Geology and Environmental Sciences
Office: 150 Houghton Hall
(716) 673-3302
Dr. Junaid Zubairi, Chairperson
Dr. Thomas Hegna, Coordinator
Email: geo.esci@fredonia.edu
Website: https://www.fredonia.edu/academics/colleges-schools/college-liberal-arts-sciences/geology-environmental-sciences
The Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences offers four degree programs - three Bachelor of Science degrees and one Bachelor of Arts degree.
Bachelor of Science Programs:
The B.S. degree program in Geology is intended primarily for students planning to undertake employment or graduate study in geology or who desire a liberal arts education with an emphasis in geology. Graduates of this program will have met the educational requirements for licensure in the State of New York. Most geologists are employed by private industry – in petroleum, mining, cement, ceramic, sand and gravel, and in environmental and engineering firms. Many work for various federal agencies and the 50 state geological surveys, or are self-employed, often working as consultants. Colleges and universities offer teaching and/or research positions.
The B.S. degree program in Environmental Sciences is intended primarily for students seeking a career in an environmentally related field such as conservation, climate change, wildlife, and forestry. The interdisciplinary nature of this program prepares students for a wide variety of possible careers including: environmental consulting, resource management, conservation scientist, aquatic and fishery research/management, wildlife management, conservation officer, and environmental and community planning. Graduates will also be well prepared for graduate studies and research across multiple disciplines.
The B.S. degree program in Adolescence Education Earth Science is intended for those students who plan to teach earth science in secondary schools. It includes the fundamental courses in geology, meteorology, astronomy, and oceanography, which constitute the “content” of Earth science, and the necessary professional education courses.
Bachelor of Arts Program:
The B.A. degree program in Earth Science is intended primarily for students who want a liberal arts education with a broad emphasis in the several sub-disciplines that constitute Earth science. It is useful to those who have career goals in production, technical services, information systems/processing, marketing/sales, administration and/or finance, rather than goals of becoming professional scientists.
It is recommended that students planning to pursue a career in the Earth sciences as a professional scientist should earn either the B.S. degree in Geology or the B.S. degree in Environmental Science rather than the B.A. degree in Earth Science, because the Bachelor of Science degrees require a more rigorous background in physics and mathematics with is needed to pursue graduate studies in the geosciences or employment as a professional scientists.
Teacher Certification: Students who desire to teach Earth science in secondary schools may obtain initial certification by completing the B.S. degree program in Adolescence Education: Earth Science with its required professional courses in Education EDU 224, EDU 250, EDU 303, EDU 304, EDU 349, EDU 430 and Science Education SCED 105, SCED 276, SCED 303, SCED 305, SCED 419). Students in all education programs are required to demonstrate competence in a foreign language. This requirement may be satisfied in any one of the following ways: (1) Achieving an 85 percent on a Regents language exam, (2) Achieving a 65 percent or better on a Regents language exam and successfully completing an Elementary I or Elementary II level college language course, (3) successfully completing Elementary I level and Elementary II level college language courses in the same language, or (4) successfully completing an equivalent Fredonia language proficiency exam. The College Core Curriculum foreign language requirement differs from the certification requirement and must be satisfied for degree conferral. Students are screened by the department chairperson before entering SCED 419.
Students are encouraged to participate in the activities of the Geology and Environmental Science Club.
The department awards scholarships for academic achievement each semester and annually presents the Roy Angus MacDiarmid Award to the department’s outstanding graduating senior, the Paul D. Willette Scholarship to the outstanding junior, the Walther M. Barnard Geosciences Scholarship to the outstanding sophomore, and the Florence M. Eikenburg scholarship is awarded to outstanding sophomore or junior majors, with first preference going to female students. The Susan Mara Scholarship, The Mark D. and April Hoefner Orgren Scholarship, the Fahnestock Memorial Fund Scholarship, and Geoscience Alumni Scholarship are awarded by the faculty to students deserving of special recognition. In addition, the department awards the Spatial Studies Award to outstanding students pursuing studies in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and related fields, the Gary and Eileen Lash Award to promote student growth in the area of field studies, and the Temporal Studies Award for students doing outstanding work in time-based studies of geological processes relevant to issues facing society. Scholarships are also available for costs associated with Field Geology (GEO 461) through the David and Carol Larson Field Camp endowment. In addition to scholarships offered within this department, students with environmental interests may also be eligible for the Making a Difference Scholarship (campus-wide) as well as multiple environmental-specific awards hosted by the Biology Department., including the Garlapow Memorial Scholarship (incoming students), the Herber and Marion Mackie Scholarship, the Ken Mantai Scholarship Endowment, the Willard F. Stanley Memorial Fund, the Kourelis/Stavrids Award for Outdoor interests, the Kourelis/Stavrides Scholarship, and the Sons of Karen West Scholarship.
Laboratory credit: 1 credit hour of laboratory work includes three clock hours in the laboratory per week. Four (4)-credit hour courses in geosciences include 1 credit hour of laboratory work.