UConn Department of Earth Sciences

Dr. Lijing Wang was featured in UConn Today recently!

Beavers Impact Ecosystems Above and Below Ground - UConn Today 'We need to understand the trade-offs and benefits'

Don't miss our Fall 2025 Seminar Series!

The Fall 2025 semester is in full swing here in Beach Hall! Thor ran the first field trip of the semester in his Glacial Processes and Materials (ERTH 3210/5210) course. We are excited for a busy fall!

We had a fantastic time at the very first ERTH Alumni Picnic at Dinosaur State Park! Alumni from as far back as 1980 to as recent as 2023 joined us for an afternoon of lovely weather, great food, great fellowship, and even a nature walk to see exposures of the Hampden Basalt. A big thank you to Samantha Dow, Melissa Mostowy, Mike Ross, and Gregory Ostrinski for helping plan this event. We’re already looking forward to next year—stay tuned for what we hope will become an annual event!

We're thrilled to invite you to our first Earth Sciences Alumni Picnic — proudly supported by our Alumni Advisory Board!

All alumni are invited to bring their family and a dish to share for this fun, potluck-style gathering. It's a great chance to reconnect, reminisce, and celebrate our amazing community.

Check out the flyer for all the details and be sure to RSVP here: https://qualtricsxm87hwvsbpd.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5BEbp8388xH7mV8

Please share with your alumni network! We can’t wait to see you there!

Professor Robert Thorson is featured in UConn Today for his work on stone wall conservation. Check out the full article at the link below!

A Stepwise, Coordinated Plan for Stone Wall Conservation - UConn Today Stone walls are storytellers of the past, but we need a methodical way to document and manage them so they can reveal their secrets

"Can plants reveal the secrets of survival during Earth's darkest days?" Professors Tracy Frank, Chris Fielding and Michael Hren are featured in UConn today for their work on the response of plants to catastrophic climate changes 250 million years ago.

Plants Struggled for Millions of Years After the World’s Worst Climate Catastrophe - UConn Today Can plants reveal the secrets of survival during Earth’s darkest days?

Here’s a collection of the latest news from our department. There is so much happening with our faculty and students!

Robert Thorson's article "Conserving the Historic Stone Walls of New England" was just published in The Public Historian, the "definitive voice of the public history profession." His scholarly engagement will help those who conserve and interpret the past at historic museums, parks, and landmarks.

Tammo Reichgelt was interviewed by Salon about his paleobotany work for an article that came out this week about Miocene climate and what it can tell us about our future world.

Victor Oladoja presented his poster "Using Temporal Graph Neural Networks to Enhance Understanding of Subsurface Properties' Controls on Headwater Streams," at the inaugural National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.! His work on graph neural networks attracted interest from computer scientists as well as domain experts in the earth, social, and physical sciences. Nice work!

Our Education Abroad trip to Taiwan was highlighted in UConn Today this week! Hear from Professor Tim Byrne, who has been leading the trip every other year for the past decade, along with students who shared their experiences. Check out the article!

Students Gain Fieldwork Experience Studying Geohazards in Taiwan - UConn Today UConn students explored the country’s rich geological landscape and worked alongside students from National Taiwan University

Here’s a roundup of the latest news from our faculty and graduate students—so many exciting updates to share!

Congratulations to Professor Andrew Bush, who was recently elected as the new co-editor-in-chief for the journal Palaois! Palaios is a journal of SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology) and publishes papers that emphasize the impact of life on Earth’s history.

PhD student Ozan Sinoplu gave a talk at his “home” university, Middle East Technical University (Ankara, Turkey), titled “Postgrad Abroad: Tips, Stories, and Q&A”. Nice work!

Assistant Professor in Residence Tammo Reichgelt gave a talk on the Depot Campus for UConn's Center for Learning in Retirement called "Rock dwellers in Urban Heat Islands: adapting to a harsh novel biome."

Professor Tracy D. Frank visited Queen’s University in Kingston, ON and the Canadian Geological Survey in her role as a Distinguished Lecturer of the International Association of Sedimentologists. At Queen’s she gave a talk on “Antarctica’s Hidden Brine.” At the survey, she spoke on climate pacing at high latitudes during the End Permian Extinction.

Incoming Associate Professor Mojtaba Fakhraee is coauthor on a new paper appearing in PNAS, titled “Evolution of the iodine cycle and the late stabilization of the Earth’s ozone layer.” https://lnkd.in/eMQaNxdy

Riccardo Maitan and Professor Christopher Fielding led a paper in Sedimentology titled "The impact of high discharge variability on sedimentology and architecture of bar deposits in the meandering Powder River (Montana, USA).” This paper stemmed from work carried out in part when Riccardo was at UConn as a visiting international student. https://lnkd.in/eFvcs6dJ

PhD student Hamida Nadoya and Professor Clay Tabor are coauthors a new paper in Palaeo3, titled “Increased moisture availability in the Central Andes during the Miocene Climatic Optimum.” https://lnkd.in/eEgP63EJ