Gene Avery

Gene Avery (Brooks) received a BS in Chemistry from The University of North Carolina Greensboro in 1985. As an undergraduate, he conducted organo-metalic synthetic chemistry research under the guidance of Dr. Terrance Nile. After graduation, he worked for Burlington Research conducting environmental testing during the height of the textile industry in Alamance County, North Carolina. Brooks returned to graduate school in 1987 and obtained a masters degree in Coastal Marine Biology from The University of North Carolina Wilmington where he developed an interest in both biogeochemistry and atmospheric chemistry. After receiving his masters degree, he then joined Dr. Chris Martin's group at The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill where he received his Ph. D. in Marine Science studying biogenic methane production in wetland environments. In 1997, he returned to The University of North Carolina at Wilmington as a Dreyfus Postdoctoral Fellow studying sources of dissolved organic carbon in rainwater using isotopic methods. Brooks was hired as an assistant professor in The Department of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2004, received tenure and promotion to associate professor in 2009, and was promoted to full professor in 2013.

Education

B.S., Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro 1985
M.S., Coastal Biology, The University of North Carolina at Wilmington 1990.
Ph.D., Marine Sciences, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 1997

Specialization in Teaching

Brooks teaches both the environmental chemistry lecture and labs. The goal of these courses is for students to view the environment through the eyes of a chemist. His courses are updated each semester to include the most recent environmental data. Current environmental conditions are compared to historical environmental data to emphasize both positive and negative trends through time. He stresses critical thinking in his courses often challenging students to assess scientists ability to understand current environmental systems as well as predict future conditions. In addition to teaching in classroom, over 100 graduate and undergraduate students have obtained instruction conducting research in his group's lab.

Research Interests

Brooks' research involves a holistic biogeochemical approach to studying the environment. His research focuses on cycling of both organic and inorganic compounds in sediments, the water column and the atmosphere. He is especially interested in photochemical processes, the use of the isotopic composition of organic compounds to elucidate source, as well as controls on the storage of atmospheric carbon in surface waters and sediments. From this research, Brooks has over 70 peer-reviewed publications, over 100 presentations at scientific meetings and has obtained over $5,000,000 in external research funding.

Honors & Awards

Faculty Scholarship Award 2014
Five Million Dollar Club, UNCW 2012
Million Dollar Club, UNCW 2005
Camille and Henry Dreyfus Post-Doctoral Fellow, 1997 - 1999
ONR /ASSERT Fellow: 1993-1996.
DISCO fellowship (Dissertation Symposium on Chemical Oceanography) 1994.
Phi Kappa Phi,UNC-Wilmington, 1990