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Earth and Space Sciences
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Welcome to the Department of Earth and Space Sciences at UCLA! |
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Our programs in planetary science, isotope geochemistry, continental tectonics, structural geology, mineral physics, paleobiology, geodynamics, seismology, and space physics are among the best in the country.
The extroardinary breadth of the Department reflects the interdisciplinary approaches required to understand complex systems like the Earth and the planets. Our faculty tackle a wide range of problems, from the Sun to the most distant planets, and from the center of the Earth to the tenuous ionized gases of the solar wind. We probe the interior of the Earth using seismic data, laboratory measurements, and computer modeling. We study both the ancient tectonics of the Earth and its ongoing activity. We explore Earth's upper atmosphere using spacecraft to measure magnetic fields and plasmas. Moving outward from Earth, we study other planets, their interiors, surfaces, atmospheres, and particle and field environments. No object in the solar system-not asteroids nor ions in the solar wind-are small enough to escape our attention. A central theme of the Department's researchers is to understand the origin and evolution of the solar system, the planets, Earth itself, and life on Earth.
The Department houses the WM Keck Foundation National Center for Isotope Geochemistry, the Center for the Study of Evolution and the Origin of Life, and a NASA Astrobiology Center. It is a major partner in the Southern California Earthquake Center, and it is deeply involved in NASA's space missions such as the STEREO mission to study the Sun; the POLAR and CLUSTER missions exploring the Earth's magnetosphere; and the Cassini mission to Saturn. UCLA is the lead institution for NASA's Dawn Discovery mission to Ceres and Vesta, the two largest asteroids.
The Department sponsors a wide range of academic and recreational events. Hundreds of distinguished visitors and guest lecturers in all relevant specialties come to UCLA each year, providing valuable interactions which benefit everyone. Several open talks are given each week by these visitors and by our own faculty, students, and researchers. Several annual field trips, formal and informal gatherings, and recreational activities add to departmental spirit.
We maintain a vigorous program in field geology with opportunities for research in the field as close as the Pacific Palisades (a couple of miles from campus) and as far away as Australia, Peru, and Tibet, to name just a few.
Alumni of the Department of Earth and Space Sciences are employed in academic positions in over 100 colleges and universities worldwide; in more than 30 foundation and government organizations; and in over 50 private and industrial firms . . . one is Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory . . . another commutes to work on NASA's Space Shuttle-he's an astronaut at the International Space Station!
>> Download a copy of our Department's brochure in PDF format (1.1MB) for
additional information.
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