Geoscience at the University of St. Thomas

It's not just about rocks!

For those of you that have wondered, "What is geology all about?" the following pages will show you that it's not just about rock classification and banging around with rock hammers. Geology at the University of St. Thomas is about understanding how the Earth works, inside and out, and all that this implies for understanding a whole host of environmental and resource issues.

Interdisciplinary Science is the Future

The University of St. Thomas geology department is a great place to do interdisciplinary science, integrating chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering to understand the Earth. The geology department also plays a key role in the new Environmental Science BS degree at UST, which brings together all of the science departments at the university.

Enjoy the Outdoors?

Geology is best done in the field. All of our courses have a field component, from 3 week-long field courses in the desert southwest to one-day lab excursions to Minnehaha Falls.

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NEWS

The UST Department of Geology is very excited to announce that we have hired Dr. Jeni McDermott to a tenure-track faculty position.  Jeni , a Tectonic Geomorphologist, earned her  Ph.D. degree in Geological Sciences from Arizona State University in 2012.  Her Ph.D. research focused on the use of geomorphologic, tectonic, and age-dating methods to better understand the formation and Quaternary evolution of the large, and geologically-complex Himalayan mountain range. In addition to her strong background in these areas, Jeni holds an M.S. degree in Hydrogeology from the University of California—Santa Barbara.  She will teach courses in Geomorphology and Hydrogeology, and also teach part of our January field course in the southwestern U.S.  Jeni is currently finishing her second year as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Colgate University, and she will join our department for Fall Semester, 2013.

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Dr.  Melissa Lamb was promoted from Associate to Full Professor in spring, 2012.  Congratulations Dr. Lamb!!!

For the latest on News and Events in the Geology Department, please click here!

Jessie's research lies primarily in basin analysis with a biogeochemistry flavor. She recently completed a project in Tertiary transtensional lacustrine basins in the Lake Mead region of Nevada. Hoping to inform the residents in the PLSL Watershed District about fertilizers and other contaminants washing into the lake, Nick is carefully analyzing geochemical data from sediment cores from Lower Prior Lake. Jane’s research focuses primarily on basin analysis and lacustrine carbonate sedimentology in the Lake Mead region of Southern Nevada.