Geosciences Department Renamed to Reflect Changing Field
October 12, 2023
The University of Texas at Austin’s Department of Geological Sciences has a new name: The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.
The new name captures the breadth of research happening in the department and reflects recent changes to the undergraduate curriculum that will help UT geosciences students prepare to take on critical issues facing the planet and society, such as better understanding and mitigating climate change, preparing for natural hazards, and sustainably managing critical Earth resources and water supplies.
“Today’s geoscientists do so many things. We’re at the confluence of so many different fields,” said Danny Stockli, department chair and the Chevron Centennial Professor. “The new name is a more representative vision of what we do, what we teach and, to some extent, what we want to be.”
The department is part of the UT Jackson School of Geosciences and is one of the oldest academic units on campus. Founded in 1888 as the Department of Geology, it expanded rapidly during the Texas oil boom of the early 20th century. It underwent its first name change in 1967 in response to broadening research interests and opportunities, particularly in seismology and geophysics.
Stockli said that the field of geosciences has only continued to grow since then, and now frequently cuts across traditional disciplines to encompass the entire Earth system and other planetary bodies.
In the recent past, oil and gas exploration dominated the opportunities available to geosciences students and researchers. Although hydrocarbons remain an important field of study, there are now many different ways to be a geoscientist. For example, researchers and students in the department are creating climate models to forecast water supply levels, storms and heat waves; investigating an array of energy transition solutions; studying what triggers earthquakes, and how the ingredients for life might reach other worlds.
“It (the new department name) is much more much more representative of us,” Stockli said. “It’s a vision of an entire system — the planet, the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the biosphere, the atmosphere.”
Jackson School Dean Claudia Mora said that she hopes that the department name change and curriculum updates can help more people learn about the geosciences, the importance of the field and the many opportunities it holds.
“The geosciences encompass a much more diverse set of problems these days, and these problems are some of the most important ones facing society,” Mora said. “Whether it’s natural hazards or energy resources, climate or sustainability, our students need to understand it all so they can help contribute to solutions.”