About

  • 2019 department picture

    2019 Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences

    Taken in the rock garden outside of Rood Hall, this photo features our current faculty, staff, undergraduate and graduate students, and the departmental Utahraptor!

The Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Western Michigan University offers outstanding opportunities for education and research. We are home to a diverse community of faculty and staff members, undergraduate and graduate students, visiting scholars, researchers and collaborators. Emeritus and adjunct faculty with long, distinguished service to the department are also a vital component of our academic environment. The department's research is largely applied, focused on hydrogeology, environmental geology, airborne and applied geophysics, remote sensing, sedimentology and sedimentary petrology, basin analysis, and earth science education.

The research facilities of the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences are spread across several locations: Rood Hall, Wood Hall and Haenicke Hall on the main campus and the Michigan Geological Repository for Geologic Education and Research, located off-campus. This 27,000 square foot core repository and research center is the largest facility of it's kind in the Great Lakes region. The Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences also houses the  Michigan Geological Survey, which is the official geological resource for the state of Michigan. The department includes many active research laboratories, such as earth science remote sensing, applied geophysics, stable isotope and carbonate sedimentology and characterization, all of which are state-of-the-art analytical facilities.

We offer a variety of academic programs for college students and professionals seeking education in earth and environmental science. Our Hydrogeology Field Course is one of the oldest and best known in the nation, offering a unique hands-on approach training students in high demand industry skills. Through its national and international collaborators, the department highly encourages off-campus internships and training opportunities for students in diverse, fundamental and applied research fields. Our efforts, and the determination of students, have led to the regular placement of our alumni in prestigious national and international institutions. We encourage the enrollment of highly motivated students and are proud of our alumni who are working in a wide range of geological and environmental science professions.