Mineralogy at Miami

"I have heard from Earth Scientists depicting Mineralogy as a "sunset" science. These sentiments are due completely to ignorance and lack of scientific insight. This is a tremendously exciting time to be doing Mineralogy, with the explosion of experimental and theoretical techniques, and the fundamental nature of the many complex problems that need to be solved. Minerals are the basic snuff of the Earth and their study will always remain at the core of the Earth Sciences."

Hawthorn 1993, Can. Min. p.292

 

Miami University in Oxford, OH is a unique place for those interested in modern mineralogical studies including crystallography, environmental mineralogy, clay mineralogy, geomicrobiology, mineral deposit formation, and mineral-water interfacial processes. Eight of our faculty members have research interests in the broad area of mineralogy and geochemistry. Specific to mineralogy are the research programs of Hailiang Dong, Mark Krekeler, and John Rakovan.

Formal courses of interest that are taught in the department include: advanced mineralogy, X-ray diffraction, mineral-water interface geochemistry, clay mineralogy, geomicrobiology, scanning probe microscopy and advanced seminars on related topics.

Our analytical facilities include:

Graduate assistantships are available and we are always looking for good students. We have a dynamic department that is very active in teaching and research, and a unique place to do research on a wide variety of mineralogical topics. At our weekly "Minerals-and-Microbes for Monday" We meet for lunch and discussion of current research topics, ideas, and progress. In addition, we make sure we have fun at whatever we do.

Degree programs include B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., and Ph.D.

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