Commitment to diversity, equality and justice

The Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering seeks to foster an environment where our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members at large feel valued and welcome within the department regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, nationality, veteran status, socio-economic status, political beliefs, physical or cognitive ability, and age.

We recognize that our department, and the geosciences in general, do not reflect the diversity in northern Nevada nor the country at large. This fundamentally limits the success of our department, both in terms of advancing the scientific questions that we are passionate about, as well as in providing high-quality education and training for our community. We are committed to increasing equity, inclusivity, diversity and justice within our department so that individuals who are currently underrepresented can feel not only comfortable, but also thrive within our greater University of Nevada, Reno geoscience community.

We have much to learn, and we will work to elevate minority and indigenous voices. We seek to gratefully acknowledge our opportunities to live and work on the sacred ancestral lands of the Paiute, Shoshone, and Washoe peoples. We endeavor to work in collaboration with Native Sovereign Nations in all of our activities, at home and abroad. While we have a long road ahead of us to create a department that reflects the diversity of our community, below we outline specific, concrete actions to increase diversity within the geosciences through time.

Are you interested in getting involved in DEI activities? Or do you have ideas for ways to increase DEI in our department? E-mail our Geoscience For All Committee Chair, Joel Scheingross for more information.