Department Vision

"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. 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.

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. 

Faculty & Staff

Weihong Wang

Weihong Wang

Associate Professor - Department Chair

Wetland Ecosystems
GIS& Remote Sensing
Energy & Sustainability

weihong.wang@uvu.edu

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801.863.7607 | PS 218 | MS: 179
Brandi Pacchiega

Brandi Pacchiega

Administrative Support

BPacchiega@uvu.edu

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801.863.6964 | PS REC | MS: 179
Tara Bishop

Tara Bishop

Assistant Professor

Earth Science
Enviro Mgmt

TBishop@uvu.edu

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801.863.6320 | PS 216 | MS: 179
Joel Bradford

Joel Bradford

Associate Professor

Environmental Policy
Worker Safety
Human Geography

bradfojo@uvu.edu

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801.863.7263 | PS 222 | MS: 179
Michael Bunds

Michael Bunds

Professor

Structural Geology
Geologic Hazards
Geospatial Methods

michael.bunds@uvu.edu

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801.853.6306 | PS 221 | MS: 179
Eddy Cadet

Eddy Cadet

Professor

Environmental Science
Biogeochemistry

cadeted@uvu.edu

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801.863.8881 | PS 217 | MS: 179
Doug Czajka

Doug Czajka

Assistant Professor

Geoscience Education,
Geotechnical Investigations,
Field Geology

 

 

doug.czajka@uvu.edu

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801.863.8658 | PS 009e | MS: 179
Patti Garcia

Patti Garcia

Lab Manager

Paleontology
Paleoecology

pgarcia@uvu.edu

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801.863.8580 | PS 202c | MS: 179
Danny Horns

Danny Horns

Dean, College of Science

Geologic Hazards
Environmental Geology

hornsda@uvu.edu

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801.863.8582 | SB 241f | MS: 179
Hilary Hungerford

Hilary Hungerford

Associate Professor

Human Geography
Human Environmental
Interactions

hilary.hungerford@uvu.edu

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801.863.7160 | PS 212b | MS: 179
Daren Nelson

Daren Nelson

Associate Professor

Hydrology,
Quaternary Geology

 

nelsonda@uvu.edu

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801.863.5693 | SB 242c | MS: 179
Matt Olson

Matt Olson

Assistant Professor

Physical Geology
Remote Sensing
Ice and Snow Hydrology

Matt.Olson@uvu.edu

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801.863.6864 | PS 214 | MS: 179
Michael Stearns

Michael Stearns

Assistant Professor

Petrology
Tectonics
Structural Geology

mstearns@uvu.edu

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801.863.8498 | PS 215 | MS: 179
Daniel A. Stephen

Daniel A. Stephen

Associate Professor

Invertebrate paleontology,
Stratigraphy & Petrology,
Evolutionary biology

daniel.stephen@uvu.edu

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801.863.8584 | PS 224 | MS: 179
Portrait of Nathan Toke

Nathan Toke

Associate Professor

Earthquake Geology
Tectonic Geomorphology
Geospatial Analyses

nathan.toke@uvu.edu

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801.863.8117 | PS 213 | MS: 179
Alessandro Zanazzi

Alessandro Zanazzi

Associate Professor

Geochemistry
Paleoclimatology
Paleoecology

alessandro.zanazzi@uvu.edu

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801.863.5395 | PS 226 | MS: 179