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A banner image collage showing Sir Alex Halliday in the field. In one photo he's walking down a dirt road with a shovel over his shoulder. In another he's examining a rock wall. In both he's wearing a bright yellow safety vest and yellow helmet.

College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences

The UMD Department of Geology cordially invites you to the

George and Rosalind Helz Distinguished Lecture in Geology

with

Alexander Halliday

Alexander Halliday
Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences and of Climate, Columbia University

"Climate change, an academic imperative"

Thursday, March 6, 2025

4 p.m. Lecture, Room 0202
Edward St. John Learning & Teaching Center (Floor Map)

If you have a question about this event, including disability accommodations, please contact Philip Piccoli at piccoli@umd.edu or 301-405-6966.

About the Talk
The direct impact of future climate change is increasingly being viewed as catastrophic for society. Since the late 18th century, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have risen from about 280 ppm to the present value of 425 ppm, the highest since 3 million years ago when average sea-level was more than 10 meters higher. The rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide is mainly linked to energy consumption accompanying improved living standards and increased longevity. Therefore, putting the brakes on climate change is hard, and workable solutions involve complex systems that include social science as well as technology and business. Universities are well placed to provide the requisite trustworthy cross-disciplinary research, education and thought leadership needed for tackling this all-encompassing challenge.

About the Speaker
Alex Halliday is the founding dean emeritus of the Climate School, director of the Earth Institute, and a professor of earth and environmental sciences and of climate at Columbia University. He joined the Earth Institute in 2018 after spending over a decade at the University of Oxford, where he was dean of science and engineering. With over 400 published research papers, Halliday has been a pioneer in developing mass spectrometry to measure small isotopic variations in everything from meteorites to seawater to living organisms, helping to shed light on the birth and early development of our solar system, the interior workings of the Earth, and the processes that affect Earth’s surface environment. His scientific achievements have been recognized through numerous awards, including the Murchison Medal of the Geological Society, the Bowen Award and Hess Medal of the American Geophysical Union, the Urey Medal of the European Association of Geochemistry, and the Oxburgh Medal of the Institute of Measurement and Control. He is a Fellow of the U.K.’s Royal Society and a Foreign Associate of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. He was Knighted in the U.K. for services to science and innovation by Her Majesty the Queen. He is the former Vice President of the Royal Society and former President of the Geochemical Society.

About the Lecture
George R. and Rosalind Helz established the George and Rosalind Helz Distinguished Lecture in Geology in 2014 to allow the UMD Department of Geology to annually host a world leader in science for one or a series of lectures. While George Helz spent his career in UMD's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, he greatly enriched the geology program by collaborating with geologists on a variety of scientific projects and student advisement. Many of the Department of Geology's faculty have also had the pleasure of collaborating with Rosalind Helz, most notably in studies on rocks from Hawaii. Rosalind Helz spent most of her career at the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, Va.

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