Celebrate Earth Science Week with lecture series

Ahead of the internationally recognized Earth Science Week, Grand Valley State University’s geology department is celebrating its own Earth Science Week with a series of lectures October 6-10.

Peter Riemersma, associate professor of geology at Grand Valley and coordinator of the Earth Science Week lecture series, said the goal of the series is to not only expose students to the field of geology, but to also give geology majors an idea of possible career options they can strive for after graduation. Riemersma said a unique aspect to this year’s series is the majority of speakers are Grand Valley alumni.

“Trinitite: A Geological Clue Used to Unravel Mysteries in Nuclear Forensics”
Presented by Elizabeth Koeman, ’11, University of Notre Dame
Monday, October 6, 2-2:50 p.m.
Mackinac Hall, room BLL110

“Stream Channel Morphology in the Missouri Ozarks and Perspectives on Graduate School and Employment”
Presented by Andrew DeWitt, ’10, Environmental Resources Management
Tuesday, October 7, 4-4:50 p.m.
Padnos Hall of Science, room 119

“Tracing Ocean Motion in Earth’s Past”
Presented by Figen Mekik, professor of geology at Grand Valley
Wednesday, October 8, 2-2:50 p.m.
Mackinac Hall, room BLL110

“Michigan’s Regulatory Response to Hydraulic Fracturing”
Presented by Adam Wygant, ’93, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
Thursday, October 9, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Cook-DeWitt Center

“The Science of Beer and the Role of Earth Science”
Presented by Jacob Brenner, ’09, head brewer with Barfly Ventures
Friday, October 10, 3-3:50 p.m.
Loutit Lecture Halls, room 102

Since October 1998, the American Geosciences Institute has celebrated Earth Science Week to help the public gain a better understanding and appreciation for the Earth Sciences and encourage stewardship of the Earth. This year’s global Earth Science Week is October 12-18 and will celebrate the theme “Earth’s Connected Systems.”

For more information, contact Peter Riemersma at (616) 331-3728 or [email protected].