地球科学计划培训了研究地球和其他行星的地球学家’的科学家，以便更好地了解其起源和历史。我们相当了解地球的历史
The field of Earth sciences is central in solving current problems such as waste disposal, pollution, groundwater management, volcano and earthquake hazards. It is also vital in the exploration and utilization of natural resources such as oil and gas, minerals and aggregates. A very important area of research in the Earth sciences aims to determine how the planet has evolved from its origin 4.6 billion years ago to the present. Earth's rocks and sediment provide a long record of global change in response to a variety of stimuli. Many Earth scientists are involved in the unravelling of this record of global change and in predicting future changes to the planet.The Department of Earth Sciences offers programs dedicated to graduating high-quality geoscientists proceeding toward registration as a Professional Geoscientist (PGeo). The Department offers other options for those interested in Earth Sciences, but not intending to become Professional Geoscientists.<br><br>We know the Earth's history reasonably well, and that knowledge has helped us to discover natural resources, such as oil and gas, economic minerals and metals, and to understand phenomena, such as global climate change and volcano and earthquake hazards. The geological knowledge derived from the Earth also helps us to better understand other solar system bodies. Two of our professors are planetary geologists, including Dr. Mariek Schmidt who is a member of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Project that operates the rover Curiosity as it explores Gale Crater.