RICHARDSON, Texas (April 21, 2003) - The Department of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) will soon reach a milestone with the publication of the 1,000th research report by a member of the department's faculty.

The benchmark report, entitled "Neoproterozoic Deformation in the Northeastern part of the Saharan Metacraton," represents the research of Professor Mohamed Abdelsalam and colleagues and is scheduled for publication in the next month or two in the journal Precambrian Research.

In the report, Abdelsalam and the others characterize the evolution of a "collision zone" that formed about 700 million years ago in what is now southern Egypt. The zone marks the site where two crustal tracts combined. The paper is expected to contribute to the understanding of how the earth's continental crust is formed.

"Reaching contribution number 1,000 is a gratifying accomplishment that demonstrates the nearly 40 years of intellectual contributions and research productivity of UTD geoscientists," said Dr. Robert J. Stern, head of the Geosciences Department.

Geosciences was one of three original academic departments of UTD's predecessor institution, the Graduate Research Center of the Southwest, which was established in 1961 by three of the founders of Texas Instruments to groom scientific and technological talent in the Southwestern United States. The other initial departments were Space Sciences and Molecular Biology.

The first paper published in what came to be known as the "Contributions of the Geosciences Program" series of research reports was authored by the founder of the Geosciences Department, Dr. Anton Hales, in 1964. Since that time, the faculty, staff and students of the department have averaged 25 research publications each year.

The field of geosciences involves the study of the earth - both past and present, from its core, to its surface and outward to other planetary bodies in the solar system. UTD offers undergraduate and graduate degree plans leading to B.A., B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in geosciences.

About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 13,000 students. The school's freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university's Web site at http://www.utdallas.edu.