APPLIED ENVIRONMENTAL GEOSCIENCES AT WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY

Weber State University (WSU) in Ogden, Utah, sits on the Provo Shoreline of prehistoric Lake Bonneville, at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains, with the Wasatch Fault passing through campus. WSU has over 18,000 (12,000 FTE) students working toward associate and baccalaureate degrees with a limited number of masters degrees. The Geosciences Department at WSU offers degrees in Geology, Applied Environmental Geology (AEG), Earth Science Teaching and a certificate in Geomatics.

The AEG major arose because about 60% of WSU graduates attempt to find work immediately after graduation and compete with M.S. students from three major universities in the state. For WSU students to be successful it is necessary that their coursework and skills are useful to employers. The Geology major had always emphasized rock identification, section description, and field studies of structure. The AEG program builds on those core strengths and develops additional skills in two areas: hydrology and GIS. Initiated in 1998, the AEG major requires: Environmental Geosciences, Water Resources, and a two semester GIS sequence. Many majors take as electives: Ground Water, Environmental Assessment, and Remote Sensing. Students work with XRD, chemical instrumentation, and GPS in these courses. The department’s Geospatial and Environmental Applied Research (GEAR) Lab prepares students to use geospatial technologies in many applied areas. To strengthen the hydrology program, a campus well field, with remotely accessible real-time data, was developed with the cooperation of the Utah Geological Survey, Utah Well Drillers Association, and the USGS. Undergraduate research is encouraged and some students work in the nanotechnology labs with atomic force microscopy and SEM with EDAX.

Developing geospatial, hydrologic, and field skills in students encourages cooperative programs and creates internships which lead to job opportunities. In addition to the private sector, graduates find employment in city, county, and state government as well as local federal agencies such as the National Forest Service and Hill AFB and its geotechnical contractors.