5 faculty and 0 courses in Earth Sciences at Whitman College.
- Kirsten Nicolaysen, Professor of Geology (on leave, ) h-index 11
Es on the record of volcanic activity in the Aleutian arc and, in collaboration with archeology colleagues, explores how these volcanoes provided resources and challenges for the Unangax people during prehistory. Yearly, Nicolaysen designs
Notable: “Origin and evolution of a submarine large igneous province: the Kerguelen Plateau and Broken Ridge, southern Indian Ocean” (2000) · 237 citations
- Kevin Pogue, Professor of Geology h-index 8
Notable: “Extraordinary transport and mixing of sediment across Himalayan central Gondwana during the Cambrian-Ordovician” (2010) · 298 citations
- Lyman Persico, Associate Professor of Geology and Environmental Studies, Chair of Geology h-index 8
Es on extreme flooding and impacts to park resources. In the desert southwest, he studies climate change effects on hillslope-soil-vegetation interactions. In the Aleutian Islands, he studies the links between geomorphic processes, climate
Notable: “Holocene beaver damming, fluvial geomorphology, and climate in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming” (2009) · 77 citations
- Patrick K. Spencer, Grace F. Phillips Professor of Geology h-index 5
Notable: “The “coprolites” that aren't: The straight poop on specimens from the Miocene of southwestern Washington State” (1993) · 18 citations
- Nick Bader, Professor of Geology h-index 1
Quaternary and modern ecology, the global carbon cycle, soil biogeochemistry, Quaternary climate change, and catchment hydrology. My interest in geology was sparked as a child after seeing the remains of prehistoric creatures at the
Notable: “Examination of Pedogenic Weathering Indices in the Coterminous USA Using a Large Nationwide Soil Database” (2015) · 1 citations
Roster/catalog compiled from the college’s public directory. Faculty counts are directory headcounts; the named list may be a subset. h-index shown only for ORCID-backed or high-confidence OpenAlex matches. Data as of 2026-07-02.