Some students spend spring break on the beach. Ours explore the desert. www.instagram.com/p/DYSR3DbAHJ...

A great article was published in the Chautauqua Gazette last week detailing the environmentally-related research that our students are doing. Read the article here (pages 1 and 6): www.chqgazette.com/PDF/CG4-20-2...

Over spring break, I took a group of 17 students to Utah for an extended field trip. We spent most of our time in the House Range near Delta, UT, looking at Paleozoic rocks.

SUNY Fredonia students doing stuff!

Last Friday was the Science Bowl on the SUNY Fredonia Campus. Two of our students ran the Earth Science portion and rocked it (no pun intended). Nice work Emma Johnson and Isaac Tripp!

Tomorrow!

Little known fact about the glacial sediment near Lake Erie in our area. Sometimes, you can see a swath of this sediment in the swash zone of the beach—the waves sort them differently because they are denser than the other sediment. #sunyfredonia #geology #lakeerie #sedimentology #glacialsediment

Dr. Hegna's class had a new student today. #eurypterid #paleozoicpals #sunyfredonia #paleontology

More pictures from measuring stratigraphy with Dr. Hegna's class out at the Sheridan Bay Park. Included is some meta-photography with SUNY Fredonia's Roger Coda (marketing and communications). #geology #stratigraphy #fredonia #lakeerie #sunyfredonia

Another 3d printed skull to guess. It is harder than it looks.

Guess who!

A beautiful day to measure the Hanover Shale. Found a crinoid-filled lens amongst the layers. #Fredonia #geology #stratigraphy

Another way we spent our summer vacation: www.fredonia.edu/news/article... #fredonia #geology

I don't think I am exaggerating when I say this is the fastest brachiopod ever. Introducing the Brachio-Bot. #fredonia #paleontology #3dprinting

The Trilo-bot is now fully operational!

How did you spend your summer vacation? Dr. Cao and Mia Enders spent theirs at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researching rare earth element enrichment. #geology #fredonia #petrology #DOE www.fredonia.edu/news/article...

I bring you the latest advance in lophotrochozoan technology: The Brachio-bot®

New paper out describing the first fossil ovaries and unfertilized eggs in a primitive horseshoe crab. #paleontology #xiphosura #ordovician

So, Tom, how have you been procrastinating the arthropod cuticle preservation paper? Oh, you know . . . #Devonian #dunkleosteus #3dprinting

Proper signage is key in an academic building.

Whatzit Wednesday! Today we have a rock that was probably once purchased as part of a Ward’s Scientific collection, and probably originally came from New York. What is it? #geology #sunyfredonia #stuffthatishiddeninthebasementandneversseesthelightofday

The newly relocated Stanley Museum has been busy. Formerly in Jewett Hall, the new location on the second floor of Houghton has people organizing and cataloging specimens to put on display. 1/3 #sunyfredonia #newyork #fredonia #museum #naturalhistory

Our departmental awardees: www.fredonia.edu/news/article...

When making precise measurements in lab, students sometimes ask, "When are we going to actually use this?" Sometimes, you'd be surprised. Houghton Hall, 1973. #geology #prank #sunyfredonia #fredonia #VWbeetle

Professors from SUNY Fredonia (Baird, Hegna, & Purtill) gave several talks at the recent NE-NC GSA conference in Erie, PA. #gsaconnects #sunyfredonia #geologicalsocietyofamerica

At the recent NE-NC GSA conference, Syd Lamberton, a senior at SUNY Fredonia, displayed her poster, titled Looking for Critical Minerals in Carboniferous Clays Beneath Coal Deposits in Pennsylvania: A Multipronged Approach. 1/4 #SUNYFredonia #geology #undergraduateresearch #gsaconnects

This Friday, Dr. Sarah Sheffield from SUNY Binghamton will give a lecture at SUNY Fredonia, (3pm in room 105 in the Science Center). The title is “Untangling the evolutionary patterns of ancient animals" featuring a group of animals with unusual symmetry. 1/3 #echinoderms #paleontology #scicom

Rachel Echevarria, a senior double majoring in environmental science and earth science at SUNY Fredonia, presented a research poster at the GSA conference on a newly discovered population of Cyzicus gynecius (clam shrimp), from near Mud Lake in Cassadaga, NY. 1/4 #undergraduateresearch #fredonia

Jacob Salisbury, a senior at Fredonia High School and future SUNY Fredonia student, is researching a newly identified clam shrimp species through an internship with Dr. Hegna. These fossils from the Jurassic Morrison Formation in Wyoming were found in an unusual green chert matrix. 1/6 #gsaconnects

This past weekend, SUNY Fredonia’s Geo. & Env. Sci. Dept had an amazing time at the Buffalo Geological Society’s 55th Annual Gem, Mineral, & Fossil Show! Multiple students and faculty members represented Fredonia—answering questions and teaching kids about erosion with our stream table. 1/4

Bea Roof, a 4th-year Environmental Sciences major, is ready to present her research on the zooplankton in Fredonia's reservoir at the GSA Conference later this month! To collect her samples, Bea used a plankton net from the shore, gathering over 3,600 individual zooplankton preserved in alcohol. 1/5

In a few weeks, Cecelia Young, a senior Geology major at SUNY Fredonia, will present her research at the Geological Society of America conference. She’ll be sharing her findings on the stratigraphy of the Northeast Shale from Canadaway Creek, a local outcrop near Fredonia! 1/5

A late Whatzit Wednesday! This hefty specimen (roughly basketball sized) can be found in Kim Weborg-Benson's office as a decor piece, paperweight, and potential cannonball. It, like Kim, is a New York native. This mineral comes in many colors though deep red is most common. 1/2

Student research is hot in the Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences at SUNY Fredonia. We have a bunch of students presenting at the NE-NC GSA meeting in Erie at the end of the month. #geology #undergraduateresearch #paleontology #newyork www.fredonia.edu/news/article...

Dr. Hegna showed off convergently evolved saberteeth at the Buffalo Museum of Science's Stones and Bones after hours event. Maybe including the giant beaver, Casteroides, stretches the definition a bit too much . . . #scienceoutreach #paleontologyoutreach

A belated Friday Faculty Facts! Meet Kim Weborg-Benson, a dedicated lecturer in SUNY Fredonia’s GEO & Env Sci Dept for 21 years—longer than anyone else now here! Since joining in 2004, she’s witnessed big changes, including the department’s move to Jewett in 2015 and back to Houghton in 2022. 1/4

The Rock Storage Room in the basement of Houghton Hall houses a meticulously organized collection of thousands of ancient fossils and rock samples, preserved and cataloged over decades. 1/4

Last fall, our soil judging students got the opportunity to put their newly acquired skills to good use by helping out Christ Community Church here in Fredonia. We were asked to come out to help delineate potential wetland areas on their property as they are considering a new building project. 1/3

Wild “Fossil” Wednesday!- Here is one of the many fossils in the department's collection. Can you guess which prehistoric creature this fossil came from? The answer will be revealed in the next post, check back in to see if you were correct!

Just minutes from campus, Dunkirk Beach offers a glimpse into the Devonian era—about 400 million years ago! Geology student Jasper Bateman recently explored Point Gratiot in Dunkirk, searching for fossils of fish bones and woody plants as part of his research on local Devonian history. 1/5

Environmental Science students Gavin Kaminski and Shelby Haber have been conducting experiments on plants with Dr. Lanning in his lab. They have been measuring transpiration rates in Thale Cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) under calcium depleted conditions. 1/4

With assignments piling up, finding a quiet and comfortable place to focus is key. Houghton Hall offers two study spaces: the Reading Room on the first floor and a study area on the second-floor. Students use them to work on homework or take a break between lectures. Plus, they’re open to everyone!

The Environmental Science and Geology Department at SUNY Fredonia has a long history of hands-on learning. These photos from past trips are a testament to that commitment. Our department has always provided incredible opportunities for student—to extend learning beyond the classroom.

Before 1970, dangerous chemicals, like arsenic, lead, and mercury, were often used to produce taxidermied specimens. Though these chemicals kept pests at bay, they also created a potential health hazard for anyone handling them. 1/3

The Geology and Environmental Sciences Department at SUNY Fredonia is now on Bluesky!