Seminar Details
Seminar Lab Date: October 26, 2026
Seminar Lab Subject: Geology & Civilization: The Intersection of Geology and Humans through Time in the Eastern Mediterranean
Seminar Lab Presenter: Donna Whitney, Ph.D., Distinguished McKnight Professor, Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota
Seminar Lab Location:
In-person only at University of Minnesota, Tate Hall, Room B20
Lecture start time 7:00 PM CT
Seminar Lab Detail:
Summary: Throughout human history, geological processes have had – and continue to have – a major influence on the origin and evolution of civilizations. In particular, climate, earthquakes, volcanoes, and the location and abundance of mineral, energy, and water resources are significant factors in human societies. One of the most dynamic regions for the intersection of geological processes and humans is the eastern Mediterranean. Using examples from more than 30 years of field-based research in Anatolia (Türkiye), Donna Whitney (UMN) will explore some aspects of the tectonic history of the region in the context of their influence on people: past and present. Note that in this talk, the terms ‘history’ and ‘civilization’ will be used loosely to refer to human societies in general, and the focus will be on the geologic processes because the speaker is a geologist!
Biography:
Donna Whitney is originally from Maine, got her undergrad degree in geology from Smith College, then a PhD from the University of Washington. After 4 years as a professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, she landed at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 1997 and has been here ever since. At UMN, she has taught mineralogy and petrology courses, advised 40 graduate students, and spent 10 years as head of the School of Earth & Environmental Sciences. Her research is focused on using metamorphic rocks to investigate processes in the deep parts of continental and oceanic crust, such as in mountain belts and subduction zones. Field sites in the past 10 years have included the US, France, Norway, Türkiye, Australia, and New Caledonia. At UMN, she is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor, the George & Orpha Gibson Professor of Geosciences, and a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers. She was recently awarded a fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for research in Germany, and she was the 2024 President of the Mineralogical Society of America.
