A team of scientists, including UConn professors Tracy Frank, Chris Fielding, and Michael Hren, studied how plants responded to the catastrophic climate changes of the End-Permian Extinction, the most severe ecological crisis in Earth’s history. By analyzing fossil plants and sedimentary rocks from Australia, they discovered that conifers were the first to recolonize the land, […]

New England’s stone walls hold historical, geological, and cultural significance. Professor Robert Thorson advocates for their systematic conservation. In a paper published in The Public Historian, he outlines a step-by-step approach using GIS and LiDAR technology to locate, map, and catalog these structures. His plan involves engaging communities, identifying property boundaries, classifying walls based on […]

UConn students traveled to Taiwan for a three-week Earth science field course, where they studied the country’s unique geology and geohazards while engaging in cultural exchange. Led by Professor Tim Byrne, the program included fieldwork, lectures, and visits to sites like volcanoes and earthquake zones. Students collaborated with peers from National Taiwan University, broadening their […]

Traditional CO2 emission reduction methods appear insufficient to meet the climate change goal set by the Paris Agreement, highlighting the need to development of carbon capture solutions. A new study led by Dr. Mojtaba Fakhraee, an incoming assistant professor in the Department of Earth Sciences, explores the potential of carbon capture from fish farms. The […]

After evaluating 183 U.S. institutions with degrees in geological and earth sciences, College Factual ranked UConn’s Department of Earth Sciences 16th overall, with the master’s program ranked 9th, and the bachelor’s and doctoral programs ranked 19th. Additionally, the department was recognized as the leading university for geological and earth sciences degrees in New England. College […]

Tammo Reichgelt, a paleobotanist and assistant professor in residence in the Department of Earth Sciences, discovered that while some fern species prefer rural areas, others can thrive in urban settings. His exploration began when he noticed ferns growing in an urban area of Vernon, CT, leading him to investigate similar observations through citizen science data […]

Earth Sciences major Cassie Aimetti, in collaboration with associate professor Will Ouimet, is working on a project to reconstruct the past environment of Grannis Island. Recently, Aimetti and collaborators carried equipment through the muddy salt marsh to collect sediment cores for reconstructing the historical landscape changes of Grannis Island. Back in the lab, they prepared […]

Incoming Department of Earth Sciences Assistant Professor, Lijing Wang, has been awarded a National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) grant. NAIRR is a new, joint NSF / DOE program that provides scientists with resources to conduct computationally demanding artificial intelligence research. Lijing received 10,500 node hours on an Argonne National Laboratory supercomputer to study water […]

Last summer, Earth Sciences Professor and Department Head, Tracy Frank, participated in an International Ocean Discovery Program expedition to the coast of Greenland. Aboard the drilling ship JOIDES Resolution, Tracy helped collect and describe ocean sediment cores from Baffin Bay along the Northwest Greenland Margin. The goal of the project is to better understand the […]

Department of Earth Sciences Professor Robert Thorson, with assistance from Curator Amanda Douberley, created a new exhibit titled “Seeing Climate Change?” at The William Benton Museum. This exhibit is a partnership between science and art, presenting working from the Benton collection that touch on the themes of phenology, climate change, measurement, climate, weather, and seasonality. […]