Department of Geosciences

The Geosphere is the center of the global ecosystem. It is the ultimate source and repository for all resources, as well as the substrate for the biosphere. There has never been a time when the geological sciences were more central to fundamental problems of the world. Indeed, all of the world’s major environmental problems – clean water shortages, global warming, land use, natural hazards, soil depletion, pollution, storm remediation, and the availability of key natural and energy resources – all of these problems find their scientific roots, and for many, their ultimate solutions, within the geological sciences.

At URI, our approach to the study of the Geosciences reflects this. We offer a comprehensive, rigorous program that blends time in the classroom and laboratory with hands-on experience in the field. Our home in URI’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences (CELS) uniquely positions those who wish to pursue a variety of environmentally related issues, incorporating in their studies the entire spectrum of environmental expertise available within CELS. Our curricula thus prepare our students to grapple with the broad questions that are the hallmarks of the Geosciences, as well as provide an essential multidisciplinary foundation for solutions to 21st Century environmental challenges.

We are a community of faculty, staff, students, and members of the interested public who are committed to geoscience problem solving with an anti-racist agenda: we work together to increase diversity in our programs and field, to promote equity in interpersonal, academic, and societal frameworks, to foster inclusive action, and to engage in matters of social justice. Join us!