The Department of Earth Science & Environmental Change at the University of Illinois has been a home for pioneering research and excellent teaching for well over a century, with our graduates becoming leaders in both academia and industry. We have strong research programs in Earth Materials (Mineral Science), Sedimentary and Earth Surface Processes, Geobiology, Hydrogeology, Seismology, Geochemistry/Petrology, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Paleoclimate, and Tectonics/Structural Geology. Being a part of one of the nation’s top public research universities, we have extensive resources, enabling our students to conduct research at the cutting edge.  Our research is based around 8 distinct areas.