Faculty

Frank Spear Department Head

In recent decades, the Earth Sciences have undergone major changes, stimulated in part by the reinterpretation of Earth history and processes within the context of plate tectonics. The past 15 years have been especially exciting, as new understanding of the interconnectedness among all Earth systems – air, water, solid Earth and the biosphere – has come into sharper focus.  Faculty in Rensselaer’s Earth and Environmental Sciences Department provide instruction in modern Earth Sciences that is both far-reaching and relevant, addressing key topics including biogeochemical cycling in aquatic systems, the evolution of mountain belts, Earth’s climate extremes, the nature of crustal movements that cause earthquakes, and the evolution and origins of life on our planet.

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