Department Chair Welcome

In the Department of Earth Science at UVU, our #1 goal is to provide students with rewarding, dynamic educational experience. We pride ourselves on being able to offer personal attention to the needs of students with diverse backgrounds and educational goals. Our degree programs provide a wide range of skills and knowledge that are applicable to today´s earth science job markets, as well as a broad-based general science education that´s ideal for students planning to continue to graduate programs in law, business, or medical fields. We incorporate field trips and/or practical working experience in nearly all of our courses. Our easy access to the geology of the Wasatch Range and Utah´s National Parks, our ties to local employers, and our diverse, dynamic faculty make the UVU Department of Earth Science a natural choice for anyone pursuing an education in the earth sciences.

Weihong Wang Photo

Weihong Wang

Professor
Department Chair

Geography

[email protected]

More Information

801.863.7607 | PS 218 | MS: 179

 

books on a shelf

Earth Science Department Mission

“Civilization exists by geologic consent, subject to change without notice”

- Will Durant

The above quote emphasizes our society’s dependence on the earth. The earth provides the raw materials for building, the soil and water to grow our crops, and the energy to fuel our industries, power our cars, and heat our homes. The earth is also capable of causing devastation through droughts, earthquakes, landslides, and other natural disasters. It is the job of the earth scientist to understand earth’s history and active processes in order to make good use of earth’s resources and to avoid its hazards.

About the Earth Science Department

The Earth Science faculty at UVU is devoted to dynamic, effective undergraduate education. Our department includes 12 full-time faculty members, 10 with Ph.D.’s and two with M.S. degrees. Among our faculty members we have expertise in soil and water resources, earthquake and landslide hazards, the behavior of earthquake faults, environmental policy, geochemistry, geographic information systems, the growth of mountain ranges, the formation of rocks and minerals, and paleontology. Our courses emphasize the practical aspects of the course material, and we take great advantage of Utah’s amazing opportunity for course-related field work. In addition to great classes, our students participate in extracurricular field trips throughout the western U.S., and they are active in a variety of research projects.

If you are interested in any of these areas, please contact the Earth Science Advisor, or Department Chair.

Earth Science Advisors

Research Areas & Faculty

 
Hut

Anthropology

Anthropology explores the study of human societies, cultures, and their evolution over time.
Earth from space

Biogeochemistry

Biogeochemistry investigates the chemical processes and cycles that occur in the environment, involving the interactions between living organisms and the Earth's geological systems.
Windmill

Environmental Science & Management

Environmental Science & Management focuses on understanding and addressing environmental issues, emphasizing sustainable practices and resource management.
Rock spires

Geomorphology

Geomorphology examines the formation and evolution of Earth's landforms, studying processes like erosion, weathering, and deposition.
Examining a rock under a microscope

Geoscience Education

Geoscience Education involves the study and improvement of methods for teaching and learning geoscience concepts.
Ancient ruins

Human Geography

Human Geography explores the spatial relationships between people and their environments, analyzing patterns of population, culture, and economic activity.
Water

Hydrology

Hydrology investigates the distribution, movement, and properties of water in the atmosphere and on Earth's surface.
Iceburg

Paleoclimatology

Paleoclimatology studies past climates by examining climate proxies such as ice cores, tree rings, and sediment layers.
Fossil in rock

Paleontology, Sedimentology

Paleontology involves the study of fossils to understand the history of life on Earth and the evolution of species.
Rocks

Petrology, Geochemistry Petrology, Geochemistry

Petrology examines the composition, origin, and classification of rocks to understand Earth's crustal processes.
Volcano

Physical Geology

Physical Geology focuses on the study of Earth's materials, processes, and features, including rocks, minerals, and landforms.
Rock formations caused by water erosion

Structural Geology

Structural Geology investigates the deformation and arrangement of rocks in the Earth's crust, analyzing the forces that shape the Earth's lithosphere.

Faculty & Staff

Rachel Atkins Image

Rachel Atkins

Assistant Professor

Message Rachel Atkins
Professional Profile

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 801-863-

Office: PS 242C

Website:


Specialties:

GIS

 

 

 

Tara Bishop Image

Tara Bishop

Assistant Professor

Message Tara Bishop
Professional Profile

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 801-863-8679

Office: PS 216

Website:


Specialties:

GIS

Remote

 

 

Michael Bunds Image

Michael Bunds

Professor

Message Michael Bunds
Professional Profile

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 801-863-6306

Office: PS 221

Website:


Specialties:

Tectronics

 

 

 

Eddy Cadet Image

Eddy Cadet

Professor

Message Eddy Cadet
Professional Profile

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 801-863-8881

Office: PS 222

Website:


Specialties:

Environment Management

 

 

 

Doug Czajka Image

Doug Czajka

Assistant Professor

Message Doug Czajka
Professional Profile

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 801-863-8658

Office: PS 009E

Website:


Specialties:

Paleontology

 

 

 

Patricia Garcia Image

Patricia Garcia

Teaching Lab Manager

Message Patricia Garcia
Professional Profile

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 801-863-8580

Office: PS 202C

Website:


Specialties:

 

 

 

 

Danny Horns Image

Danny Horns

College Dean / Professor

Message Danny Horns
Professional Profile

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 801-863-8582

Office: SB 241

Website:


Specialties:

 

 

 

 

Hilary Hungerford Image

Hilary Hungerford

Professor

Message Hilary Hungerford
Professional Profile

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 801-863-7160

Office: PS 212B

Website:


Specialties:

Water conservation;

 

 

 

Stella Mosher Image

Stella Mosher

Assistant Professor

Message Stella Mosher
Professional Profile

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 801-863-5693

Office: PS 217

Website:


Specialties:

Paleoecology

 

 

 

Matt Olson Image

Matt Olson

Assistant Professor

Message Matt Olson
Professional Profile

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 801-863-6864

Office: PS 214

Website:


Specialties:

Snow Hydrology

 

 

 

Christina Sattley-Gonzalez Image

Christina Sattley

Administrative Assistant

Message Christina Sattley-Gonzalez
Professional Profile

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 801-863-6964

Office: PS 207

Website:


Specialties:

 

 

 

 

Mike Stearns Image

Mike Stearns

Associate Professor

Message Mike Stearns
Professional Profile

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 801-863-5498

Office: PS 215

Website:


Specialties:

Petrology

 

 

 

Dan Stephen Image

Dan Stephen

Associate Professor

Message Dan Stephen
Professional Profile

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 801-863-8584

Office: PS 224

Website:


Specialties:

Paleontology

 

 

 

Nathan Toke Image

Nathan Toke

Associate Professor

Message Nathan Toke
Professional Profile

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 801-863-8117

Office: PS 213

Website:


Specialties:

Geologic Hazards

 

 

 

Weihong Wang Image

Weihong Wang

Professor

Message Weihong Wang
Professional Profile

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 801-863-7607

Office: PS 218

Website:


Specialties:

GIS

Remote

 

 

Alessandro Zanazzi Image

Alessandro Zanazzi

Professor

Message Alessandro Zanazzi
Professional Profile

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 801-863-5395

Office: PS 226

Website:


Specialties:

Meteoric Precipitation