NRC Earth Scientists Celebrate Earth Science Week – Oct. 14-20

Since October 1998, the American Geosciences Institute has organized Earth Science Week, a national and international event to help the public gain a better understanding and appreciation for the Earth Sciences and to encourage stewardship of the Earth.

This year’s Earth Science Week will celebrate the theme “Discovering Careers in the Earth Sciences.” Many of the activities associated with Earth Science Week can be found at: Also, be sure to watch the NRC Chairman’s video about her experiences as an earth scientist.

Earth science, also known as geoscience, is a broad term for the sciences related to study of our planet. Typically, earth scientists use tools from physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics to build an understanding of how the Earth and its related parts work, how it gradually developed into what we know now, and how we can improve our quality of life.

The major disciplines of earth science at the NRC include geology, geochemistry, geophysics, seismology, hydrology, engineering geology, marine science, atmospheric science, environmental science and soil science.

NRC’s earth scientists play an important role in carrying out the NRC’s mission of protecting public health and safety. We work in teams and are key contributors to ensuring that commercial nuclear facilities are located and licensed to operate safely. We also take a proactive approach to address issues that may affect nuclear facilities in the future, like investigating the possible impacts of global climate change. Earth scientists participate in the NRC’s on-going efforts to identify and prevent incidents at nuclear facilities by examining potential consequences of events like hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, volcanoes and earthquakes.

To learn more about what earth scientists do at the NRC, check out these NRC YouTube videos: “Three Minutes With an NRC Hydrologist” and “Three Minutes With an NRC Meteorologist.”

William R. Ott
Environmental Transport Branch Chief
Edward O’Donnell
Senior Geologist