2021 News Archive
November 12, 2021: Professor Emeritus Laurence Vigrass passed away on October 19th, 2021 at the age of 92. Dr. Vigrass served the University of Regina Department of Geology from 1968 until his retirement in 1991. Dr. Vigrass taught Geology of Fluids and initiated a research program in organic petrography during his tenure in the Department. He was Director of Energy Research at the University of Regina; under his direction an experimental well was drilled on campus for geothermal research. Prior to his retirement, Professor Vigrass established the "L. W. Vigrass Prize" valued at $500/year for a student majoring in Geology. A Celebration of Life was held for Prof. Vigrass on Friday, November 12th at 11 a.m. at the Library, 41 Elm St., Katepwa Beach SK. Here is a link to Prof. Vigrass’ obituary: https://leaderpost.remembering.ca/obituary/laurence-vigrass-1083615201
October 7, 2021: It is well known that human activities have significant impact on present day environment, but relatively little is known about when and how such impact took place in the early human history. A study led by Dr. Maria Velez of the Department of Geology, University of Regina, demonstrates that diatoms in lake sediments can provide important clues in answering such questions. In a recent publication in The Anthropocene (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213305421000175), Velez et al. (2021) reported on diatom stratigraphies in sediment cores collected from eight mountain lakes in Guatemala, Panama and Colombia. They found that pre-Columbian indigenous peoples had significant impacts on terrestrial ecosystems in the American tropics ... Read more
September 10, 2021: After a one-year hiatus in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our field schools returned to the real field this year! Geol-396, led by Dr. Hairuo Qing, was conducted at Banff and Eastend from August 22 to 28, with six students and one TA. Geol-496, participated by 14 students and led by Dr. Guoxiang Chi, with assistance from Monica Cliveti (lab instructor) and two TAs, was conducted at Flin Flon from September 3 to 10. Students were excited to see the spetacular geological features that they have learned from classroom and books while acquiring new geological knowledge and field techniques in the context of regional and local geology.
Fabruary 25, 2021: What lessons have been learned from online education? Geology student Nicole Kerbs shares her experience in the University of Regina, reports Regina Leader-Post. Read more ...
February 6, 2021: Professors and lab instructors in the Department of Geology come up with creative ways to give students virtual lab experience. Instructors create videos and put together at-home lab kits to give students hands-on learning. Read more …
