Department of Geological Sciences
General Information About the Department or Program
The Deptartment of Geological Sciences offers BA, MS, and PhD degrees. Topics of study include a wide range of earth and environmental studies; application of math, chemistry, and physics to the study of the earth and its various systems.
Involvement in Environmental Education and Research
Geologists work in many aspects of environmental education, research, and industry. Our faculty and students are interested in "traditionally environmental" areas of geology including hazards (e.g. mass movement, earthquake, floods, volcanoes, etc.), resources (both renewable and non-renewable), waste management and remediation. In addition, many sub-fields within geology address surface environments (past, present, and future) by studying soils, hydrology, climate, biogeochemistry, sedimentology, and paleo-ecology... just to name a few.
Some of the subjects of investigation vis a vis environmental issues include:
- Climate Change at all time-scales, from decades to geologic Eons. (Via examination of climate proxies in ice, sediment, and rock records; including techniques that utilize computer modeling, stable isotopes, major and trace element compositional variations, paleomagnetism, sedimentology, paleontology, and palynology)
- Geomorphology
- Past environments via sedimentology, stratigraphy, and paleontology.
- Biogeochemistry; modern and past interactions between lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.
- Hydrology; fluid flow in sediment and rock environments.
- Oceanography; composition, motion, and nature of the marine environment.
Researchers
In the sense that a large portion of geologic research and educational emphasis strives to understand surficial processes-- past, present, and future--the majority of our (appr.) 30 faculty, 100 graduate students, and 90 undergraduates are involved with environmental topics.
For more information on faculty who study environmental topics, please see faculty roster at http://www.colorado.edu/GeolSci/faculty.html
and particularly--
Anderson, Budd, Chin, Eberle, Ge, Goetz, Kraus, Marchitto, Miller, Molnar, Neff,Small, Smith, Syvitski, White, Drexler.
How to Learn More
For Graduate Students
Contact the faculty member of interest (who might serve as potential advisor),
and
Graduate Program Assistant
Marjorie Atkinson
Phone: 303.492.2607
Email: Marjorie.Atkinson@colorado.edu
For Undergraduate Students
Dr. Alan Lester
Senior Instructor, Undergraduate Advisor
Phone: 303.492.6172
Email: Alan.Lester@Colorado.EDU
Contact Information
University of Colorado
Department of Geological Sciences, Campus Box 399
2200 Colorado Ave.
Boulder, CO 80309-0399 USA
Phone: (303) 492-8141
Fax: (303) 492-2606
