Geology / Earth Sciences

Apply chemistry principles to understand rock formation, mineral deposits, and geologic processes.

Study atoms, bonding, reactions, stoichiometry, equilibrium, and thermodynamics at the molecular level.

Study Earth's materials and processes — minerals, volcanoes, earthquakes, plate tectonics, and erosion.

Trace Earth's 4.5-billion-year history through fossils, rock layers, and major extinction events.

Identify minerals by their crystal structure, optical properties, and chemical composition.

Study how sediment deposits and rock layers record Earth's past environments and climate.

Classify and analyze igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks and how they form.

Interpret faults, folds, and rock deformation to reconstruct tectonic forces that shaped landscapes.

Analyze how rivers, glaciers, wind, and waves shape Earth's surface landforms over time.

Map rock formations and structures outdoors using compass, hammer, and GPS in multi-day fieldwork.

Master derivatives and integrals — the math of rates of change and areas under curves.

Cover mechanics, energy, waves, and thermodynamics through problems and hands-on lab experiments.

Study groundwater flow through rocks and soil for water supply and contamination cleanup.

Study ancient life through fossils — evolution, extinction events, and reconstructing past ecosystems.

Use seismology, gravity, and magnetics to study what lies beneath the surface and find resources.