| Department of Earth Science & Environmental Change

Get to know cancer researcher and ESEC professor Bruce Fouke

2026-05-13

Bruce Fouke with samples of coral reefs in his lab.

The Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) has more than 125 members from across the Illinois campus, including the Ralph E. Grim Professor in Earth Science & Environmental Change, ...

Fall 2026 Colloquium

Read more about Fall 2026 Colloquium

Thursdays, 11:00 AM-12:20 PM, unless otherwise indicated
Location: 2079 Natural History Building, unless otherwise indicated

September 03 -

September 10-

September 17-

Teaching the questions, not just the answers

2026-05-08

Two people in graduation caps and gowns posing for a picture.

For many students, their introduction to earth science and environmental change begins in Max Christie’s classroom at the University of Illinois...

ESEC announces 2025-26 award winners

2026-04-30

People posing for a photo with award certificates.

The Department of Earth Science and Environmental Change recently recognized our wonderful undergraduate and graduate students for their achievements in research, teaching, service, and academics. From fieldwork and lab discoveries to leadership in the department, these awards highlight the impact...

Still standing but mostly dead: Recovery of dying coral reef in Moorea stalls

2026-03-11

In April 2019, a marine heat wave struck a coral reef on the island of Moorea in French Polynesia, killing much of the coral and the beneficial algae that colonized it. This “bleaching” event reduced live coral populations on the reef from about 75% beforehand to less than 17% a year later and led...

Study documents conflict between commerce and conservation at mining operation in Bangladesh

2026-03-11

Remnants of resource mining in Bangladesh.

A new study using multidecade satellite imagery and face-to-face human interviews tracked the environmental and societal impacts of gravel mining in the Lubha River, Northeast Bangladesh. The researchers found that the river had recovered its natural shape within just four years after gravel mining...

Spring 2026 Colloquium

Read more about Spring 2026 Colloquium

Thursdays, 3:30 PM, unless otherwise indicated
Location: 2079 Natural History Building, unless otherwise indicated

January 29 - No Colloquium

‘Trees are time machines’

2025-12-15

Two students taking a tree ring core from a tree.

Geology can take many forms, from the study of rocks and minerals to the living records preserved in trees. At Homer Lake Forest Preserve, graduate students from the ...

Book looks at treasure trove of scientific data from 19th-century HMS Challenger voyage

2025-11-04

The voyage of the HMS Challenger in the 1870s was a sprawling 3-1/2-year expedition to explore the world’s oceans. The scientists aboard the vessel collected 100,000 specimens of sea creatures, discovered 5,000 new species, mapped the ocean floors and took hundreds of measurements of sea...

Illinois Launching Two New Online Graduate Certificates in Environmental and Engineering Geology

2025-10-30

Two geologists looking at a clipboard in the field.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is expanding its online offerings with two innovative programs, designed to meet the growing demand for advanced skills in environmental and engineering geology.Launching in spring 2026, the graduate certificate programs in...

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