Scientist in Residence program, which partners STEM graduate-student researchers with K-12 teachers, and a new project (CRESSLE) that partners researchers and community members to address resilience challenges in underserved communities.

Jay is a member of UT Austin’s Academy of Distinguished Teachers, a recipient of the Friar Centennial Teaching Fellowship Award and the UT System Regents Outstanding Teaching Award, and a Fellow of the Geological Society of America.

21^st Century Texas: Climate, water, science, and society

Climatological and geopolitical forces converge in Texas and have the potential to put extreme stress on natural resources and public health. Climate science can be used to project the consequences of increasing greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere for our state. Reconstructing past climate changes in Texas provides context for unprecedented drought and heat risks to come, and the associated impacts on our economy, well-being, and social equity. Are there paths forward to a resilient Texas and reasons for optimism?

This lecture was given on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, 3 p.m.