Ms. Janet Dewey

teaching statement 

My teaching philosophy is based on active, hands on learning. My current teaching responsibility is an applied analytical geochemistry course. I teach students how to use technologies such as ion chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.  I have trained students for 30 years in the basics of instrumentation and analysis, how to develop research methods to suit their analytical needs, how to use quality control procedures to ensure precision and accuracy of results, how to identify valid vs. spurious data, and how to report data in a meaningful way.  I teach students how to take ownership of their instruments and data in order to enable them to understand the utility and reliability of their data.

courses taught

• GEOL 2080 Field Geology
• GEOL 5410 Geochemical Analytical Methods
• GEOL 5851 Independent study in Environmental Geology
• GEOL 5852 Independent Studies in Applied Geochemistry

research projects

My research is focused in a variety of geochemical areas such as watershed processes, water-rock interaction, geochemical tracing, Rare Earth Elements (REE) and Critical Minerals (CM), among others. I am currently investigating REE and CM mineral associations in coals, clay-rich siliceous deposits, and hydrothermally-altered granites. I also have collaborative projects investigating water-rock interactions in a variety of hydraulic-fracturing and carbon capture and storage scenarios as well geochemical tracing in high-elevation surface- and spring-fed watersheds. I collaborate across many disciplines (e.g. geology, engineering, botany, anthropology, biology, soil science) and welcome the opportunity to develop geochemical solutions to diverse research questions.

I am the director of the Geochemical Analytical Laboratory housed in the Department of Geology and Geophysics. The facility is largely dedicated to water chemistry but has other capabilities. The facility houses ion chromatography, inductively-coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, inductively-coupled plasma mass-spectrometry, thermogravimetric analysis, and surface area analysis, among others. The facility is available to students, staff and collaborators for research. The facility is also a teaching facility where students gain hands-on experience in applied geochemical methods.

Selected publications

Kehoe, K.S., Gay, G.G. Dewey, J.C. 2022. Trace element geochemistry of coal deposits in the Adaville and Frontier Formations, Kemmerer Coal Field, Wyoming. Wyoming State Geological Survey Open File Report2022-1.

Jacobson, A.T., Chen, C, Dewey, J, et al. 2022. Effect of nanoconfinement and pore geometry on point of zero charge in synthesized mesoporous siliceous materials. JCIS open 8:100069.

Bratcher, J.C., Kaszuba, J.P., Herz-Thyhsen R. J., Dewey, J.C. 2021. Ionic strength and pH effects on Water-Rock interaction in an unconventional siliceous reservoir: On the use of formation water in hydraulic fracturing. Energy and fuels 35:18414-18429.

Gure A.J., Dewey, J.C., Eggleston, C.M., Parkinson, B.A. 2021 Trace perchlorate quantification in small volume, high-chloride solutions: A method supporting experimental investigation of perchlorate generation on Mars. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry 5:1325-1332.

Edgin, M.G., Medina-Rodriguez, B., Kaszuba,J.P., Dewey, J.C. 2021. Geochemical reactions and alteration of pore architecture in saturated shale after injection f stimulation fluid. Fuel 303:120815.

Dewey, J., Hatten, J., Choi, B., Mangum, C., Ouyang, Y. 2020.Climate drivers and sources of sediment and organic matter fluxes in intermittent rivers and streams (IRES) of a subtropical watershed, USA. Climate 8:117.

Herz-Thyhsen, R.J., Kaszuba, J.P., Dewey, J.C. 2020. Mineral dissolution and precipitation induced by hydraulic fracturing of a mudstone and a tight sandstone in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA. 2020. Applied Geochemistry 119:104636.

Muraleedharan, M.G., Herz-Thyhsen, R., Dewey, J.C., Kaszuba, J.P., van Duin, A.C.T. 2020. Understanding the chemistry of cation leaching in illite/water interfacial system using reactive molecular dynamics simulations and hydrothermal experiments. Acta Materalia 186:564-574.

Larsen, M.D., Dewey, J.C., Krist, A.C. 2020. Invasive Potamopyrgus antipodarum (New Zealand mud snails) and native snails differ in sensitivity to specific electrical conductivity and cations. Aquatic Ecology 54:103-117.

Jacobson, A.T., Bagley, D.M., Dewey, J.C., Fan, M. 2020. J. Environmental Chemical Engineering 8:104447.

Zarzycka, S.E., Surovell, T.A., Mackie, M.E., Pelton, S.R., Kelly, R.L., Goldberg, P., Dewey, J., Kent, M. 2019. Long-distance transport of red ocher by Clovis foragers. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 25:519-529.

Herz-Thyhsen, R., Kaszuba, J., Dewey, J. 2019. Dissolution of minerals and precipitation of an aluminosilicate phase during experimentally-simulated hydraulic fracturing of a mudstone and a tight sandstone in the Powder River Basin, WY. Energy & Fuels 33:3947-3956.

Gure, A.J., Sorenson, T., Dewey, J.C., et al. 2019. Photostationary state in photoelectrochemical generation of perchlorate: relevance to Mars. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry 3:2171-2174.

Ouyang, Y., Grace, J., Zipperer, W.C., Hatten, J., and J.C. Dewey. 2018. A Simple Method to Estimate Daily Loads of Total, Refractory and Labile Organic Carbon from their Seasonal Loads. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 25(22): 21731–21741.

Hatten, J.A., E.B. Sucre, Z. Leggett, J. Mack, S. Roberts, J. Dewey, and B. Strahm. 2015. Explaining the apparent resiliency of loblolly pine plantation to organic matter removal, P. 237-243 In: Holley A.G., Conner, K.F., Haywood, J.D., eds., Proceedings of the 17th biennial southern silvicultural research conference, e-Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS–203. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station.