Environmental Geoscience - Concord University

Environmental Geoscience - Concord University ConcordU Environmental Geosciences offers a career-oriented degree that merges geology, applied environmental science, and GIS. Will you be one?

The world needs geoscientists to manage environment, resources, and natural hazards. The Environmental Geosciences program at Concord University offers a career-oriented, flexible science bachelor's degree that merges traditional geology with applied environmental science. We have one of only three geology degree programs offered in West Virginia and the only one at a primarily undergraduate insti

tution in the state. Geoscientists find solutions to some of humanity's most challenging problems: finding and managing natural resources, reducing human loss and suffering from natural hazards and disasters, understanding environmental change on geologic and human time scales, and advising policy makers on scientific and environmental issues that affect society. Students in the program frequently work closely with the geoscience faculty to complete one or more semesters of undergraduate research. Our innovative research in structural geology, earthquake geology, volcanology, and paleoclimate is funded by a variety of grants that allow students to travel with us to remote field settings including Greenland, the Colorado Rockies, and the Pacific Northwest. This research is also supported by facilities including our electron microprobe laboratory, micro-X-ray fluorescence lab, sample preparation lab, field geophysical equipment (e.g., ground penetrating radar), and polarizing microscopes. Scientists with geoscience-related degrees are in high demand. In 2010, the average salary for geoscientists was $93,000, which was $27,000 more than the national average for other science occupations according to the American Geosciences Institute. By 2025, the US is projected to have a shortfall of more than 135,000 new geoscientists. The job outlook is very strong and more than 95% of our recent graduates have entered graduate school or found professional jobs soon after graduating, if not before.

04/28/2026
Lots of activity at the recent Concord University student research festival, including several geoscience student poster...
04/27/2026

Lots of activity at the recent Concord University student research festival, including several geoscience student poster presentations

Small local WV earthquake picked up on the Raspberry Shake at Concord University on Monday. Magnitude 2.5 according to t...
04/22/2026

Small local WV earthquake picked up on the Raspberry Shake at Concord University on Monday. Magnitude 2.5 according to the USGS. Station viewer: https://dataview.raspberryshake.org/ #/AM/R2FBE/00/EHZ

It just barely shows up over the background noise, but the P, S, and surface waves can all be picked out.

Video from last week's presentation "Building a Life in Science, A Geologist's Path" is now available on Youtube:
03/30/2026

Video from last week's presentation "Building a Life in Science, A Geologist's Path" is now available on Youtube:

In this presentation, Dr. Nalesnik traces her journey through science, from taking every science class her high school offered to studying active volcanoes i...

Upcoming Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences Seminar:Title: BUILDING A LIFE IN SCIENCE: A GEOLOGIST’S PATHSp...
03/20/2026

Upcoming Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences Seminar:

Title: BUILDING A LIFE IN SCIENCE: A GEOLOGIST’S PATH

Speaker: Dr. Abigail Nalesnik, Postdoctoral Fellow in Volcanic Eruptions Data

Date: Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Time: 12:00 PM EST (noon hour)

Location: Science Hall 400 and via Zoom

Zoom details: Meeting ID 917 6784 4420 Passcode 075226

Topics: Volcanoes, Navigating college and graduate school, Science careers

Description:

In this presentation, Dr. Nalesnik will trace her journey through science, from taking every science class her high school offered to studying active volcanoes in Hawaii. Curiosity was her driving force as she discovered her passions during her undergraduate courses and decided to attend graduate school during the pandemic.

Her research on explosive eruptions through fieldwork, geochemical analyses, and physical volcanology examined magma from source to surface to better understand eruptive behavior and potential impacts on affected communities. Her graduate career included 19 months in Hawaii, over 300 tephra (volcanic ash and pumice) samples, 6 helicopter rides, and one unforgettable PhD. She is now at Concord University to work on the Tephra Information Portal, ensuring tephra data is more findable, readable, and accessible to the research community.

Lab upgrades in progress - Instrument re-assembly has begun
03/11/2026

Lab upgrades in progress - Instrument re-assembly has begun

Concord geoscience at 2026 WV Science Bowl outreach fair
02/07/2026

Concord geoscience at 2026 WV Science Bowl outreach fair

Snow day - at night
01/27/2026

Snow day - at night

Major Concord science lab upgrade receives Innovation Award in microscopy and microanalysis
12/30/2025

Major Concord science lab upgrade receives Innovation Award in microscopy and microanalysis

A new germanium diffracting crystal has received an award for its contributions to efficiency and accuracy in microscopy.

Rare finals week snow day
12/08/2025

Rare finals week snow day

Address

1000 Vermillion Street
Athens, WV
24712

Telephone

+18003446679

Website

https://www.concord.edu/physci, http://www.concord.edu/, https://www.saladyga-egl.com/, h

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