About Us
Faithfully exploring God's Earth and its systems, since 1967. The GEO Department is a community working together to investigate Earth and it's human habitation, cherish its intricate physical processes and rich cultural diversity, and act justly as stewards of God's creation.
Professional-Grade Facilities
The GEO department hosts extensive samples of mineral, rock and fossils, a vast collection of maps, a dedicated geo-spatial analysis lab, drones, an on-campus research sand dune, a weather station, and the Bruce Dice Mineralogical Museum.
Student/Faculty Research
Students conduct academic-year and summer research with professors. In recent years, students have studied:
- Lake Michigan Coastal Dunes - through our yearly FYRES Mentorship Program
- Excavation, curation, and analysis of a late Pleistocene mastodon
- creating a web application for the Plaster Creek watershed
- The Flat Iron Lake Preserve 25 miles northeast of Grand Rapids
- Calvin Ecosystem Preserve & Native Gardens - A 104-acre preserve of temperate deciduous forest, wetlands, and nature trails
- Calvin's Biodiversity Project - a comprehensive database of the flora and fauna of Calvin University
Study Abroad
Off-campus study is an important part of the Calvin University experience. In addition to Calvin's variety of semester-long programs, the GEO department offers field courses in Death Valley, Great Lakes, Alaska, Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park, and more.