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ESS in the News
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Green Gems Shooting from Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii As Lava Forms New Peninsula | Fox News
After weeks of spewing ash and lava, Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is now shooting green crystals into the air. George Bergantz, a volcanologist at the UW, is - Read More -
Guatemalan Volcano Offers Warning for Washington | KIRO Radio
At least 70 people have been killed in the eruption of the Guatemalan volcano and experts say the same could happen here. George Bergantz, professor of Earth and space sciences at ... - Read More -
Rattlesnake Ridge Near Yakima Still Sliding, Popping, Squeaking -- but Nature May Be Hitting Brakes | The Seattle Times
Cracks on the slope above Interstate 82 continue to widen and spread, and rockfalls have increased, but the danger remains low. Steve Malone, professor emeritus of Earth and space ... - Read More -
Plate Tectonics May Be Essential for Life | Quanta Magazine
Life needs more than water alone. Recent discoveries suggest that plate tectonics has played a critical role in nourishing life on Earth. The findings carry major consequences for ... - Read More -
Diana Park (ESS UG) Featured in UAA's Engaging Questions Video
Throughout their experiences, UW undergraduates have been challenged by a broad set of views and perspectives on a wide range of topics, and they have learned to think critically ... - Read More -
NW Scientists Say Our Volcanoes Just Like Ones in Guatemala; Upgraded Monitoring Systems Needed | Q13 FOX News
While the world is watching lava and ash clouds from separate volcano eruptions in Hawaii and Guatemala, scientists here say our monitoring system needs a big upgrade. George ... - Read More -
Lahar Hazards in the Cascades
ESS Prof. George Bergantz is interviewed about the potential for deadly lahars in the Cascades like those occurring at Fuego volcano in - Read More -
Deep Tremor and Subduction Zone Observatory
Brendan Crowell, ESS Research Scientist in geodesy and Paul Bodin, PNSN Director/Manager are interviewed by Glen Farley of KING-TV on May 25 about the ongoing Episodic Tremor and ... - Read More -
Habitability of the Young Earth Could Boost the Chances of Life Elsewhere | Astrobiology Magazine
The conditions on the early Earth have long been a mystery, but researchers from NASA and the University of Washington have now devised a way to account for the uncertain ... - Read More -
Washington's Glacier Peak Volcano Under Renewed Scrutiny
Glacier Peak is the second most explosive volcano in Washington, but is poorly monitored and studied. Prof. George Bergantz addressed the urgency for upgrading the monitoring at ... - Read More -
New Evidence Points to an Unbroken, Million-year-long Ice Core in Antarctica | Gizmodo
Ice cores are like a window to the past, allowing scientists to observe and document climatic and environmental changes over long timescales. The current record for a continuous ... - Read More -
Scientists Have Located the Oldest Continuous Antarctica Ice Cores Ever | Quartz
To climate scientists, Antarctica's landscape is full of potential portals into our planet's past. This week, researchers published a paper announcing the discovery of ice records ... - Read More -
Hawaii's Lava Flows Are Making the Big Island Even Bigger | Mashable
Lava flows from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, while devastating for homes in the way, will gradually add new land to the Big Island, continuing a long geologic history of natural ... - Read More -
A Promising Target in the Quest for a 1-million-year-old Antarctic Ice Core
Ice cores offer a window into the history of Earth’s climate. Layers of ice reveal past temperatures, and gases trapped in bubbles reveal past atmospheric composition. ... - Read More
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Mount St Helens Eruption Remembered by UW Scientist Studying It
Steve Malone, Research Professor Emeritus in ESS is interviewed by KING-TV on the 38th anniversary of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. - Read More -
A Kilauea Eruption Like No Other | Physics Today
The famously active Kilauea volcano in Hawaii typically erupts at existing fissures and triggers minor earthquakes. This latest event has no such limitations. George Bergantz, a ... - Read More -
Mt. St. Helens and Hawaii, is Their Activity Related?
Prof. George Bergantz was interviewed on King5 News about the similarities and differences between Mt. St. Helens and Kilauea in - Read More -
Activity at Kilauea Brings Renewed Attention to Volcanic Hazards in Washington State
Prof. George Bergantz was recently interview regarding the sudden change in eruptive activity at Kilauea volcano and implications for Cascade - Read More -
UW Researchers Will Survey Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier As Part of Major International Effort
The National Science Foundation and the U.K.’s Natural Environmental Research Council this month Read More
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Four UW Students Honored by Goldwater Foundation
Three University of Washington undergraduates are among 211 students nationwide named as 2018 ... - Read More
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Early Earth's Mild Climate May Signal Life on Other Planets | Earth.com
Early Earth has always had a volatile reputation. Previous studies have estimated various scenarios ranging from an ice-covered, snowball Earth to a sweltering environment ... - Read More -
Early Earth's Climate Was More Tame Than Previously Thought, Suggesting Other Planets May Be Suitable for Life | Tech Times
There has yet to be consensus on the climate of early Earth. Different studies have described the planet as an extremely cold snowball, while others have said that it had ... - Read More -
Moderate Conditions on the Early Earth Raise the Prospects of Life Elsewhere | IFLScience
Geologists have spent decades debating the temperatures during the first few hundred million years of Earth's history, as well as the early ocean's chemistry. A new paper provides ... - Read More -
Life on Alien Planets? Earth's Mild Climate History Hints at Possibility | International Business Times
A new study presented by a group of researchers at University of Washington hints at a more moderate climatic history for our planet. David Catling, a UW professor of Earth and ... - Read More -
Earth's Stable Temperature Past Suggests Other Planets Could Also Sustain Life
Theories about the early days of our planet’s history vary wildly. Some studies have painted the picture of a snowball Earth, when much of its surface was frozen. Other ... - Read More
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How Would Aliens Detect Life on Earth? | National Geographic
From gases in the atmosphere to satellites in space, Earth is sending plenty of signals that something here is alive. Joshua Krissansen-Totton, a UW doctoral student in Earth and ... - Read More -
Not All Icebergs Are White: Here's What Makes Them Blue, Green or Striped | ABC News
Icebergs can be beautiful and majestic -- but have you ever wondered what gives them their color? Steve Warren, professor of Earth and space sciences at the University of ... - Read More
Bijia Zhang
Bachelor Of Science - Earth And Space Sciences: Geology
Class of 2014
Email: bijiaz@uw.edu
What made you decide to get into geosciences?
I took Terry Swanson’s ESS 101 in my freshmen year and then I decided to declare my major in geology.
What was your favorite part of the department?
You can enjoy the beautiful scenery in Washington during your class field trips. The GeoClub also organize different camping trips every spring break outside Washington. Faculties and students have very close relationships in the department.
What are you doing now?
I am a first year master’s student at Rice University. I study subsurface geology and geophysics, which are related to oil and gas exploration. I plan to work in oil and gas industry after I get my master’s degree.
Any advice for our current students?
Try to take some classes which are not in your major requirement but interest you and you may be surprised how they will lead you.
Additional Contact Information
Yes! Email me