岩石学的研究生研究机会包括原子级研究（例如，处理玻璃的结构）以及有关岩浆套件与大规模地幔和地壳过程之间关系的全球性问题。项目包括用于检查熔体中挥发性溶解和晶体成核机理的光谱学和量子化学方法，以及压力，温度和挥发性成分对矿物和熔体稳定性的影响的实验研究，以及相应的热力学模型的开发。在某些研究中，将现场和实验室工作整合在一起。实验正在应用于火星陨石。这项工作得到了实验设施的支持，这些设施包括可控气氛的气体混合炉，冷密封炸弹，活塞缸设备，内部加热的压力容器以及用于在高温和高压条件下进行实验的多砧设备。分析设施包
Opportunities for graduate study and research in petrology range from atomic-scale investigations, for example, dealing with the structure of glasses, to global questions regarding the relationships of magmatic suites to large-scale mantle and crustal processes. Projects include spectroscopic and quantum chemical approaches for examining mechanisms of volatile dissolution and crystal nucleation in melts and experimental investigations of the effects of pressure, temperature, and volatile composition on stabilities of minerals and melts, with corresponding development of thermodynamic models. Field and laboratory work are integrated in some studies. Experiments are being applied to Martian meteorites. This work is supported by experimental facilities that contain controlled-atmosphere gas-mixing furnaces, cold-seal bombs, piston-cylinder apparatus, internally heated pressure vessels, as well as multi-anvil apparatus for experiments at high temperature and pressure conditions. Analytical facilities include an electron microprobe, a transmission electron microscope, thermal ionization mass spectrometers, a M'ssbauer lab, and X-ray diffraction facilities.