About USGS

With rare exception, the USGS does not post information or materials unless they are produced in partnership with our agency. You might be able to find a USGS scientist who is interested in working with you to develop a lesson plan, in which case it could become an official USGS product. For more information, contact our Youth and Education in Science (YES) office.

The USGS has the largest earth science library in the world . The Libraries Program includes central libraries in Reston, Virginia and Denver, Colorado along with small, topic-specific libraries in science centers scattered around the country. For assistance with library resources, send an email to library@usgs.gov or call 703-648-4301. Holdings and services at science center libraries tend to...

The USGS does not have a formal program for teacher workshops, but USGS scientists sometimes participate in teacher workshops that are organized by universities or other education groups. Our USGS Education website lists both resources for use in the classroom and easily-understood resources that teachers can use to educate themselves.

The USGS Education website is your gateway to classroom resources. Explore links to lesson plans, activities, educational videos, online lectures, posters, non-technical publications, and images for kindergarten through college. This site is an excellent resource for teachers, students, and anyone interested in learning. Our resources are organized by grade level and topic.

Absolutely! The USGS has partnerships with several citizen science programs that are appropriate for classroom projects, for individual students, or for anyone who wants a fun and rewarding activity. See the Citizen Science page on our USGS Education website .

The USGS has some great science fair ideas related to earthquakes . Find inspiration for projects on other science topics by browsing the USGS Education website .

As a science agency for the United States government, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) serves all United States citizens. The USGS can only be “joined” by its employees, but citizens can get involved in USGS research through its Citizen Science programs . Some USGS Citizen Science opportunities are also listed at Volunteer.gov . In addition: Keep up with the latest USGS science by subscribing to...

The easiest way to find USGS news releases is to select " News " in the top navigation menu on our home page . You can also subscribe to our news through RSS feeds and social media outlets . A quick way to find news releases on specific topics is to put a keyword in the search box that's at the top of most USGS websites, then select the "News" filter at the top of the search results. Learn more...

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) does not have a formal program for providing field trips or classes. USGS employees will sometimes lead field trips or teach classes that are organized by outside organizations, but those are not advertised by the USGS. The USGS has published numerous field-trip guides to geologic areas. Use our online Publications Warehouse to search for "field trip" or...

Very few USGS offices are set up to accommodate visitors. Before stopping by a USGS office, you should check their website or call ahead to make sure that visitors are welcome. There are USGS offices in each state. Members of the public are welcome to use libraries that are located at some USGS offices , but materials can only be checked out through Interlibrary Loan. Please note that most of our...

Volunteers assist on some USGS projects. In all cases, the volunteers are carefully trained and are supervised by a federal employee while they work. To ensure quality-control, data collected by volunteers are checked by USGS supervisors. Volunteers must abide by the same rules, regulations, policies, and laws as employees. Some USGS volunteer opportunities are advertised at Volunteer.gov . Most...

Volunteer.gov is the best starting point for volunteer positions with the USGS and other federal agencies. However, many USGS volunteer positions are not formally announced, so they do not appear on that site. You can contact a local USGS office directly to ask about possible volunteer opportunities. Another way to get involved in USGS science is through one of our Citizen Science programs or...