Geography, Geology, and the Environment

If you enjoy learning about the earth and its peoples and landscapes, either in your backyard or far away, Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment at SRU offers a wealth of opportunities. Our department provides six degree paths all of which emphasize the collection, analysis and representation of earth data at scales ranging from the local to the global. The primary objective of our department is high quality education. Our department excels at providing professional and career opportunities that enable students to utilize the knowledge, skills and values developed in our programs. Professional development is fostered through internships, numerous field experiences, undergraduate research activities, capstone activities and attendance at local, regional and national conferences.

Students with degrees from our department are highly sought after, particularly in the fields surrounding natural gas exploration and development, including resource extraction, environmental monitoring and conservation planning. Many of our students have found work that allows them to address important environmental and social issues. Representative employment areas for our graduates include environmental consulting, pollution remediation, environmental law or public policy, outdoor education, resource management, geographic information systems analysis, nonprofit environmental organizations and sustainable planning.

The Geography, Geology, and the Environment department was created in July 2001 from the merger of Geography and Environmental Studies with Environmental Geosciences. The department is located in the College of Engineering and Science.

Mission

GGE's mission is to disseminate knowledge about Earth’s processes and human-environment interactions, helping to create a scientifically informed community and to bring geoscience principles to the educational mission of the university. We seek to provide high quality educational opportunities for students in our majors and the Rock Studies program to develop relevant knowledge and competencies so that they can achieve their professional goals and pursue solutions to resource and environmental challenges faced by the state, nation, and world. We value diversity and equity, and promote critical thinking and dialogue to develop workable solutions to environmental issues.

Department Strategic goals:

Create modern and socially relevant educational programs that equip our students for future success.
Build a diverse, sustained population of students in all GGE degree programs.
Serve the broader SRU community through collaboration with other departments and participation in the Rock Studies program.
Promote the creation of relevant and useful knowledge about Earth’s processes and human-environment interactions through faculty and student research.
Continue to lead the university community.

Why Choose GGE?

Prepare for a career that is meaningful
- Our students love the outdoors. They love being out in it, they want to understand it better, and they want to see it protected.
- Through the department's various programs, students can examine environmental and resource questions from a range of perspectives.
- Encounter these issues and problems out where they actually happen.
Get the skills you need in a hands-on environment
- Most courses include extensive field work, lab work, or utilization of industry-standard software and instrumentation.
- Small class sizes (15 on average) ensure that you will have the best possible opportunity to develop the skills you need for your career.
- Faculty has expertise in a wide range of disciplines to give you an education that is both broad and deep.
Start your networking now!
- GGE students begin developing their professional network on the day they walk through the door.
- Professional integration can involve internships, faculty/student research experiences, or social interactions with local professionals.
- These networks allow many students to have their first job in place before they graduate.

Department News

Dr. Julie Snow accepts fellowship at the Pentagon to inform climate change policy
08/18/2021
Dr. Julie Snow was recently awarded a Science and Technology Policy Fellowship by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), which places scientists in federal government offices to advise policymakers. Dr. Snow will work in the Pentagon for 12 months, beginning Sept. 1.

GGE students and faculty research changing weather patterns in the Midwest
10/14/2020
Five GGE students joined Dr. Patrick Burkhart in his research pertaining to changing weather patterns through the study of the potential geochemical relationship between the White River Badlands (WRB) and the Nebraska Sand Hills (NSH).

Jennifer Barborak, a GGE alumna, named executive director of Buhl Regional Health Foundation
10/14/2020
Jennifer Barborak, a 2002 Slippery Rock University graduate with a degree in environmental studies, was recently named executive director of the Buhl Regional Health Foundation.

Burkhart serves as keynote speaker at PGS meeting
03/03/2022
Dr. Patrick Burkhart was recently a keynote speaker at a meeting of the Pittsburgh Geological Society, a nonprofit society of professional and student geologists, teachers of geology and earth sciences and people interested in the earth sciences. Burkhart shared his experiences and research from a May 2019 tour of Peru and Ecuador under contract as an expert guide for Smithsonian Journeys, a high-end market tourist company that focuses on education and culture. Burkhart traveled to several notable destinations with the company, including Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands.

Department Opportunities

Field Trips: Opportunities abound for students to engage in various field trips, such as departmental annual trips, course travels, research expeditions and professional conferences.