Internships
Internships are a great way to explore your interests and gain real-world experience with government agencies and private firms in areas such as consulting and forecasting. Your faculty advisor will help you determine whether registering for academic credit is helpful or required and guide you through the internship application process.
The Career Planning and Networking Center also offers helpful resources, including scholarship opportunities and the Helen and Michael Casper Fellowship for internship support. This fellowship is open to all students and is designed to help make meaningful internship experiences more accessible.
Field Courses and Travel Opportunities
The EAS faculty strongly believe that getting students out of the classroom and learning by doing (also known as experiential learning) should be a component of the college experience. Students can take advantage of a variety of experiential learning opportunities.
GEOFYRST
Incoming first-year and new transfer students can sign up for GEOFYRST (Geologic Experience Outdoors: The First-Year Regional Summer Trip), a six-day, faculty-led field trip in the Adirondack Mountains the week before fall classes begin.
Rocky Mountains Field Trip
One of two department field trips is Geology of the Rocky Mountain Region (GEOL 3708). This course is an interdisciplinary study of the ecology and geology of the Rocky Mountain region that includes an 18-day summer field excursion. This longstanding field trip is limited to 12–15 students, half geology/earth science and half biology majors. The course largely focuses on the natural environments of the southern Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau. Students will record observations in a field notebook; keep personal journals to reflect on a topic of the day; practice identifying rocks, fossils, plants, and animals; and synthesizing data in field presentations. The parks visited include Great Sand Dunes National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Arches National Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.
Field Geology of Plate Boundaries
The second department field trip is Field Geology of Plate Boundaries (GEOL 4096). This course provides the opportunity for students to apply in-class theory to a field study experience. Students will record geologic observations in field notes and sketches; create maps and geologic cross sections; stratigraphic sections and present summaries of field investigations. The field trip usually runs in between fall and spring semesters for 13 days and then students work on their field data in class during the spring semester. The field trip rotates among three destinations in southern California: Death Valley, Anzo Barrego, and Calico Mojave.
Travel to Professional Conferences
Our department has a strong tradition of sending majors to professional conferences to present their research, meet with prospective graduate schools and learn more about their field.
There are several funding opportunities to help pay the expenses of travel to professional conferences. The department is fortunate to offer some funds for students to travel to conferences. This is due to the generous support of our alumni.
The SUNY Oneonta Scholarly Activities Office provides other sources of funding for student travel. Please visit the GDO website to learn about the opportunities.
The Caroline '67 and David D'Antonio Undergraduate Student Travel for Excellence Fund is for professional and conference travel related to applicant's field of study.
Student Travel for Excellence Program: STEP provides support for travel to conferences and other activities.
Present Research
An important component of the departmental culture is undergraduate research. Employers are searching for people who can critically think, problem-solve and communicate. Research is a great way to pick up all these skills. The EAS faculty mentor students on original research that is presented at professional meetings, such as the Geological Society of American (GSA), American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the American Meteorological Society (AMS). Most faculty conference abstracts have one or more students as authors, usually as first authors. Peer-reviewed articles are also produced from student research, with some occurring after graduation.
National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
Earth and Atmospheric Science students can apply for Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) opportunities at other universities. These programs are very competitive and provide immersive, hands-on experience in a research project, usually over the summer.
See REU Opportunities in Earth Science and Geology: Search REU Sites | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation
See REU Opportunities in Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences: Search REU Sites | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation
Department Events
Majors’ Night
Each fall we host Majors’ Night, a networking event for current students to meet alumni of the department who are working or in graduate school.
College Camp Picnic
At the end of the spring semester, we get together for a picnic at College Camp, where we grill burgers, hold our traditional tug-o-war, award scholarships, and announce the outstanding senior.
Student Organizations
Zeta Rho Chapter of Sigma Gamma Epsilon (SGE)
Sigma Gamma Epsilon (SGE) is a national honor society established to recognize students that hold scholarship and professionalism in the Earth Sciences. The Zeta Rho Chapter of SGE at SUNY Oneonta is one of 13 chapters within New York. Our chapter helps out with departmental events, like Majors’ Night and the end of the year picnic. We also hold a Seminar Night once per semester, when students present their own research or talk about the latest hurricane. Being a part of SGE is a great opportunity to bring students together from all majors in the department to learn about their field of study.
Meteorology Club
The mission of the Meteorology Club is to bring together members of the student community who are interested in atmospheric science, or who are enrolled in the major. The club sponsors multiple field trips each year, including our annual attendance at the Northeastern Storm Conference in Saratoga Springs, NY. We also represent the local student chapter of the American Meteorological Society. We serve as an interest group for weather, a tutorial group for our rigorous math and science requirements, and a source of information for meteorology student opportunities.
Geology Club
The purpose of the geology club is to offer all interested students the opportunity to become better informed in Geology and the Earth Sciences through activities such as, geologic field trips of both long and short duration, guest speakers, discussion periods, accumulating club collections, informal presentations by student members and faculty, and other activities. Follow the Geology Club on Instagram
Student Advisory Council
The Student Advisory Council is the group that represents all students in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department. The Council meets with the Department Chairperson about once a month. They provide the students' views on departmental plans, programs, or policies.
Contact the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department
209 Janet R. Perna Science Building
108 Ravine Parkway
Oneonta, NY 13820
United States