Message from the Chair

Welcome to the Department of Geosciences at Auburn University,

Our vibrant department is made up of dedicated Geosciences faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community partners who explore dynamic issues of Earth, Environment, and Society. Our geosciences community includes faculty and staff who explore diverse areas in the disciplines of Geography and Geology, two in-demand STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Math) fields at Auburn. We are committed to student excellence, research excellence, and teaching excellence. Auburn geoscientists are deeply invested in the land, sea and space grant missions of Auburn University. This includes a strong outreach and service commitment to the citizens of Alabama and beyond.

Focused on student excellence and career preparation: We offer several graduate and undergraduate programs, majors, and certificates. As a department focused on the Earth, Environment, and Society there is room for all to find their career path and educational interests in our courses and programs. We recognize that students, parents, and families are interested in finding Auburn majors and programs that lead to career satisfaction and strong salaries. This is the place for you. Our graduates at the B.S., M.S, and Ph.D. levels are employed in various economic sectors around Alabama and across the globe. Our department also has a dedicated group of Alumni and Friends through the Geosciences Advisory Board (GAB). The GAB supports student excellence, scholarships, carer development, and networking opportunities.

Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program: Since 2018, we’ve graduated and supported students in an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Earth System Science, allowing students to examine new ways of thinking about Earth, Environment, and Society through the intersection of Earth’s dynamic processes and human interactions. The program has engaged faculty from five colleges and more than 10 departments to train the next generation of earth and environmental scientists and is led by the Department of Geosciences.

The world is our classroom. As a department committed to examining grand challenges in Earth, Environment, and Society, we regularly provide real-world field experiences and learning laboratories where students gain knowledge and make connections between course content and real-world experiences to better prepare them to succeed in their careers, while making meaningful contributions across the globe.

Committed to the land-grant mission: As part of the Auburn land-grant mission, geoscientists engage with broader communities in Alabama and beyond. Geoscientists regularly provide public talks, trainings, community events, and K-12 classroom visits. We host a yearly Geosciences Day to showcase all the science and technology learning opportunities available through our department. During the 2024-2025 academic year, the Department, along with support from the College of Sciences and Mathematics, is set to support science and technology learning experiences through a 37-foot mobile science lab on a Class A RV through the new Geo Explorer Labs program at Auburn. Geo Explorer Auburn is staffed by Auburn geoscientists and will visit K-12 schools to offer hands-on learning in these in-demand STEM activities and technologies.

Core themes in Auburn Geosciences: Auburn geoscientists focus on a diversity of research and teaching themes, or core strengths include:

• Earth and Life Through Time – Sedimentology/Paleobiology/Geomicrobiology
• Environmental Geosciences – Climate/Hydrogeology/Environmental Geochemistry/Water Resources/Natural Hazards
• Geospatial Sciences and Geoinformatics – Geographic Information Systems/Remote Sensing/UAVs/Data Science
• Natural Resources Exploration – Energy/Minerals/Engineering Geology
• Solid-Earth Processes and Dynamics – Petrology/Geochemistry/Structural Geology/Tectonics/Geophysics

Please use our website and follow us on our social media channels to explore how you might fit with the Auburn Geosciences Department. We’d love for you to join us in our Geosciences community to explore the grand challenges of Earth, Environment, and Society.

We are going places with geosciences. We hope you can join us on the Plains. War Eagle!

With gratitude,

Dr. Timothy L. Hawthorne

Professor and Chair of Geosciences

2022-2024 National Geographic Explorer