Geology and Geophysics

The Department of Geology and Geophysics has established the Art Snoke Fund to honor the legacy of Professor Emeritus Arthur W. "Art" Snoke and to support the next generation of University of Wyoming geoscientists.

This Giving Day, we invite alumni, former students, colleagues, friends, and supporters of UW Geology and Geophysics to help grow this new fund, which will be used to create opportunities for students to pursue hands-on learning experiences in the field that reflect the curiosity, rigor, generosity, and spirit of discovery that defined Art's career.

Art is an internationally recognized leader in structural geology and tectonics whose work has shaped our understanding of the tectonics of the Rocky Mountains and other geologically complex regions around the world. He is also a phenomenal instructor and mentor. He is perhaps best known to generations of UW students for teaching Wyoming Geology, a course that became a favorite among geology majors and non-majors alike. Through that course and his field-based teaching, Art helped students see Wyoming not just as a landscape but as a record of deep geologic time, tectonic forces, and Earth history written in the rocks around them.

Many of Art's former students remember not only what they learned from him but how they learned it: in the field, through careful observation, spirited discussion, and direct engagement with the rocks themselves. They also remember Art as a rigorous-but-fair and deeply supportive mentor—someone who looked out for his students, helped find the resources they needed to succeed, and encouraged them to pursue meaningful careers both within and beyond academia.

That commitment to field-based learning, student support, and mentorship is at the heart of the Art Snoke Fund. The fund will support student research and field experiences, including travel, supplies, laboratory analyses, equipment, and other essential research expenses. By helping build this fund, you will create opportunities for UW students to ask new questions, explore the natural world, conduct meaningful research, and develop into the geoscientists of tomorrow.

This Giving Day, please help us build the Art Snoke Fund and ensure that Art's legacy of field-based discovery, research excellence, exceptional teaching, and generous mentorship continues for generations to come.