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Geology and Environmental Sciences Department

GEOLOGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES

The Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences will help you grow your geoscience career in the most effective, beneficial and enjoyable ways possible.

FIELD-BASED EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION

Our department is dedicated to giving our students the very best field-based education. We take every opportunity to get students out of the traditional classroom and into the field to experience geological and environmental science phenomena firsthand. Nearly every upper-level geology course has a field component where students learn to make direct observations, collect and record data to be used in course-related research projects.

Many of the field trip destinations during our course field trips, our off-campus J Term field courses and our conference trips are truly spectacular, textbook examples of major geologic phenomena that are commonly on the “Life Lists” published by geologists. Geology students can expect to check off several of these “life list” destinations over the course of their 3- or 4-year undergraduate career at Hartwick!

Field Trips

Hartwick College geology students camping in the field

Outdoor Adventures

We cover new (and old) ground! Outdoor adventures and hands on learning are common components in most of our geology and environmental sciences courses.

Hartwick College geology students in field

Field Study

Our department is dedicated to giving our students the very best field-based education. Why such a focus on field study?

  • Every geoscientist must understand the context of their data…and the data comes from the field.
  • It develops a better understanding of 3-dimensional relationships found in nature.
  • Complex phenomena are easier to understand when observing them directly.
  • It’s fun!
Hartwick College geology student in field

Phenomena Firsthand

We take every opportunity to get students out of the traditional classroom and into the field to experience geological and environmental science phenomena firsthand. Nearly every upper-level geology course has a field component where students learn to make direct observations, collect and record data to be used in course-related research projects. Many of the field trip destinations during our course field trips, our off-campus J Term field courses and our conference trips are truly spectacular, textbook examples of major geologic phenomena that are commonly on the “Life Lists” published by geologists.

“The best geologist is the one who has seen the most geology…visiting unique geologic sites in the field has no substitute. That’s one of the reasons geology departments take field trips. For the geologist, life is a field trip. With this experience, every place has an element of familiarity. The sense of place is important to geologists and important to their work.”

Dr. Lisa Rossbacher

President, Southern Polytechnic and State University, Marietta, GA

THE GEOLOGIST “LIFE LIST”

OFF-CAMPUS J TERM COURSES

The Hartwick January Term (J Term) allows the Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences to conduct two- and three-week long field courses in a variety of unique destinations around the world. Courses/destinations rotate yearly and most are offered once every 2-4 years. Participants pay no additional tuition for these courses, but they do pay a fee that covers cost of the travel. A number of Hartwick College scholarships are dedicated to defraying a significant portion of these fees, including (but not limited to) the “Hutch” Award.

Lava flowing into ocean

Geology and Natural History of Hawaii

The Hawaiian Islands possess several geological and environmental phenomena that are unique on Earth (including the most active and accessible volcano on Earth), thus there are few other places on Earth where this collection of educational experiences can be mimicked, much less replicated.

Hartwick College students in field in Hungary

The Geology in Art of Hungary

Geology in Art explores the artistic phenomena where geology brings its own aesthetic and conceptual heritage. Many artists and naturalists have dedicated their work to the study of earth sciences. This course is an opportunity to survey traditional, historic and contemporary art, history, and geology of Hungary in order to draw conclusions between the two subject areas.

Hartwick College student sitting on shoreline in Caribbean

Geology and Natural History of the Caribbean

This course introduces students to the tectonic, geological, oceanographic and environmental aspects of the Caribbean. By comparing/contrasting the physical characteristics and environments observed on/around an island, students pay close attention to the influence of geology on human society and the impact humans have had on the natural world.

Student-Faculty Research

Research experience is important. Every Hartwick Geology and Environmental Sciences (GESC) student conducts original research with a faculty member. Many of these projects are compelling enough to be presented at international conferences.

Freedman Prize in Applied Geosciences

The Freedman Prize funds student-faculty collaborative research in the applied geosciences. Project proposals are reviewed annually and include fields such as: various subfields of geology, water, climate, soil, and environmental sciences, biogeochemistry, geobiology, geomicrobiology, clay mineralogy and its applications to the arts, resource management, and implementations of renewable technologies and sustainability.

Why do undergraduate research?

Completing an undergraduate research project and written thesis demonstrates to graduate faculty and employers that a student can: A) identify a basic scientific problem that needs solving, B) formulate hypotheses and a basic plan for testing those hypotheses, C) extract relevant data, D) relate that data to accepted former studies, and E) evaluate the validity of the hypotheses.

The process fosters critical thinking, inductive reasoning, and a certain level of creativity.

Working experience with the scientific method is important, but learning to creatively deal with failures and pitfalls is just as important to the development of a scientist.

Scientists also know that students develop patience, determination and independent work ethic by successfully completing such long-term research projects.

Presenting study results orally and in written form also gives the student experience with scientific communication.

Ross Braue ’17 and Dr. Eric Johnson are investigating fluid-driven amphibolie-scapolite mineral veining in metamorphic rocks of the Carthage Colton Shear Zone, northwest Adirondack Lowlands, New York.

Zane Grunewald ’17 and Dr. Robert Titus are investigating the fossil assemblage of the Solsville Member equivalents in the upper Oatka Creek Formation (Middle Devonian Marcellus Subgroup), in the Cooperstown, New York area.

Caitlyn Hawley ’17 and Dr. Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad are investigating daily changes in Susquehanna River water chemistry near Oneonta, New York.

Victoria Hubbard ’17 and Dr. Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad are investigating differences in soil mineralogy at select hemlock wooly adelgid affected forests in New York.

Ali Jaber ’17 and Dr. Eric Johnson are investigating analogue modeling of rock hydrofracturing.

Elizabeth Klonowski ’17 and Dr. David Griffing are investigating subtle breaks in fossil reef development in the Waimanalo Limestone (Pleistocene), Kaena Point, Oahu, and the potential for recognizing sea-level changes.

Sarah Kohlmeier ’17 and Dr. Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad are developing a series of outdoor lab exercises related to water quality (Geological Education track).

Skylar Kortright ’17 and Dr. David Griffing are investigating environmentally-induced microbialite encrustations within the Cockburn Town Quarry fossil reef of the Grotto Beach Formation (Pleistocene), San Salvador Island, Bahamas.

Connor Long ’17 and Dr. Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad are investigating groundwater spring inputs and their contribution to the Pine Lake water budget.

Nicole Mehr ’17 and Dr. Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad are investigating the soil-water chemistry of select hemlock wooly adelgid affected forests in New York.

Samuel Nowak ’17 and Dr. Eric Johnson are investigating gold-mineralization in the greenstone belts of northern Minnesota.

Kyle Smart ’17 and Dr. Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad are investigating silicate mineral weathering by folic acids.

Nick Stephan ’17 and Dr. Eric Johnson are investigating art fraud at the Yager Museum using non-destructive pigment analysis and other forensic techniques.

Hali VanValkenburg ’18 and Dr. David Griffing are investigating coral development and preservation in storm-dominated shallow marine paleoenvironments of the uppermost Ludlowville Formation (Middle Devonian) of western New York.

Joshua White ’17 and Dr. David Griffing are investigating microstructures of petrified wood from the Aguja Formation (Late Cretaceous) of the Christmas Mountains of west Texas, with the help of Dr. Douglas Hamilton (Biology Dept.)

Nicole Mehr ’17 and Dr. Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad co-presented a paper also co-authored with Joseph Balnis ’15 and Brian Redder ’14 entitled “The biogeochemical effects of the hemlock woolly adelgid on soil water chemistry” at the Geological Society of America Northeastern Section Meeting, in Albany, New York, March 21-23, 2016.

Kyle Smart ’17 and Dr. Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad co-presented a paper entitled “Fungi and biotite interactions in the rhizosphere of Norway Spruce” at the Geological Society of America Northeastern Section Meeting, in Albany, New York, March 21-23, 2016.

Nicole Mehr ’17 and Dr. Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad co-presented a paper also co-authored with Joseph Balnis ’15 and Brian Redder ’14 entitled “The effects of the hemlock woolly adelgid on soil water chemistry” at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, in Baltimore, Maryland, November 1-4, 2015.

Kyle Smart ’17 and Dr. Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad co-presented a paper also co-authored with Mark M. Smits, Håkan Wallander, Pavel Krám, and Jan Curik entitled “Silicate mineral alteration in the rhizosphere of Norway spruce in three catchments of the Slavkov Forest, Czech Republic” at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, in Baltimore, Maryland, November 1-4, 2015.

Katherine Popyack ’16 and Dr. David Griffing co-presented a paper also co-authored by Kaitlyn Morvan ’13 and Jason Stouffer ’05, on a paper entitled “Finding the elusive Catskill Delta: Three undergraduate research projects identify Devonian marginal-marine strata on Oyaron Hill, east-central New York” at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, in Baltimore, Maryland, November 1-4, 2015.

Jessica Domino ’15 and Dr. Eric Johnson co-presented a paper entitled “Formation of hybrid melts via magma mixing in the Cape Ann Plutonic Complex, Massachusetts USA” at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, in Baltimore, Maryland, November 1-4, 2015.

Sean Coppola ’15 and Dr. Eric Johnson co-presented a paper entitled “Soil creep rates under portions of the Hartwick College campus: Oneonta, New York” at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, in Baltimore, Maryland, November 1-4, 2015.

Kyle Smart ’17 and Dr. Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad co-presented a paper also co-authored with Håkan Wallander and S. Stipp entitled “Mineral surface alterations in the rhizosphere of conifers” at the Goldschmidt Conference, Prague, Czech Republic, August 16-21, 2015.

Keith O’Connor ’15 and Dr. Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad co-presented a paper entitled “Sediment and water analysis of a glacially formed lake” at the 249th ACS National Meeting and Exposition, Denver, Colorado, March 22-26, 2015.

Brian Redder ’14 and and Dr. Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad co-presented a paper also co-authored with Joe Balnis ’14 entitled “Effects of woolly adelgid induced hemlock productivity decline on soil nutrient content” at the 249th ACS National Meeting and Exposition, Denver, Colorado, March 22-26, 2015.

Keith O’Connor ’15 and Dr. Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad co-presented a paper entitled “Geochemical analysis of a kettle lake in upstate New York” at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, October 19-22, 2014.

Caitlin Pointer ’14 and Drs. David Griffing and Eric Johnson co-presented a paper entitled “A complex origin for an unusual paleosol interval within the Koloa Volcanic Series, Kauai, Hawaii” at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, October 19-22, 2014.

Brian Redder ’14 and and Dr. Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad co-presented a paper also co-authored with Joe Balnis ’14 entitled “Water chemistry of a hemlock forest in Robert V. Riddell State Park, New York” at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, October 19-22, 2014.

Matthew Robertson ‘13 and Dr. Eric Johnson co-presented a paper entitled “Deformation/flow mechanisms in the 6.8 km long McGregor trachyte flow, Maui, Hawaii” at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, October 19-22, 2014.

Catherine Winters ’14 and Dr. Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad co-presented a paper entitles “Water quality assessment of the Ouleout Creek in upstate New York at the 247th ACS National Meeting and Exposition, Dallas, Texas, March 16-20, 2014.

Geology & Environmental Sciences Awards

Department majors may qualify for awards that support geoscience-related travel for: J Term courses, conferences, or research; or, students and faculty collaborative research.

Learn More

Geology & Environmental Sciences Internships

Many of our students complete internships with for-profit companies, non-profit organizations during a summer or J Term. While all provide career experience, some become gateways to long-term employment.

Our students have completed with: Vermont EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research); Hunter Wetlands Center, New South Wales, Australia; Paleontological Research Institution in Ithaca, New York; Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold, Inc., Bagdad, Arizona; Incorporated Research Institutes for Seismology, Wyoming; Otsego County New York Conservation Association; TransCanada, Long Island City, New York; U.S. National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution; National Park Service - Glacier National Park, Montana.

DELTA DELTA G – THE GEOLOGY CLUB

“Pounding on the outcrops of the Devonian seas…” Founded in 1975 by the Hartwick Geology faculty, Delta Delta G has provided great educational and social experiences for majors and interested non-majors alike. In addition to arranging field trips of places of geological interest and sponsoring social events on campus, the club has performed many recent services to the northern Catskill and Susquehanna Valley communities. The club songs and ceremonies are always a spectacle to behold in the halls and classrooms of Johnstone Science Center…or wherever we may be. Yes indeed, you may just hear the club song echoing over the orange rocks of Arches National Park or in a campground in the western Finger Lakes.

HARTWICK FORCES – THE ENVIRONMENTAL CLUB

“FORCES” stands for Friends Of Recreational Conservational Environmental Stewardship. Established at Hartwick in 2012 and recognized as a formal club in 2015, the Hartwick chapter of this statewide student organization provides educational and social experiences focused on the environment. FORCES provides many opportunities for our students to work on environmental projects in area state parks, such as Robert V. Riddell, Glimmerglass and Mine Kill State Parks. The club also performs outreach to area schools and nearby communities.

FORCES