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Departmental information

Access key information and review student learning goals.

Mission Statement

Geoscience is the study of planet Earth, its materials, the processes that act upon them, and the history of the planet and its life forms since its origin. The mission of Skidmore's geosciences program is to apply the understanding of Earth processes to contemporary issues such as Earth resources, land-use planning, and global change. The program's curriculum includes ocean and atmospheric sciences, Earth surface processes, and the history of global change. Our courses are designed for students with a general interest in the geosciences as well as for students planning to pursue a graduate degree. We accomplish this mission by providing an environment in which students acquire sound scientific problem-solving, research, and communication skills.

Geoscience students obtain a strong foundation for lifelong learning, professional development in the geosciences, and enhanced career opportunities in other fields that require a broadly based background in this discipline. A liberal arts degree in geosciences prepares a student for a number of professional activities related to resource management, climatology, oceanography, hydrology, Earth hazards, land-use planning, and environmental consulting. Our department contributes to the broader mission of the College by providing courses that enhance student awareness of, and appreciation for, Earth's dynamic systems and the scientific methodologies by which they are understood. Our program complements and is complemented by environmental studies in addition to other natural sciences.

Student Learning Goals

Below are the departmental learning goals mapped to College-wide goals for student learning.

The Department of Geosciences at Skidmore College seeks to engage students in a meaningful scientific exploration of our planet. (Ia, Ic, IIa, IVc) The geosciences major allows students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, to design programs of study to meet individual interests and goals, while developing breadth of knowledge vital to all geoscientists. (Ia, Ic) All students graduating with a degree in geosciences from Skidmore College will be able to pursue advanced degrees and/or professional careers in the geologic sciences as well as related fields within the environmental sciences. (IIIc, IVa, IVc, IVd) All students majoring in the geosciences should also be able to demonstrate a mastery of fundamental principles of the geosciences as well as the modes of inquiry used by geoscientists. (I & II)

Students will acquire sound skills in

  • Problem-solving. (IIa, IIb, IIe)
  • Scientific research. (IIa, IIb, IIe, IIIc, IIId, IV)
  • Communication. (Ic, IIc, IId, IIIc)
  • Acquire a broad understanding of the geosciences in general. (Ia, Ib, Ic, IIb, IIe, IIId)
  • Develop specific knowledge of one area of geosciences in greater depth. (Ia, Ib, Ic, IIb, IIe, IIId)
  • Apply their understanding of Earth processes in a liberal arts context to contemporary issues affecting humans. (IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IIId, Iva, IVc, IVd)
  • Develop a strong foundation for professional careers in geosciences and other related fields requiring or benefitting from a geosciences background. (Ib, IIa, IIc, IId, IIIc, IIId, IVa)
  • Develop a strong foundation for lifelong learning. (IVa, IVb, IVc, IVd)

Information Literacy

  • Understand how science is critiqued and revised over time by many practitioners. (Ib, IIa, IIIb, IVb)
  • Function as an informed consumer of science media. (I, IIa, IIb, IIe, IIIa, IIIb, IVc)
  • Access and manipulate public geoscientific data sources. (IIa, IIb)
  • Understand and clearly communicate the uncertainties and limitations of different types of observations. (Ic, IIa, IIb, IIc, IIId, IVa, IVc)
  • Correctly attribute sources of data, scientific literature, and ideas. (Ic, IIb, IIc, IId, IVb)
  • Efficiently search for and access the primary scientific literature. (Ic, IIa, IIb, IIe)

Visual Literacy

  • Understand different ways of visualizing geoscientific data. (Ia, IIa, IIb, IIIc)
  • Be able to interpret and explain information from graphical sources, including multi- dimensional, spatial, and temporal data. (Ia, Ic, IIa, IIb, IIc, IIc, IIIc, IVa)
  • Create graphical representations of data that clearly communicate scientific results. (Ic, IIb, IIc, IIIc)
  • Correctly attribute sources of graphical data and imagery. (Ic, IIc, IIe)

Technological Literacy

  • Create digital representations of information in ways that clearly communicate results. (IIb, IIc, IIe, IIIc, IIId)
  • Access and manipulate digitally archived public geoscientific data sources. (Ia, Ib, Ic, IIa, IIb, IId, IIe)
  • Understand principles and major applications of technology used in geoscientific studies. (Ia, Ic, IIa, IIb, IIe, IIIc, IIIc)

Effective Oral Communication

  • Be able to effectively communicate about geoscience to general audiences. (Ic, IIb, IIc, IId, IIIb, IIIc, IVb)
  • Develop effective oral communication skills to deliver scientific information to an audience of peers. (Ic, IIb, IIc, IId, IIIb, IIIc, IVb)
  • Be able to formally communicate scientific research results. (Ic, IIb, IIc, IId, IIIb, IIIc, IVb)

Effective Written Communication

  • Synthesize and cite information from a variety of sources. (Ia, Ic, IIc)
  • Articulate clearly hypotheses and methods for scientific research. (Ic, IIc, IIIc)
  • Develop proficiency in expressing results, including addressing uncertainty in the findings. (Ic, IIb, IIc)
  • Convey the implications of findings for the geosciences community and/or the public. (Ib, Ic, IIc, IId, IIIc, IIId, IVa)
  • Write effective independent and collaborative pieces. (Ic, IIc, IId, IIIc)

Skidmore’s annual Strock Lecture honors renowned geochemist and longtime friend of the Geosciences Department, Lester W. Strock. A leading authority on Saratoga’s mineral springs, Strock spent much of his career conducting research at MIT and Sylvania Electric.

2025 STROCK LECTURER: DR. PAUL BIERMAN, UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT

Monday, April 7, 2025
5 p.m.
Palamountain Hall, Davis Auditorium 

Why Greenland Matters to All of Us (hint, it’s the ice)

The massive melt we identified happened about 400,000 years ago, a time when Earth’s climate was naturally about as warm as it is today, but carbon dioxide levels were far lower. When ice on Greenland melts, water flows into the ocean raising sea level as much as 25 feet and flooding coastal zones around the world. If we let that happen again, much of Boston, New York, and Miami will be under water, as will Jakarta and Mumbai. Greenland’s real value is its ice.

  • Rock Prep Room
  • Geochronology Laboratory (Gamma detector, time machine)
  • Stable isotope and Paleoclimate Analysis (SPA) laboratory

Geoscience resources

Explore geology links and Skidmore resources, including GIS and research tools, funded internships and scholarships, field camps and study abroad, professional organizations, and career opportunities in the geosciences.

Field Camp and Study Abroad

Career exploration

Graduate programs

Geosciences Contact

Office

Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences (CIS) 280A
518-580-5948

Chair

Jennifer T. Cholnoky
Geosciences Senior Lecturer
jcholnok@skidmore.edu
CIS 280A

Administrative Assistant

Alyssa B. Meyers
ameyers1@skidmore.edu