|
Geology Department Website
|
 |
Geology is an exciting, interdisciplinary science dedicated to understanding the formation and evolution of our planet and the other rocky bodies in the solar system. Geologists probe and study the deep past -- for example, to see as clearly as possible how life has evolved, how the continents have shifted and how climates have changed. They apply the tools of chemistry, biology, physics and mathematics to examine problems that range in scale from microscopic to interplanetary, using a variety of approaches including fieldwork, laboratory analysis and computational modeling.
In addition to guiding the stewardship of mineral, water and energy resources vital to society, geologists increasingly strive to reduce the impact geological hazards (e.g., earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides) have on people and to reduce the adverse effect people have upon the natural world (e.g., soil erosion, polluted groundwater). An understanding of at least rudimentary geology is essential for solving many environmental problems.
Taking advantage of the department's proximity to such features as the San Gabriel Mountains, the Pacific Coast, the San Andreas Fault and the Mojave Desert, students augment their classroom and laboratory experiences by exploring the spectacular geological setting around them.
Participation in research is an integral part of the learning experience. Students are encouraged to become involved in some form of research effort, often in direct collaboration with faculty, at all stages in their careers.
During the academic year many of our courses incorporate short research projects, and independent courses are available for upper-class students wishing to explore areas beyond our normal curriculum. Seniors conclude their degree work with a year-long independent thesis. The thesis topic can focus upon an area of research which is selected by the student with input from the faculty, can build upon summer experiences such as participation in a
Keck Geology Consortium project or an internship, or may involve collaboration with faculty in their primary areas of research. In recent years, field work for student summer projects has taken place in locations ranging from Montana to Mexico to Mongolia. Conference attendance and presentation of research results is encouraged when appropriate and students occasionally co-author professional papers.
The Geology Department is housed in the new Edmunds building and is well-equipped to support a variety of different field-based projects as well as geophysical, hydrogeological, mineralogical, petrological, field-, lab-, and computer-based research. Physical facilities include a sample preparation room with rock saws, etc.; and abundant supply of field equipment; a Rigaku X-ray diffractometer; an X-radiography labratory; a paleomagnetics laboratory; a laser particle size analyzer; a cathodoluminescence instrument; a carbon coulometer system; a mineral separation lab; an array of stereographic and polarizing microscopes; a GIS-equipped computer classroom; a wet lab; an excellent rock, mineral, and fossil collection; a growing collection of NASA and other satellite data; and an array of hydrogeological and geophysical equipment. The Geology Department is also a cooperative member of Pomona’s EDX-equipped Scanning Electron Microscopy facility housed in the Physics Department.
Finally, the current members of the Geology Department are scholars recognized for their teaching, research and dedication to communicating geological knowledge to the public.
Linda Reinen, an associate professor and Chair of the Department, is a structural geologist whose NSF-funded research focuses on fault mechanics and fault stability in an effort to understand why faults and earthquakes work the way they do. In 2003, her strength as a teacher and her contributions to the field of geoscience education were recognized by the Geological Society of America, which gave her its annual Biggs Award for Excellence in Earth Science Teaching.
Richard Hazlett, a professor who also holds the Stephen M. Pauley Chair, is a volcanologist who also runs the college's Environmental Analysis Program. He has twice won the College's Wig Award for teaching excellence, and has helped educate many scientists and members of the public alike about the spectacular geology of such places as Hawaii and Joshua Tree National Park.
Eric Grosfils is a planetary geologist whose NASA-funded research interests focus primarily on understanding how volcanic systems form and evolve on the Earth, Venus and Mars, with occasional related forays expanding into research about impact cratering and tectonics. He has been invited to pursue both educational and research-related projects on site at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, and served as an officer for the Planetary Geology Division of GSA (2001-2006). He is the recipient of the 2001 Biggs Award for Excellence in Earth Science Teaching from the Geological Society of America (GSA), a Fulbright Scholar (University of Auckland, New Zealand; 2009), and has served as a Distinguished Lecturer for the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (2006-2009).
Bob Gaines is an assistant professor who teaches courses on Earth History, Sedimentology, Climate Change and Paleontology. His research interests and work with students focuses on the "Cambrian Explosion", the sudden radiation of major animal clades from single celled ancestors. Using the fantastic fossil record found in South China, British Columbia, and Utah, his work uses sedimentology and geochemistry to understand the nature of Earth's earliest complex ecosystems and their relationship the environments they inhabited.
Jade Star Lackey, an assistant professor, teaches courses in Mineralogy, Igneous & Metamorphic Petrology, Geochemistry, and Geohazard. His research incorporates a breadth of petrologic (optical microscope, SEM, cathodoluminescence) and geochemical (stable isotopes, major and trace elements) tools to investigate igneous and metamorphic rocks and relate their petrogenesis to the growth and evolution of the continents. He and his students have several active research projects in the Sierra Nevada, Maine, and Nova Scotia.
|
|
Geology Department Website
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quick Links |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Explore Pomona's Web |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Find It |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Search |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
