Earth Science and Society Spring 2026 Seminar Series Information
Public lectures: Fridays, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm in Tracy Hall Science Center Room 426 (campus map)
Student workshops and discussion follow the lectures: 12:00-12:40 pm
Students: Get credit by registering for GEO 4990 (SUS) CRN 33138, 2 credits
Tentative Seminar Series Schedule
Speakers and topics will be posted as they are confirmed, and are subject to change due to cancellations or other rescheduling needs.
| Date | Speaker & Affiliation | Topic or Title | Flyers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part I: Course Introduction | |||||
| Jan 9 | Dr. Carie Frantz Associate Professor Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences Weber State University |
Course introduction: Earth science and society |
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| Jan 16 | Rick Black Principal Scientist; Ecology and Planning Lead SLR Consulting |
The Utah regulatory landscape |
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| Part II: Operation Gigawatt and Nuclear Energy | |||||
| Jan 23 | Energy and Minerals Program Manager Senior Geologist Utah Geological Survey |
Operation Gigawatt and energy in Utah |
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| Jan 30 | TBD | Achieving net-zero: Local efforts | |||
| Feb 6 | Nuclear Policy Researcher Uppsala University Nuclear Power to the People |
The role of nuclear energy in a carbon-neutral future | |||
| Feb 13 | TBD | New technology: All about small, modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) | |||
| Feb 20 | Executive Director HEAL Utah |
Nuclear energy opposition | |||
| Part III: Science of the Environmental Concerns | |||||
| Feb 27 | TBD | Wasatch Front seismic hazards | |||
| Mar 6 | No seminar | Spring Break | |||
| Mar 13 | TBD Waste Management and Radiation Control Utah Department of Environmental Quality |
Nuclear waste | |||
| Mar 20 |  |
Intermountain Sustainability Summit | Various talks and workshops see /issummit |
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| Mar 27 | TBD | Water consumption and the Bear River | |||
| Apr 3 | TBD | Thermal discharge and aquatic ecology | |||
| Part IV: Mock Permitting Hearing | |||||
| Apr 10 | Student presentations | Part I: Opening arguments | |||
| Apr 17 | Student presentations | Part II: Debate | |||
Past seminar series schedules: 2025 / 2024 91风流 / 2023 / 2022 / 2021 / 2020 / 2019