Archive

“The best geologist is the one that has seen the most rocks”

— Herbert Harold Read (British geologist)

Past Fieldtrips

World Class and Spectacular Late Cambrian Microbial Reef Outcrops in Mason County, Texas

October 11-13, 2019

Photos from Christian Dohse unless otherwise noted.

Big Bend Ranch State Park

February 25-27, 2019

Summary pending…

Past Meetings

Geophysical Anomalies in the vicinity of Barton Spring and Determination of Groundwater Flow Path into Barton Springs Pool, Austin, Texas

Monday, November 3, 2025
6:30 PM 8:00 PM

Mustafa Saribudak, Ph.D., P.G.

RSVP to AGS Meetings HERE

BIO

Mustafa Saribudak is the principal of Environmental Geophysics Associates (EGA). He holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. (1975) in geology from the University of Istanbul and a Ph.D. (1987) from the Istanbul Technical University in Turkey. He came to the University of Houston in 1990 as a visiting geoscientist. He started working for Tierra Environmental in the Woodlands between 1991 and 1993, where he pioneered the application of geophysical methods to environmental problems. He founded EGA in 1994 to provide near-surface geophysical services for engineering, environmental, and oil and gas industries, and real estate developers. Since than he has worked on more than 400 projects.

His personal research interests have been the active growth faulting in the Houston area, major faults of the karstic Edwards Aquifer in central Texas (for example: Mt. Bonnell, Barton Springs and Haby faults); location of karstic features (caves, sinkholes, voids) across the Edwards Aquifer; location of abandoned oil and gas wells and water wells; application of geophysical methods to volcanoes. His consultancy work resulted in over 50 published papers, which provided valuable insights and quantitative data for the geophysical and geological fields.

Water Markets for Texas

Monday, October 6, 2025
6:30 PM 8:00 PM

Todd Haydn Votteler, Ph.D., Collaborative Water Resolution LLC

BIO

Todd is an experienced environmental professional with expertise in conflict resolution, stakeholder engagement, and policy development. Votteler is a co-founder and the Editor-in-Chief of the Texas Water Journal and the Texas+Water, and the host of Talk+Water podcast. Todd is a Fellow of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University, a Visiting Scholar at The Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin, a member of the Advisory Committee for the Permanent Forum of Binational Waters, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Whitefish Lake Institute. He is also a Partner at Four Worlds Consulting, where he helps stakeholders resolve water and environmental conflicts. He holds a B.S. in Natural Resources from The University of the South, an M.S. in Natural Resources from The University of Michigan, and
a Ph.D. in Environmental Geography from Texas State University. Todd has also earned
certifications in Integrated Water Management, Water Reforms & Governance, Water Diplomacy,
as well as Environmental Collaboration from the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict
Resolution. He is a graduate of the Governor’s Executive Development Program in Texas.

Todd has been involved in many crucial conservation projects, including serving as the Federal
Special Master for the Edwards Aquifer Endangered Species Act litigation, Sierra Club v. San
Antonio, and negotiating an agreement between The Aransas Project and GBRA resolving a conflict over surface water use and potential impacts to the endangered whooping crane. He was co-trainer for the 2018 Fellows Program at The University of Texas at Austin School of Law’s Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution, the 2018 and 2020 for the Water Conflict and Transformation Workshop at the AWRA Annual Conference. In 2019, Votteler lectured in China on transboundary water conflicts. From 2000 to 2017, Votteler worked for the Guadalupe–Blanco River Authority where he was Executive Manager of Science, Intergovernmental Relations, and Policy.

From Hydrology to Geopolitics: The Ethical Imperative of Science Diplomacy in Ukraine’s Agricultural Crisis

Monday, August 25, 2025
6:30 PM 8:00 PM

Sachin Shah, Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey

BIO

Sachin Shah is a multi-disciplinary scientist and policy expert specializing in water resources, climate adaptation, and global food security. He currently serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs and Lead of the Socio-Hydrology Team at the U.S. Geological Survey. With over 20 years of experience in hydrogeology, public policy, and international development, Sachin’s career began as a hydrologist with the USGS, where he conducted extensive groundwater research across the country, including land subsidence in the Houston region and transboundary aquifer assessments along the Texas-Mexico border. His expertise in hydrology provides the scientific foundation for his current interdisciplinary approach to global water security and climate adaptation.

Sachin works at the intersection of water security, socioeconomics, and climate adaptation, focusing on understanding the human dimensions of water security and risk in regions including the Mekong River Basin, South Asia, and Ukraine. In 2024, he served as a Policy Advisor at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he developed national and international water resources strategies and led interagency task forces on water resilience. He leads international research initiatives, including current work on climate risks and food insecurity in Ukraine, and has established and co-led the Ukraine Climate Adaptation Technical Advisory Committee. Mr. Shah has been recognized with multiple awards for his contributions to environmental justice and water security research, and holds an M.A. in Global Policy Studies from UT Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs, an M.S. in Hydrology from Georgia State University, and a B.S. in Hydrogeology from UT Austin’s Jackson School of Geosciences.