Echoes of Yosemite: Geology Talk

Join the Museum of Art and Dr. Alice Baldridge, Professor of Geology and Director of the Earth Sciences Department, for a discussion connecting the works in the exhibition Echoes of Yosemite to the geology of Yosemite.

In this multidisciplinary dialogue, Dr. Baldridge will select sites represented in paintings on view in exhibition Echoes of Yosemite, and discuss what makes their locations - including Half Dome, El Capitan, and Bridalveil Fall - geologically unique.

Alice Baldridge’s research interests are currently focused in three areas: 1) understanding the processes that have shaped planetary surfaces, 2) comparing laboratory, field, and remote spectroscopic data to solve various problems in Earth and planetary science, and 3) increasing accessibility and representation in field sciences.

She has performed field work in Death Valley, CA, Acidic Lakes and Banded Iron Formations of Western Australia, Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, Potrillo Volcanic Field in New Mexico, Sand Dunes of the Western United States, and Hot Springs and Glacial environments of Iceland.

Dr. Baldridge is currently part of a multi-institutional interdisciplinary project funded through NASA to further the science that astronauts are able to perform on planetary surfaces by guiding them on how to analyze and interpret remote sensing datasets and field observations.

Dr. Baldridge teaches courses in Sedimentology, Earth Materials, Earth Systems, and Environmental Geology of the National Parks. She believes in finding balance in her life especially between gaining and sharing her knowledge of Earth, Planetary, and Environmental sciences. She is therefore particularly interested in building partnerships that create research and field opportunities for undergraduate students in order to train a new generation of naturalists to protect and appreciate the world around them.