MISSION STATEMENT
The Department of Geosciences prepares students for a lifetime of scientific learning, informed citizenship, and earth stewardship through critical thinking and engagement in the scientific process. Geosciences is distinct in that we investigate the dynamic and complex earth across a wide range of time and geographic scales.
DEPARTMENT GOALS
The Department of Geosciences strives to:
- Prepare students for lives as geoscience professionals, educators, and active citizens.
- Provide students with opportunities to work with faculty in research within the local and greater scientific community.
- Support the continuing professional development of faculty as educators and researchers in our local community and as well as in the larger scientific community.
- Provide students and the community with opportunities that increase awareness of the relationship between geologic processes and societal issues.
- Support student learning by providing high quality educational experiences about the processes that change the earth through time and their products.
- Improve geologic awareness campus-wide by offering a wide-range of introductory courses on geologic topics.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students graduating from the Department of Geosciences should be able to:
- Ask effective questions and integrate scientific knowledge and problem solving skills to demonstrate how earth’s history, products and processes impact their lives.
- Apply geologic methods of inquiry such as observation, description, comparison, and technical, cutting edge analytical techniques to explain macro- to micro-scale geologic products and processes.
- Demonstrate the ability to apply data collection, observation and analytic skills in field-based and lab-based geologic studies.
- Demonstrate the ability to communicate as a geoscientist at both the lay and professional levels.
- Collaborate effectively with peers and colleagues.
