About the QRC

Johnson Hall houses the Quaternary
Research Center and the Department of Earth and
Space Sciences. Built in 1930, it is named for Orson B.
Johnson who joined the faculty in 1882 as a professor
of physiology, botany, zoology, biology, mineralogy,
geology, chemistry, and natural philosophy.

A knowledge of Quaternary events facilitates an understanding of earth history in relation to the modern environment and has predictive value with regard to future environmental changes. This linking of the past, present, and future through interdisciplinary study and research is making the University of Washington a major center for such work.

The Quaternary Research Center is organized to take advantage of the unusual variety of Quaternary interests on campus. The Center's structure permits faculty and students to cooperate effectively across departmental boundaries and thus strengthens interdisciplinary aspects of Quaternary studies. The Center has an active group of adjunct faculty directly concerned with activities of the Center from the departments of anthropology, atmospheric sciences, botany, forest resources, earth & space sciences, oceanography, civil and environmental engineering, and zoology. As a result, there is a broad spectrum of interdisciplinary, mutually supportive opportunities for learning and research.

The Quaternary Research Center seeks to:

Understand environments and climate changes of the past two million years in the context of modern surface processes, with special attention to historical changes, prehistoric postglacial environments, and Ice Age events.
Foster interdisciplinary studies in anthropology, atmospheric sciences, archaeology, biology, climatology, engineering, forestry, geology, geophysics, geochemistry, oceanography, paleoecology, and pedology.
Provide a scientific perspective on the magnitude of human-induced environmental change, including climatic change, in the context of recent earth history.
Apply Quaternary studies to modern environmental problems and natural hazards, helping to guide and understand consequences of policy decisions.

Geographical Setting

Located in the Pacific Northwest, the University of Washington is in a strategic position to participate in both terrestrial and marine aspects of Quaternary research. Our proximity to ocean, lakes, rivers, mountains, lowlands, rain forests, alpine tundra, and the arid Columbia Plateau attracts faculty and students with research interests spanning a wide range of subjects and environments. Our diverse topography and climates provide an ideal research setting, with glaciers, volcanoes, Quaternary sediments and landforms, and biogenic deposits all within driving distance from campus.

Quaternary Seminar Series

The Quaternary Seminar, typically scheduled each Winter and Spring quarter, is the largest seminar offered through the Graduate School and commonly attracts more than 100 participants. Themes for each series of ten sessions are carefully selected by the faculty and reflect topics of current interest in the Quaternary sciences. Over the course of a year or two, participants have the opportunity of hearing and meeting many leading Quaternary scientists, both from this country and from overseas. Visiting speakers normally spend several days on campus and are invited to present specialized seminars on their current research for the benefit of the cooperating academic departments.

Spring Workshop

The QRC Spring Workshop brings national and international experts to the UW for an intensive 2-day mini-conference on a different theme each year. Past workshop topics have included:

Glaciation, Climate Variability, and Climate Dynamics in the Tropics: An Interdisciplinary Workshop in honor of Stephen C. Porter
Environmental Change and Natural Hazards in the Northwest: Lessons from the Past
Tsunami Deposits
Large Earthquakes and Active Faults in the Puget Sound Region
Physical and Biological Responses to the Younger Dryas Climatic Oscillation in the Circum-Pacific Region
Surface-Exposure Dating of Quaternary Landforms: Promise and Limitations

Read more about the QRC Spring 2010 Workshop.

Graduate Program

The academic program associated with the QRC is coordinated with affiliated graduate departments. Students interested in doing research in a Quaternary-related subject at the Center should apply through the traditional department of their choice.

Print the QRC Brochure

View or download the QRC Brochure (PDF), published in May, 2006.

Contact Information

Quaternary Research Center
University of Washington
Johnson Hall, Room 377A
Box 351360
Seattle, WA 98195-1360
206.543.1166

Resource Center
QRC Special Collections

Website Curator
Amir Sheikh

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