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Geology Department

Welcome to the Geology Department

Welcome

Major in Geology!

As salaries and demand for geologists continue to climb, prepare yourself for your career with an exceptional core curriculum at New Paltz. With tracks in general geology, environmental geoscience, environmental geochemical science and secondary education in earth science, the Geology major at New Paltz provides excellent employment potential in industry, teaching, research, and government. Our modern facilities and stunning natural setting offer endless opportunities for undergraduate research, including recent projects focusing on climate effects on tree ring widths; post-glacial history and modern atmospheric lead deposition; and experimental reconstruction of an early arthropod trackway. Our graduates go on to attend prestigious grad schools, teach in colleges and school districts, and work for government agencies and several high-level environmental consulting firms.

Contact Information

South Classroom Building 107
SUNY New Paltz
1 Hawk Drive
New Paltz, NY 12561-2443

Phone: (845) 257-3760
Fax: (845) 257-3755

Geology News

Acadia Excursion 2013

Acadia National Park Field Excursion 2013

The annual field excursion to Acadia National Park in Maine, lead by Dr. Vollmer with the assistance of Dr. Rayburn, newly hired Lecturer Dr. Kaustubh "KP" Patwardhan, and adjunct Laurel Mutti, went out September 27-30. We were able to take 15 students into the field using one of our brand new 12 passenger vans along with our 15 passenger van. After removing the rear seats from each there was ample room for 15 students and all required field and camping gear.

The Geology Department is delighted to have Dr. Patwardhan on board as a new hire. Dr. Patwardhan has a Ph.D. in igneous petrology from Johns Hopkins University, and was hired to teach lectures and labs, and to act as Field Excursion Coordinator. We are excited that this new hire, along with two brand new 12 passenger Ford Econoline vans, will help us fulfill our mission to train new generations of geoscientists, and to give them hands-on experience in the field.

The weather was exceptional, and the geology better. Topics of discussion included structural geology, petrology, tectonics, geomorphology, sedimentology, and glacial geology. The students even got a lesson on the granite quarrying industry during a visit to the Maine Granite Industry Historical Society Museum, where they split a huge slab of granite by hand. By tradition, on the final morning the students broke camp at 4 am, and were treated to a spectacular sunrise on Cadillac Mountain.

Photography credit, J. Rayburn.