Documenting Long-Term Environmental Change

Our course in Paleoecology – the study of environments of the past – builds upon modern-day ecological studies, such as the plankton-monitoring in Biology 101 labs, by probing much more deeply into the past.

Sediments beneath lakes contain evidence of environmental change going back centuries to thousands of years.

By coring lake beds from canoes or through winter ice, we study the long-term effects of acid rain, nutrient pollution, climate change and other challenges.

This publishable research, conducted in class and in senior capstone projects led by award-winning faculty, such as Dr. Curt Stager, helps us to understand the nature and causes of environmental change and what the future may hold in a rapidly changing world. Students pursuing our Environmental Science degrees often find themselves working alongside grad students and professionals in their respective fields.