Boucher 207
West Chester University
West Chester, PA 19383
(610) 436-2727
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Department
of Geology and Astronomy Boucher 207 West Chester University West Chester, PA 19383 (610) 436-2727 |
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Undergraduate Handbook B.S. Geoscience: B.S.Ed. Earth
&Space Science: |
INTRODUCTION Department of Geology and Astronomy Mission Statement In keeping with the mission of West Chester University, the primary mission of the Department of Geology and Astronomy is to provide high quality undergraduate education for geoscience professionals and future teachers in the broad fields of the earth and space sciences. Our secondary mission is to provide graduate training, mainly in the field of science education but also including continuing professional instruction. The Department seeks to strengthen its educational roles by supporting individual scholarship and creative exploration undertaken by faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students, and by striving for the optimal use of student, faculty, and material resources. Within the University, we provide general education for all students and service courses for those in the School of Education. In the larger community, we serve as resource people in our respective fields for local government, schools, and industries. Within these constituencies, we further seek to contribute our unique perspectives as astronomers and geoscientists to decision-making processes. Our program is unique to the area by virtue of the recognized excellence of our teaching, the personalized attention we give to our students, the breadth and quality of our equipment base, and the flexibility and adaptability of our curricula to students with disparate backgrounds both with and without prior scientific training. In keeping with this mission, we aspire to maintaining and strengthening our roles as:
The Campus and its Geologic Setting West Chester University is located 25 miles
west of Philadelphia and 17 miles north of Wilmington, Delaware. The campus
lies within the Piedmont Physiographic Province, a complex of Precambrian
gneisses and metasedimentary rocks of early Paleozoic age. The Triassic
Newark Basin, Reading Prong, and Ridge and Valley Province are all within
a one hour drive to the north-northwest. The Atlantic coastal plain, Atlantic
coast, and the Chesapeake and Delaware Bay estuaries are nearby to the
east and south. An understanding of the Earth System is critical to the successful stewardship of the planet. Geoscientists will be major players in the quest to gain global insights into the various components of the Earth System including the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere. With a degree from West Chester University, you will be qualified for a variety of career paths including education, environmental consulting, resource exploration or management, geotechnical engineering, and a wide range of other careers that require understanding of Earth Science. Our graduates have obtained advanced degrees from schools such as Lehigh University, Rutgers, Colorado School of Mines, The Pennsylvania State University, the University of Arizona, the University of Delaware, the University of Montana, Michigan Technical University, Miami University of Ohio, Stanford University, Bryn Mawr College, the University of Pennsylvania, and George Washington University. Others are employed with major oil companies, the US Geological Survey, the Pennsylvania Geological Survey, General Electric Aerophysics and Group Dynamics, Spitz Space Systems, Naval Research Labs, Roy F. Weston, ERM, Geological Environmental Services and The Smithsonian Institution. Many are teaching in school districts in Pennsylvania and nearby states. Our programs provide wide ranging and diverse
experience and the department offers a number of extracurricular activities.
Field trips are an integral part of a geoscience education. Many of the
geology courses have required field trip experiences. In order to provide
these field trip experiences, the department has two 15-passenger vans.
The University also maintains a fleet of vehicles that is available for
transporting students to field sites. All students with at least 12 semester
hours of Earth Science courses, and a grade point average set by the members
of the Zeta Beta Chapter are eligible for membership in Sigma Gamma
Epsilon, the National Honorary Society for the Earth Sciences. The
members of SGE offer free tutoring, bring guest lecturers to the department,
and sponsor social activities throughout the year. There are also numerous
opportunities to participate in research. In the last five years, over
half the faculty have been awarded grants from the National Science Foundation,
the Ben Franklin Partnership Program, and the State System of Higher Education
Faculty Development Program. Many undergraduate students have participated
in the research funded by these grants, often leading to publication of
the results. The Department of Geology and Astronomy
strives to maintain a climate that is welcoming and open to individuals
of all backgrounds. We expect and encourage all department members to
place civility and respect for others as a top priority in their daily
interactions. Persons with disabilities should make their needs known
by contacting the individual faculty members in the department and/or
the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities at extension 3217.
Please remember that sufficient notice is needed in order to make accommodations
possible. Please keep in touch. Send us your address
and tell us how and what you are doing. All of us enjoy visiting with
our graduates and hope that if you are in the area, you will take the
time to stop in. |
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Department
of Geology and Astronomy West Chester University jholste@wcupa.edu |
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