Department of Geoscience
Exploring fundamental questions about Earth, life, and the environment
three mountain climbers traversing a rocky creek bed with backpacks on

Community

The Department of Geoscience’s strength comes from the breadth of its work. We offer an impressive range of experiences for students through our traditional field trips and other geological activities. Equally important is our collaborative and congenial environment in which our students thrive, bolstered by our strong commitment to diversity and inclusion.

All-Alumni & Friends Reunion / 50th Anniversary of Weeks Hall

We look forward to welcoming alumni, friends, and family back to campus to celebrate our 50th year in Weeks Hall on October 18th and 19th, 2024. Whether it’s to reunite with colleagues, mentors, and friends, to peek into your old office, or to learn about the latest new science and scientists in the department, we can’t wait to welcome you back to Madison!

Event Webpage       Event Registration      Event Sponsorship

Stories from the Field

Photo from Chelsea Volpano's Twitter feed of her muddy boots after taking GPS readings on a Lake Michigan bluff while studing shoreline erosion.

Chelsea Volpano, MS Student

My MS thesis research focuses on coastal erosion along Lake Michigan shorelines. I use high-precision GPS methods and a single-beam echosounder to generate bathymetric maps that are integrated into nearshore numerical modelling software to predict change related to storms. My field site is near Two Rivers, Wisconsin, within Point Beach State Forest.

Read about Chelsea’s work in the field

Diversity and Inclusion in Geoscience

We aim to create and promote an atmosphere that not only protects every community member against discrimination and bias, but also encourages respect and value for varying perspectives and backgrounds.

View initiatives, progress and resources

Group of students after DEI meeting