UC Davis Earth and Planetary Sciences

05/13/2026

This week, we welcomed a local Davis 9th grade Earth Science class to explore our department's research spaces and fieldwork displays alongside our graduate students and faculty. Getting a firsthand look at the many ways Earth scientists study our planet, they examined rock thin sections under microscopes, experimented with our AR sandbox, learned about kelp forest decline, and visited our sabertooth tiger and T. rex displays.

A huge thank you to Susann Pinter and our graduate student volunteers Julia Chin, Eduardo Alatorre-Acevedo, Caden Williams, Anjelica Gurrier, Sylverius Wirba, Erik Perkins and Jocelyn Cziko for sharing their time and knowledge.

Image descriptions:
1) A group of people pose in front of a building.
2) Two people sit beside a large rock and bushes.
3) A group of people sit on large rocks in front of trees.
4) Two people touch a large rock on the ground.
5) A group of students examine a large rock in the dirt.
6) A woman stands in front of a group of students sitting beside the road.
7) A group of students examine a large rock beside the road.
8) A group of students examine a large rock beside the walkway.
9) A group of students sit and stand beside a large rock and trees.

04/24/2026

EPS undergraduate Lena Anderson gave her talk at the 122nd Annual Meeting of the GSA Cordilleran Section in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Her presentation covered bygone bacteria, ancient microorganisms dormant for millions of years in ice or deep-sea sediment that have since been revived by scientists.

Image descriptions:
1) A woman holds a microphone while standing in front of a projector screen.
2) A woman holds a microphone while facing a projector screen.

04/09/2026

We are thrilled to announce that Ph.D. candidate in Earth and Planetary Sciences Claris Sunjo has been awarded the 2026–2027 Faculty for the Future Fellowship from the Schlumberger Foundation. The grant provides $50,000 in support of her graduate research.

This international fellowship recognizes outstanding researchers in STEM not only for their scientific excellence and leadership, but for their commitment to advancing STEM education and opportunity in their home countries.

Claris joins a global community of scholars shaping the future of science. We congratulate her on this remarkable achievement.

The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences is proud to celebrate Ph.D. student Claris Sunjo, who has been awarded the highly competitive 2026–2027 Faculty for the Future Fellowship from the Schlumberger Foundation. This distinguished international award provides $50,000 in support of her resea...

03/19/2026

Paleobiologist Geerat Vermeij and research colleague Tracy Thomson found that early mollusks developed new physical features pretty frequently, about once every 2 million years. Over time, that pace slowed to about once every 9 million years. Nearly half of all these traits showed up in the first 96 million years of mollusk history.

So what changed? As ecosystems grew more complex, evolution didn’t stop but became more predictable. Organisms shape their environments, and those environments, in turn, shape what evolves next.

The takeaway reaches beyond mollusks. Read about it below.

Paleobiologist Geerat Vermeij is enthralled with mollusks. Their shells line the surfaces and fill the cabinets and drawers in his office on the second floor of the Earth and Planetary Sciences Building at UC Davis. But Vermeij’s deep study of these organisms isn’t...READ MORE

03/13/2026

Did some dinosaurs use their arms to communicate?

A fossil study proposed that the small Cretaceous dinosaur Manipulonyx reshetovi used its stubby digits and long claws to crack open eggs. But a new hypothesis from Earth and Planetary Sciences researcher Tracy Thomson suggests another possibility: social signaling.

By comparing fossils to behaviors seen in modern animals, such as pond turtles’ courtship rituals, Thomson argues those tiny forelimbs may have played a role in dinosaur social interactions.

What can today's living animals teach us about extinct ones?

In December 2025, Russian scientists published an analysis of a 67-million-year-old dinosaur fossil that was found in the Gobi Desert in 1979. The researchers examining Manipulonyx reshetovi suggested that the species specialized in egg eating, using its stubby digits and long claws to grasp and pun...

03/12/2026

When Barbara Wortham, PhD, SCR, and Chad Trexler, Ph.D., were graduate students in Earth and Planetary Sciences, coding wasn’t part of their program. Learning it wasn’t easy. Barbara took courses on Codecademy with support from her advisor, while Chad taught himself the tools he needed for his research.

Now, they’re making it easier for the next generation.

The two alumni recently launched a Geology Coding Bootcamp for students, helping fill a real gap in geoscience training. Through pro-level coursework on Codecademy, undergrads and grad students are building confidence in R and Python programming languages, skills that underpin research in fields like geology, climate, paleontology, and oceanography.

As students get comfortable with data earlier, they're able to move further and faster in interdisciplinary research.

Geology provides a language for understanding the Earth. Stories from the planet’s past are locked in the rocks and landscape. But others are hard to reveal, hidden in troves of data. Alums Barbara Wotham and Chad Trexler launched a Geology Coding Bootcamp program to help students uncover those st...

02/26/2026

Professor Tessa Hill has been selected to join the 2026 cohort of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Local Science Partners Program, a national initiative advancing the role of science in public decision-making.

Through the program, Tessa will work directly with lawmakers to strengthen communication between scientists and policymakers. “It is more important than ever to be communicating about our scientific discoveries with policymakers,” Hill shared.

Her work ensures rigorous Earth science moves beyond the lab to help shape decisions that benefit communities and the environment.

Professor Tessa Hill has been selected to join the 2026 cohort of the American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) Local Science Partners Program, a national initiative that strengthens the role of science in public decision-making. Chosen from a highly competitive applicant pool...READ MORE

02/26/2026

We’re proud to see Professor Tessa Hill featured for her work at the intersection of climate change and our oceans. Hill's research connects ocean chemistry, coastal communities, and real-world action, helping us understand what’s happening beneath the surface and why it matters above it.

02/23/2026

More than 1,100 visitors. Four hours. Countless fossils and specimens.

This year’s 15th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day brought a wave of curious minds through the doors of Earth and Planetary Sciences - part of a campus-wide event featuring 12 museums and collections and nearly 250 scientists, faculty, staff, and students sharing their research and teaching collections.

A massive thank you to our graduate and undergraduate volunteers! We’re lucky to have such passionate students bringing deep time and living biodiversity to life for our community.

Image descriptions:
1) Fossils and specimens arranged on a classroom table while visitors observe
2) Visitors gathered around a table of fossils and specimens, listening as a student speaker explains the display
3) Student volunteers standing behind a classroom table filled with specimens
4) A student volunteer with arms outstretched, enthusiastically presenting fossils and specimens to visitors
5) A student volunteer enthusiastically holding up a large rock specimen

02/20/2026

Last week, a dozen researchers from UC Davis Earth and Planetary Sciences spent the afternoon at the California Geological Survey (CGS) for a working exchange focused on research tied to California’s changing landscape.

Graduate students shared short talks on projects underway in our labs, classrooms, and field sites. CGS scientists discussed how their teams translate geologic data into hazard maps, guidance, and tools used across the state. From earthquake risk and landslides to carbon storage and structural monitoring, the conversation spanned both immediate hazards and long-term resilience. The visit concluded with time in the Survey's library among rare books and mineral collections that document decades of geologic work across California.

Photo descriptions:

1) Four people sit at a conference table looking at the television screen
2) A woman speaks from the front of the room with the television screen behind her
3) A wall with a name plate reading California Geological Survey Library and bookcases in the background
4) A table with various rocks displayed atop
5) An old book cover reading Geology of California, Dr. J.B. Trask 1856
6) The inside of an old book with faded pages, text, and an image
7) A geological map of California outlining the San Andres Rift
8 ) A folder cover reading California Earthquake of April 18, 1906 Atlas