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Earth and Environmental Geoscience Archive (118 Stories)
W&L Students Win Second Place in Undergraduate Geoscience Poster Competition
The group presented their research at the 2025 GSA Connects Annual Meeting.
Cosmic Connections
W&L students studied samples of moon rocks from NASA to better understand the geological history of Earth, discovering new ways to view the world around them.
W&L Receives $450,000 Grant from the National Science Foundation
The funding will be used to purchase a confocal Raman imaging microscope for geoscientific investigations.
Remarkable Women
At the 2025 undergraduate Commencement, Barbara Jenkins ’92L, Kate Jenkins Howard ’99 and Kylie Therrien ’25 became the first female triple generation legacy at Washington and Lee University.
W&L’s Katalyn Denby ’26 Awarded Goldwater Scholarship
Denby’s funded research will focus on erosional river processes.
Bedrock Values
Howard Capito ’68 established the Christopher D. Connors Endowment for Earth and Environmental Geoscience to honor the “living legend” and support student internships in geology and related fields.
Living Lab
This fall, W&L students learned environmental field methods at a six-acre site in Rockbridge County set aside for experiential learning.
Lisa Greer to Deliver Lecture in Honor of Her Appointment to the Harry E. and Mary Jayne W. Redenbaugh Term Professorship
Greer’s talk, “Coral Reefs Past, Present and Future and Our Human Footprint,” will be held Jan. 15 in Science Addition 214.
Twelve W&L Students Awarded Gilman Scholarships to Study Abroad
The Gilman Scholarship Program offers awards of up to $5,000 to U.S. undergraduate students who are Pell Grant recipients.
Meet Emma Marvelli ’27
Marvelli enjoys building a community on campus as an RA and through her academic work.
Margaret Anne Hinkle Awarded a Collaborative Grant from the National Science Foundation
Hinkle and fellow scientists from the University of Pittsburgh will share the $550,000 award to examine the potential of adapting acid mine drainage remediation systems to produce critical minerals in economically viable concentrations.
Unearthing Answers
By enlisting guidance from the W&L science community, Emma Marvelli ’27 combined a Spring Term abroad class with summer research to better understand Virginia meta-basalts and their potential for combating climate change.
W&L Outcomes: Jack Maloy ’24
In September, Maloy will move to Germany for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship.
W&L Earth and Environmental Geoscience Professor Publishes Peer-Reviewed Article
Margaret Anne Hinkle collaborated with additional authors to produce an article focused on manganese exposure in spring and well water in the Shenandoah Valley.
Rock Stars
After 25 years, W&L faculty member Chris Connors teaches his swan song Spring Term class, Field Methods and Regional Geology of the Appalachians.
W&L’s Jack Maloy ’24 Awarded Fulbright to Germany
Maloy was selected for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach English in Germany.
CBL Faculty Collaborative Generates New Community Connections
The 2023-2024 academic year at W&L saw the proliferation of several new course offerings for students through a new faculty development initiative offered by the Office of Community-Based Learning (CBL).
Madhumita Chakraborty Co-Authors Journal Article on Groundwater Contaminants
The earth and environmental geoscience postdoctoral fellow co-authored the papers as part of her doctoral research at the Indian Institute of Technology.
W&L Alumni and Student Awarded NSF Fellowships
Emma Aldrich ’22, Tanajia Moye-Green ’23 and Jules Seay ’24 have received pre-doctoral graduate research fellowships from the National Science Foundation to support their research.
Washington and Lee Names Four Faculty Members to Endowed Professorships
These faculty have been recognized for their outstanding teaching, scholarship and service to the university.
Six W&L Students Awarded Gilman Scholarships to Study Abroad
The Gilman Scholarship Program offers awards of up to $5,000 to U.S. undergraduate students who are Pell Grant recipients.
Nicholas Barber Published in the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research
First-year earth and environmental science professor co-authored a paper titled “Monogenetic volcanoes as windows into transcrustal mush.”
Growth Opportunities
The Department of Earth and Environmental Geoscience provides students with the chance to expand their learning beyond the classroom by attending top national conferences.
W&L’s Greer Featured in bioGraphic Magazine Article about the Coral Gardens Reef
Professor Lisa Greer has been taking students to Belize since 2011 to study the thriving reef corals located there.
Meet a Colleague: Elizabeth Knapp
Elizabeth Knapp serves as director of the Johnson Program and professor of earth and environmental geoscience.
Meet a Colleague: Karena Gill
Karena Gill is a visiting assistant professor of earth and environmental geoscience.
W&L Professor Coordinates 42nd Annual National Association of Black Geoscientists Technical Conference
Karena Gill handles all aspects of the event slated to be held Sept. 27-30 in Washington, D.C.
W&L Professor Receives Grant from the American Association of University Women
Mengying Liu will use the funds to research high-throughput crystallographic mapping in the United Kingdom.
Meet a Colleague: Margaret Anne Hinkle
Margaret Anne Hinkle is an assistant professor of earth and environmental geoscience.
W&L’s Jules Seay ’24 Awarded Two Prestigious Scholarships to Support Her Undergraduate Studies
Seay has been selected for the Goldwater Scholarship to support a research career in science, mathematics and engineering, and also earned the Udall Scholarship in the environmental category.
Alumnus-owned property on view during Historic Garden Week
Stonegate Guesthouse, recently purchased and renovated by Derek Hutton ’93, is a featured Lexington landmark of the Garden Club of Virginia’s 90th annual event.
W&L Earth and Environmental Geoscience Professor Publishes Peer Reviewed Article in Geochemistry Journal
Assistant Professor Margaret Anne Hinkle’s article is titled “Impacts of Sulfonic Acids on Fungal Manganese Oxide Production.”
CBL’s Faculty Collaborative Creates Connection Across Campus
CBL’s new initiative is an opportunity for faculty development, student collaboration and deepening partnerships with the surrounding community.
W&L Professor Publishes Journal Article in PLOS ONE
Professor Lisa Greer’s article focuses on the survival of coral reefs in the Caribbean.
Matt Villante ’20 Presents Talk on Climate Technology and Science
Villante, a geoscientist in Iceland, will discuss the current state of the climate technology sector on Feb. 6.
From Screen to Square Film Screening: Hidden Figures
The upcoming screening is the second installment in the DeLaney Center's ongoing film series.
W&L Professor Awarded National Science Foundation Grant
David Harbor to work on collaborative project to describe and model the erosion process known as “plucking.”
Victoria Ferguson to Speak at Second Annual Indigenous Community Meal
Dinner attendees are invited to sample an indigenous menu during a guided discussion on Nov. 14.
Meet Hobson Bryan ’09
Bryan credits W&L for teaching him how to approach the complex problems he has tackled throughout his multi-faceted career.
Author Bill McKibben To Present Talk on Climate Change
McKibben will present a public lecture on Sept. 26 at 5:30 p.m.
‘Save the Whales’
A passionate conservationist, Niquole Esters ’04 has crafted complex approaches encompassing multiple countries to improve ocean health and benefit local communities.
‘Digging’ into a Summer Opportunity
Marcus Payne '25 is spending his summer doing geology research with Professor of Earth and Environmental Geoscience Jeffrey Rahl.
W&L Outcomes: Rett Daugbjerg ’22
After a successful summer internship in 2021, W&L's Rett Daugbjerg '22 is now working for JLL's Capital Markets group in Atlanta, Georgia.
W&L’s Lyon Co-Authors Scientific Paper
Professor Eva Lyon published an article in Global Change Biology.
A Credit to W&L
Young alumnus Alden Schade shares why he gives back to W&L.
Student Business Links Farmers and Buyers
W&L seniors Will Gentry and Gray Carlton started Lexington Harvest Haul to deliver local food to consumers. They’re now looking to sell the successful business before they leave Lexington after graduation.
Elizabeth Knapp Talks Rocks in New Podcast Episode
In a new episode of "After Class," W&L’s Lifelong Learning podcast, Elizabeth Knapp, geology professor and director of the Johnson Program in Leadership and Integrity, discusses her love of geology and the impact of the Johnson Program.
W&L’s Asian and Pacific Islander Community Pulls Together to #StopAPIHate
Washington and Lee University’s Office of Inclusion and Engagement recently released a video featuring members of W&L’s Asian and Pacific Islander community, calling on the world to notice, and end, incidents of hate.
Energy and the Pandemic
Policies adopted to combat COVID-19 led to novel changes in W&L's energy use in 2020.
W&L’s Greer Publishes Article in “PLOS ONE”
According to a study by W&L’s Lisa Greer, Coral Gardens Reef in Belize remains a refuge for Acropora spp. coral despite widespread devastation in other areas of the western North Atlantic Ocean/Caribbean Sea.
Edgar Winston Spencer ’53, Ruth Parmly Professor of Geology Emeritus, dies at 88
He taught at W&L from 1957 to 2001.
Eric Chaisson to Give Public Lecture at Washington and Lee
Chaisson’s lecture, which is free and open to the public, is titled “Cosmic Evolution.”
Diving into Research
This summer, Ginny Johnson '20 served as a peer mentor to nine rising sophomores as part of the Keck Geology Consortium trip to Belize, where Professor Lisa Greer continued her research project into the staghorn coral population.
Current Affairs
This summer, geology and environmental science major Chantal Iosso ’20 is studying the effects of the Jordan's Point Dam removal on the Maury River.
Rocked by Nature’s Power
After learning about natural hazards and their impact on society, students in this geology course took a mind-blowing field trip to Mount St. Helens.
Snapshots from Spring Term
Our favorite term is well underway! Here is a glimpse inside some of the many fascinating courses being taught off-campus this year.
Appalachian Trail Becomes Interdisciplinary Classroom
The Geology and Archaeology departments collaborated with W&L's Outing Club to create a fun, educational hike just a short drive from Lexington.
Finding the Spice in Campus Life
Becoming a part of the Outing Club at Washington and Lee completely changed Matt Richards's college experience. "My time with the Outing Club has without a doubt had the biggest impact on my time here," he said.
Expert in Paleontology Sculptures to Give Keynote Speech for SSA
The title of Gary Staab’s presentation is “Digital Dinosaurs: Fleshing out the Past."
Taking the Long View
Steven Jones ’69 helps his alma mater plan for the future.
A Natural Inclination
As a senior ecologist with Trihydro Corp., Jana Heisler White '98 works on environmental protection and remediation.
“Doc Rock” Rocks On
Ed Spencer ’53, who has made plans to support a scholarship fund at W&L, is still a cornerstone of the university 17 years after his retirement.
Rahl Receives NSF Grant for Geological Research
Jeffrey Rahl, professor of geology at Washington and Lee University, has received a grant from the National Science Foundation.
Sand Trackers
Professor David Harbor and his Spring Term class chased particles of sand from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Barrier Islands and the high plains of Utah.
W&L Students Receive National Science Foundation Awards
The NSF only funds about 11,000 of the 40,000 proposals it receives annually for research, education and training projects.
Notes from Lenfest
Hermione Wang '18 has spent so much time in Lenfest that people jokingly ask her if she lives there. Her job? Making sure that the show always goes on.
W&L Women Mentor the Next Generation
Women in Technology and Science gives girls from local middle and elementary schools an opportunity to perform science experiments in all disciplines during the academic year.
No Such Thing as a Typical Day
As a geology summer research assistant in Crete, Greece, no two days were the same for Chantal Iosso '20.
First-Year Seminars: From Poverty to the Past
Professors share the inspiration for their first-year seminars, and what they hope students will take away.
Geological Scientist Piotr Krzywiec to Lecture at W&L on Geology in Central Europe
Piotr Krzywiec will give a lecture on “Geology in Central Europe – How It All Started: The Early (XVI – XVII Cent.) Development of Earth Sciences in Central Europe."
Down By the River
Over the summer, students worked with Professor Robert Humston to examine the potential effects of smallmouth bass on native brook trout populations in the Virginia watershed.
Making Sense of the Jungle
Liz Todd '19 was able to extend her Spring Term Abroad and spend the summer in Brazil, where she worked for an environmental agency.
Advanced Research Cohort Program Marks Second Successful Year
Twelve Class of 2021 students visited W&L for a five-week Advanced Research Cohort program that allowed them to dabble in STEM projects and establish quality relationships.
Rocking Research in Lexington and Greece
Josh Fox '19 has spent his summer conducting geology research on campus and in Crete, Greece, with Professor Jeff Rahl.
John Dannehl Awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Spain
W&L senior John Dannehl has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Spain.
Meet the Johnsons: Shlomo Honig ’18
Meet Shlomo Honig ‘18, whose day consists of analyzing rocks, protecting the environment, and ultimate frisbee
Meet the Johnsons: Harry Lustig ’17
Meet Harry Lustig ‘17, a scholar-explorer who’s hiked everywhere from the Blue Ridge to Alaska.
Careers in Motion: Olivia Sisson ’17
Meet Olivia Sisson, a senior who has wanted to be an artist since she was little - but didn’t know how - about her experience on the Humanities Career Trip to New York.
Summer Internship: Dan Claroni
Dan Claroni spent the summer working on unmanned aerial vehicles used to monitor gas emissions in Iceland.
David Hanson ’00
A double major in English and geology, plus a curiosity about the world around him, led Hanson to a career as a freelance writer, photographer and videographer. He is the author of "Breaking Through Concrete: Building an Urban Farm Revival" and producer of the documentary film "Who Owns the Water."
Flood Relief: James McCullum ’15 Lends a Hand
When the floodwaters from the August storms in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, finally receded, James McCullum was one of many volunteers to head to the devastated region. A member of the Maryland-based Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team, he connected with the St. Bernard Project to help gut homes damaged by the flooding.
A Day in the Life: Franklin Wolfe ’16
Johnson Opportunity Grant Winner Franklin Wolfe '16 Travels to Europe to Gather Data for 3D Geologic Models.
Interns at Work: Dan Claroni ’17
Geology major Dan Claroni '17 interns for the Icelandic Meteorological Office in Reykjavík.
Lessons in Vulnerability: Linda Gaida ’16
Kendrick Award winner Linda Gaida '16 reflects on her experience in the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico.
My W&L: Sequoya Bua-Iam ’17
"W&L manages to be a catalyst for adventure while still offering that 'welcome home' feeling."
Clare Wilkinson Awarded 2016 Goldwater Scholarship
Washington and Lee University junior Clare Wilkinson of Warren, Vermont, has won a highly competitive 2016 Goldwater Scholarship, which promotes research careers in science, mathematics and engineering.
Geology Professor Patricia Kelley to Lecture on Evolution and Creation: Conflicting or Compatible? at Washington and Lee
Patricia Kelley, professor of geology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, will give a lecture at Washington and Lee University on March 18 at 4:30 p.m. in Northen Auditorium, Leyburn Library.
W&L to Show the Documentary “Who Owns Water”
Washington and Lee University will have a screening of the award-winning documentary “Who Owns Water” on March 8 at 7 p.m. in Stackhouse Theater, Elrod Commons.
Journalist David Hanson to Speak on Developing Healthy Food Movement in Low-income Communities
Journalist David Hanson will give a talk on “Breaking through Concrete: Next-level Grassroots Initiatives Developing a Healthy Food Movement in Low-income Communities” at Washington and Lee University on March 6 at 7 p.m. in the Hillel House, room 101.
W&L Announces Winners of 2015 Johnson Opportunity Grants
Washington and Lee University has announced the students who will receive 2015 Johnson Opportunity Grants. The 29 students will work within the United States and travel to variety of countries.
Jim Head III ’64 To Receive the Penrose Medal for Work in Planetary Geology
James W. “Jim” Head III, who graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1964, will receive the Geological Society of America’s Penrose Medal in Baltimore this November. Head is the first planetary geologist to win the GSA’s highest honor.
A Haven for Readers
Over the years, Jeffrey Lee and his wife, Ann Martin, have amassed more than 32,000 volumes, centering the collection on Western land, history, industry, writers and peoples. Why? Because they wanted to create a haven for readers like the residential library they once visited in Wales.
Jim Head '64 Wins Prestigious Geoscience Award
Last fall, James "Jim" W. Head III '64, the Louis and Elizabeth Scherck Distinguished Professor of the Geological Sciences at Brown University, received the Norman L. Bowen Award for his outstanding contributions to volcanology, geochemistry or petrology from the American Geophysical Union.
W&L Announces Final Winners of 2014 Johnson Opportunity Grants
Washington and Lee University has announced the final round of students who will receive 2014 Johnson Opportunity Grants. The grants cover living, travel and other costs associated with the students' proposed activities, which are designed to help them with their future careers and fields of study.
Mapping Mount Doom
Geology students from Washington and Lee University in front of the volcano Mount Ngauruhoe in New Zealand, a.k.a. Mount Doom of "Lord of the Rings" fame, which they were assigned to map.
Geology Students Present at National Conference
College students just don't present in national academic conferences every day. Nonetheless, a few months ago, 12 geology students and one computer-science student presented posters and talks at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America.
Geology Alum In the News
Bill Barnhart, a member of the Class of 2008, was the go-to expert for media covering the island formed by an earthquake in Pakistan.
Sky is the Limit in W&L's IQ Center
New science facility features the latest technology for science and non-science majors at Washington and Lee.
NSF Grant Brings New Mass Spectrometer to W&L and Region
New instrument will be used across disciplines and with collaborative projects.
A Geologist's Remembrance of Things Past
Emeritus geology professor Fred Schwab writes about the 2012 geology department reunion in Earth magazine.
Knapp, Conner Appointed to New Posts at W&L
Washington and Lee University has announced new appointments in the University administration. Elizabeth Knapp, associate provost and associate professor of geology, will become senior assistant to the president and director of the Johnson Program in Leadership and Integrity. Marc Conner, the Jo M. and James M. Ballengee Professor of English, head of the English Department and director of Spring Term, will become associate provost.
Connors to Give Pritchard Professorship Inaugural Lecture at W&L
Christopher D. Connors, professor of geology at Washington and Lee University, will give the William E. Pritchard III Professorship Inaugural Lecture on Thursday, March 14, at 8 p.m. in Northen Auditorium, Leyburn Library.
Interdisciplinary Research at W&L Helps Measure Health of Coral Reefs
Two Washington and Lee faculty – geologist Lisa Greer and computer scientist Joshua Stough — combine on a new method for assessing the health of coral reefs.
Terra Firma: Non in cautus praeteriti
Forty returning Washington and Lee geology majors spent a daylong field trip in some familiar stomping grounds.
New IQ Center Will Enhance Science at W&L
The first phase of the new Integrative and Quantitative (IQ) Center at Washington and Lee University is underway, with a projected opening date of June 2013.
W&L Faculty Explore Possibilities for Students in Greenland
With Washington and Lee University exploring ways to reimagine international education, three members of the W&L faculty recently traveled to Greenland to investigate possible connections there for internships, student projects and spring term abroad courses.
W&L Promotes Faculty Members to Full, Associate Professorships
Washington and Lee University has promoted eight members of its faculty to full professor, while granting tenure to 14 faculty members who were promoted to associate professor.
W&L Names 13 Faculty to Endowed Professorships
Thirteen members of the Washington and Lee University faculty have been named to endowed professorships— two each in the School of Law and the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics, and nine in the College. W&L currently has 45 endowed full professorships and 10 term professorships, which recognize worthy teachers who have made meaningful […]
W&L 2012 Graduates Win Fellowships
Two members of Washington and Lee University's 2012 graduating class, Tyler Grant of Suwanee, Ga., and Ryan Hartman of Yorktown, Va., have received grants for postgraduate study from the prestigious Fulbright Program while a third, Shiri Yadlin of Irvine, Calif., received a U.S. teaching assistantship to Austria.
Scott Tinker, State Geologist of Texas, to Discuss the Energy Industry
Scott Tinker, director of the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin, will give a lecture on energy at W&L on Feb. 15, at 5:30 p.m. in Elrod Commons.
W&L Students Present at Major Geology Conference
Four Washington and Lee University geology majors presented their research at the world's largest geoscience meeting to be held in San Francisco this week (Dec. 5-9). Makenzie Hatfield, a senior from Charleston, W.Va., Elizabeth Mann, a senior from Hamilton, Va., Maria Reimi, a senior from Caracas, Venezuela, and Lauren Schultz, a junior from California, Md., […]
Antique Scientific Instruments Show How W&L Students Used to Learn
An exhibit of 19th-century scientific instruments on the main floor of the Leyburn Library at Washington and Lee University shows how students used to study physics, chemistry, mathematics, surveying and other scientific disciplines. Yolanda Merrill, humanities librarian and associate professor, originated the idea for the exhibit after noticing similar instruments on display in the library’s […]
Internationally Renowned Historian of Science to Speak at W&L
Naomi Oreskes, provost and professor of history and science studies at the University of California San Diego, will give a public talk as part of the 2011-2012 Speaker Series WS2: Women Scientists and Women in Science on Monday, Nov. 14, at 5:30 p.m. in Stackhouse Theater of Elrod Commons. The title of Oreskes’ talk is “Moving […]
David Harbor, Jeffrey Rahl Present Findings at Geology Meeting
David Harbor, professor of geology, and Jeffrey Rahl, assistant professor of geology, both of Washington and Lee, presented the results of their summer research to approximately 6,000 geoscientists at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in October. Their work was supported by the Lenfest program and two alumni funds in the geology […]
New Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope at W&L for Regional Use
A new confocal laser scanning microscope at Washington and Lee University aims to increase research and training across the sciences, not only at W&L but also at two nearby institutions, Virginia Military Institute and Mary Baldwin College. The microscope will be acquired through a $366,000 Major Research Instrumentation grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). […]
NSF Grant Funds Replacement Electron Microscope at W&L
An award of $355,319 from the National Science Foundation will allow Washington and Lee University to replace its much-used but outdated scanning electron microscope with a state-of-the art version. “The existing machine works well for teaching purposes,” said Jeffrey Rahl, assistant professor of geology at W&L and principal investigator for the grant application, “but in […]
Earthquake Felt in Lexington; No Damage Reported on Campus
Members of the Washington and Lee community, along with Lexington residents, experienced the Virginia-based 5.8 earthquake on Tuesday. W&L has received no reports of any injuries or damage from the event. The quake, which was centered 82 miles from the W&L campus in Mineral, Va., struck at 1:51 p.m. with a low rumble and a […]
