UNLV Geosymposium

05/18/2026

Good Morning graduates,
The Geoscience department would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to each of you on reaching this incredible milestone in your academic journey! Today, as you walked across the stage, you did not just complete your degree, you stepped into the future as the next generation, ready to shape the world with your knowledge and passion.
This achievement represents years of hard work, dedication, and perseverance, and we are so proud of all that you have accomplished. From fieldwork to classroom discussions, you’ve demonstrated exceptional curiosity, critical thinking, and commitment to Geoscience. Your contributions to the field will no doubt make a lasting impact.
As you celebrate this momentous occasion, take a moment to reflect on how far you’ve come and the exciting opportunities that lie ahead. Whether you are continuing your studies, entering the workforce, or pursuing other passions, we have no doubt that you will bring the same enthusiasm and determination that you’ve shown here to everything you do.
Once again, congratulations! We wish you all the best as you begin this exciting new chapter.
It'll be a hard rock life but remember the world needs more brilliant minds like yours so go out and make your mark!

05/11/2026

Spring 2026 Outstanding UNLV Graduates
Gare Ambrose-Igho
Ph.D. in Geoscience
portrait of Gare Ambrose-Igho
Gare Ambrose-Igho
Water scarcity is top of mind for many Nevadans — and it especially hits home for Gare Ambrose-Igho. The geoscience Ph.D. student is from Nigeria, Africa’s most populated country and part of a region where many lack access to clean drinking water.
Gare spent her graduate career looking for solutions — and along the way earned awards, scholarships, and an impressive 3.9 GPA as she smashed through barriers of a historically white male-dominated field.
Gare’s research explores groundwater flow. Specifically, she uses math to combat food insecurity by mapping well locations and predicting future water availability and agricultural irrigation needs as populations, climate change, and pollution increase. It required years of persistent communication and digging through sometimes unorganized or undigitized data. The award-winning work is focused on Nigeria and its fast-growing neighbor Niger. But Gare’s ultimate goal is to spur international cooperation in managing precious water resources to help alleviate human suffering around the globe.
That includes right here in the Silver State. Gare served as an environment geologist through a Nevada Gold Mines fellowship, mapping well sites, analyzing groundwater samples, and collaborating on an interactive museum exhibit for kids.
Gare has persevered through personal tragedy, balancing academics with leadership and service for organizations including the African Student Alliance and Association for Women Geoscientists.
Her passion has paid off. Gare recently took her talents to the Texas Water Development Board, where she’s working as a hydrologist looking for ways to solve water scarcity challenges there. See less

04/28/2026

Good afternoon Geoscience,

Tomorrow's seminar will be on "Do carbon isotopes in shallow water carbonates preserve a record of global carbon cycling? Insights from Ca isotopes" presented by Dr. Matthew Saltzman. Seminar will take place in LFG 102 from 4:00pm-5:00pm on Wednesday April 29th, 2026.

We hope to see you there!

04/23/2026

From the chair of Geosymposium Ivet Escamilla Franco

Welcome to the 21st Annual GeoSymposium. We are truly grateful to gather and celebrate our students as they share their research with our sponsors, community members, and colleagues.
We extend our sincere thanks to our sponsors—Nevada Gold Mines by Barrick (NGM), Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), Kinross Gold, Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), the Geologic Society of Nevada (GSN), Amentum, the Southern Nevada Gem & Mineral Society, Broadbent & Associates, Inc., and the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology (NBMG)—whose generous support makes this event possible.
We are also deeply appreciative of Dr. Nicholl, Dr. Burnley, Maria Rojas, Brittany Meyers, Rebecca Leung, Amy Noack, Albert Ander Jr., Cole Jacobs, Barney Guarnera, Behre Dolbear and Company, Inc., and Michael and Shirley Stefflre for their contributions to our silent auction.
This GeoSymposium would not be possible without our students. We are deeply grateful for their dedication, generosity, and willingness to step into additional roles over the past year. Their commitment and hard work have truly made this event a meaningful and memorable experience for everyone involved.
With sincere appreciation, we thank Dr. Sierra Ramsey, Mary Clarich, Malka Alcala, Shadrach (Shad) Ashton, Joseph Bingham, Hanford Gonzales, Tim Heming, Jacob Honeck, Piper Irvin, Cole Jacobs, Rebecca Leung, Samantha Maciech, Logan Magad-Weiss, Brittany Meyers, Ashley Momox, Amy Noack, Maria Rojas, Franki Rojas, Nathaniel Valentine, and Karl Viduya.
We are especially grateful to Kara Peterson from the College of Sciences for her guidance and dedication to ensuring a successful GeoSymposium. Thank you to our faculty—Dr. Lamont, Dr. Hannes Bauser, and Dr. Jeremy Koonce—for their continued support and mentorship. We also thank Jacob Honeck for helping organize the field trip to Valley of Fire State Park. A very special acknowledgment goes to Maria Rojas, Franki, Malka Alcala, and Ashley Momox for their continued support throughout the entire planning process.
Finally, thank you to all the students, faculty, community members, volunteers, judges, alumni, and presenters joining us from near and far. Your presence and support mean a great deal, and we are truly grateful to have you as part of this community.

With gratitude,
Ivet Escamilla Franco
Ivet Escamilla Franco GeoSymposium 2026 Coordinator

04/20/2026

Geosymposium is just days away. Visit our page for updates

GeoSymposium is a student-run research conference where graduate and undergraduate students present their research and receive feedback from members of industry, government professionals, academic experts, and members of the community.

04/10/2026

Cancelled

Hello Geoscience, next week's seminar will be on "Sampling Mars: Insights into the History and Habitability of the Red Planet” presented by Dr. Christopher Herd.

Seminar will take place in LFG 102 from 4:00pm-5:00pm on Wednesday April 15th, 2026.

We hope to see you there!

04/06/2026

Good morning Geoscience,

This week's seminar will be on "The Role of Meteorite Impacts in the Origin and Evolution of Life” presented by Dr. Gordon Osinski. Seminar will take place in LFG 102 from 4:00pm-5:00pm on Wednesday April 8th, 2026.

We hope to see you there!

04/06/2026

Congratulations for successfully defending your masters Eunice !!

May you celebrate graduation recalling fond memories from your past and dreaming exciting visions of your future.

The geoscience office staff and Franki

04/06/2026

Congratulation Gare for completing your PhD.

“We hope you never fear those mountains in the distance. Never settle for the path of least resistance. Living might mean taking chances, but they're worth taking.”

04/02/2026

Here’s to the late nights, early mornings, and everything in between worth every second. Congratulations Mary can't wait to see what your next adventure is.

The geo office staff & Franki