Earth and Environmental Science, Center for

SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professors: D. Franzi
Professors: R. Fuller, T. Mihuc, T. Wolosz
Associate Professors: D. Garneau, C. Gervich,E. Leibensperger, E. Romanowicz (director), L. Xie
Assistant Professors: M. Alldred, K. Coleman, M. Lesser
Lecturers: K. Gray, P. Korths, D. Milz, J. Puhalla
Research Associate: E. Allen
Adjunct Faculty: Two positions

The Center for Earth and Environmental Science (CEES) has been training environmental scientists, geologists, and geographers for more than 36 years, with over 2,600 alumni across New York state and around the world. Sixteen faculty are focused on undergraduate education, and four hold the prestigious Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Nearly all are active in grant-supported research, so that CEES students get opportunities for hands-on work typically reserved for graduate students elsewhere. CEES students enjoy a diverse landscape including Lake Champlain and the Adirondack mountains, forests, lakes, rivers, and alpine summits for recreation and research.

Special features of the Center for Earth and Environmental Science include the Applied Environmental Science Program at the W.H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute; the Lake Champlain Research Institute with a lake research vessel; Remote Sensing Lab; Geographic Information Systems Lab; Fission Track Analysis Lab; Ecosystem Studies Field Lab; plus numerous scholarship, internship, and undergraduate research opportunities. CEES faculty host the Earth and Environmental Science Club, the Geology Club, the Environmental Action Committee, and an electronic student journal Scientia Discipulorum.

The Center for Earth and Environmental Science offers 9 major programs, including study options within degree programs. In environmental science, there are three major programs. The B.A. in environmental science is the most versatile option, featuring suites of advanced electives in biological, physical, human, and technical areas. These students choose jobs in environmental consulting, work at parks and nature preserves, or become involved with law and policy-making. The B.S. in environmental science emphasizes electives in systems science, such as ecosystem processes, modeling, environmental chemistry,and hydrogeology. Many students from this option are focused on a science or engineering graduate degree, environmental technician jobs, work with state and federal agencies, or environmental consulting roles. The B.A. in environmental science study option in environmental planning and management is of special interest because it emphasizes human dimensions in managing natural resources as well as technical skills in mapping science and geographic information systems (GIS). Students work on a regional scale and are often employed with city, county, and state governments or consulting firms.

The B.S. in ecology examines the interactions between organisms and their environment, emphasizing coursework in basic biology and a number of advanced ecology courses at the population, community, and ecosystem level. Students are prepared for graduate work or can become professional ecologists or naturalists in state and federal agencies or private organizations.

The B.A. in environmental studies is supported by both the geography and environmental science programs, as well as environmentally themed courses from the social sciences and humanities. It is a multi-disciplinary major that emphasizes the role of social justice and sustainability in developing global environmental solutions.

Geology students at SUNY Plattsburgh can choose from five major programs. The B.S. in geology is the most traditional option, requiring a core of physical and historical geology, mineralogy and petrology, structural geology, and sedimentology. These students choose jobs in geotechnical consulting, work at government labs, or use their strong preparation in chemistry, math, and physics to qualify for graduate school in geology. The B.A. in geology features the same core but exchanges some courses in math and other sciences for general electives that allow students to customize their degree in consultation with their academic advisor. Students from this option are also qualified for lab and field technician jobs, work with state and federal agencies, and fill consultant roles. The B.A. in geology study option in environmental geology is similar, except that students have a wider suite of chemistry, environmental science, and geology advanced electives to choose from. Our study option in earth science offers the content students need to pursue teacher certification in earth science at the master’s level.

The study of geology can also be pursued through the combined B.A./M.S.T. Geology/Adolescence Education program. This program leads to adolescence education teacher certification in earth science. (See the Combined Programs section of this catalog.)

Programs

• Earth Science, B.A.
• Ecology, B.S.
• Environmental Geoscience, B.A.
• Environmental Science (Study Option in Environmental Planning and Management), B.A.
• Environmental Science, B.A.
• Environmental Science, B.S.
• Environmental Studies, B.A.
• Geology, B.A.
• Geology, B.S.

• Applied Geographic Information Systems Minor
• Ecology Minor
• Environmental Science Minor
• Geography Minor
• Geology Minor
• Hydrogeology Minor
• Perspectives on the Environment Minor
• Planning Minor

• Natural Science (Study Option; Professional Science Master’s in Environmental Science) M.S.
• Natural Science, M.S.