Valentina Taranovic, professor of mineralogy and petrology

Valentina is a graduate of the geology program here at WSU (2007) while having earned her masters of science in geology from Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario in 2009. She went on to earn her Ph.D. in economic geology from Indiana University, in Bloomington in 2014. She has seven years of teaching experience as both an associate instructor and graduate teaching assistant in both lab and field settings.

In her free time (when she’s not teaching), Valentina enjoys traveling, sightseeing, hiking, spending time with her family and friends, learning more about history and archaeology, attending cultural events and playing recreational sports. She also admits that she would like to try her hand at scuba diving and ice-climbing, whenever she gets the time. 

She has been on research trips to Canada, South Africa, and China and enjoys exploring geology sites in Eastern Sierra Nevada, Snake River Plain, and Yellowstone.  When she’s not doing geology-things, Valentina enjoys movies and TV shows, some of her favorites being: Cloud Atlas, Mystic River, X-Men, Park and Recreation, Ice Age, Breaking Bad, Bones, 21 Grams, and Twin Peaks.