Dr. Stracher featured in National Geographic

DR. STRACHER COLLECTS SAMPLES AT A MINE

Dr. Glenn B. Stracher, Professor of Geology at East Georgia College, recently participated in a National Geographic Film about coal-mine fires burning in several countries including India, China, and the United States. This is the third movie that Dr. Stracher is in. The first was in May 2003, when he participated in a film called "Wildfires," part of a seven part National Geographic Series entitled "Built for Destruction," aired in numerous countries and scheduled for eventual release in the U.S. Excerpts from this film with Dr. Stracher have played on the Weather Channel in the United States. The second film, entitled "Incredible Centralia" was produced with the Fuji Television Network in Japan, where it was shown on national Japan- ese Television this past May. The film includes Dr. Stracher speaking on camera from his laboratory at East Georgia College.

The most recent film is scheduled for release later this year and includes more international coverage of mine fires. In this film, Dr. Stracher is shown collecting poisonous-gas samples for chemical and environmental analyses. The gases typically contain a soup of toxins including benzene and toluene that pollute the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and soil. They also contain high concentrations of the green house gases carbon dioxide and methane. According to Dr. Stracher, "The chemistry reveals that coal-fire gas typically contains up to 45 different compounds including alkyl aromatics, alkenes, n-alkanes, iso-alkanes, cyclo alkanes, ketones, ethers, halogenated hydrocarbons, and a number of other volatile organic compounds, in addition to sulfur compounds."

Dr. Stracher is the author of numerous research papers published in topranked peer reviewed journals including Mathematical Geology, International Journal of Coal Geology, American Mineralogist, Journal of Geoscience Education, Geotimes, and Engineering Geology. Several of his papers have been ranked among the top 5- 10 most read scientific articles in recent years. He has convened symposiums with the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Geological Society of America, has led numerous field excursions attended by scientists and engineers from many countries, and is the author and editor of five books.

Having served on the Geological Society of America's Joint Technical Program committee, Dr. Stracher is currently firstvice chair of the society's Coal Geology Division. In October, he will assume the role as chair and president of the division during the society's national meeting in Denver, Col.

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