WWU Geology Alumni Reception

Giant boulder perched on the edge of a bluff overlooking a desert landscape

WHEN
Monday, October 10, 2022
6:00-9:00 p.m.

LOCATION
Colorado Convention Center
Mineral Hall D
700 14th Street
Denver, CO 80202

PRICE
Free


 

Geological Society of America Annual Conference

Brought to you by the WWU Geology Department
in partnership with the WWU Alumni Association

 

Join your fellow WWU rock stars at a special reception during the Geological Society of America conference in beautiful Denver, Colorado. Honor recent faculty and alumni award-winners, get caught up on everything that's happening at Western, and geek out together about erratics, plate tectonics, alluvial fans, and what, exactly, caused the Nastapoka Arc.

Please note that you don't have to be attending the GSA conference to join us!

See you there!

Professor Liz Schermer pointing to large charts on a WWU Geology van

Honoring Professor Liz Schermer

At this event, we'll be honoring WWU geology professor Liz Schermer. Dr. Schermer has taught at Western Washington University for over 30 years. For the last 20, she has been in charge of the spring quarter field camp course, a 6-9 week traveling field course that (in non-pandemic times) crosses the US Cordillera from coastal California to the Colorado Plateau. Her research, together with MS students at WWU and national and international colleagues involves deformation and mountain-building processes along ancient and active convergent margins. Dr. Schermer has been the primary supervisor of 25 MS students, and a committee member and advisor for numerous others. Nine students have been first or second author on journal articles published over the last 15 years. Nearly all the MS students have gone on to PhD programs or jobs in the geosciences, including a senior geologist at Nevada Gold, an engineering geologist at the Washington Department of Transportation, and a landslide geologist at the Washington Geological Survey.

Bernie Housen in the lab

Reception Host

Bernie Housen, Professor and Chair, Geology

Professor Housen's areas of expertise include: 

  • Applications of geophysics to structural and tectonic problems
  • Paleomagnetism and plate motions
  • Deformation fabrics and tectonics of active accretionary prisms and mélanges
  • Magnetic mineral diagenesis and environmental magnetism of marine sediments
  • Emplacement and deformation fabrics in granitic rocks 
  • Magnetic anisotropy
  • Biomagnetism
  • Paleomagnetism of deformed rocks
  • Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and near-surface geophysics (seismic, electrical resistivity) applied to geological, hydrological, and forensic studies

He received his PhD in 1994 from the University of Michigan, his MS in 1990 from the University of Michigan, and his BS in 1988 from the University of Washington.

Questions and Accommodations

Contact the WWU Alumni Association for this event. Feel free to call at (360) 650-3353 or email at alumni@wwu.edu if you have any questions or comments.

Advance notice for disability accommodations and special needs is greatly appreciated. Please indicate your special needs on the registration form.