Global concerns about resource availability, natural disaster impacts, environmental change and sustainable development have propelled Environmental Earth Science to the forefront in the 21st century. Employment in the field is projected to grow faster than average from 2016-26 — between 10-14 percent. Environmental Earth Science (EES) is an interdisciplinary field of study that combines pure and applied science with modern technologies and research methods.
The Environmental Earth Science (EES) major provides a broad-based education in environmental earth science with a strong foundation in geoscience. The curriculum stresses the materials, processes, and features of the earth, and the ways in which earth scientists address environmental problems. The student selects one of two possible concentrations to follow, which have the same common core and capstone course. Courses in chemistry, physics, mathematics, and computing are integrated into the major to provide the diverse background necessary for analyzing environmental problems.
Concentrations
Environmental Earth Science (EES) students at Eastern receive a broad education in environmental earth science with a strong foundation in geoscience, using classroom, laboratory and field-based learning. The curriculum stresses the materials, processes, and features of the Earth, Earth history and the ways in which earth scientists address scientific, societal and environmental problems.
Environmental Earth Science (EES) students at Eastern receive a broad education in environmental earth science with a strong foundation in geoscience, using classroom, laboratory and field-based learning. The curriculum stresses the materials, processes, and features of the Earth, Earth history and the ways in which earth scientists address scientific, societal and environmental problems.
Students have laboratory experiences in Sedimentology, Geomorphology, Petrology, Structural Geology, Field Methods, Hydrology, GIS and Sustainable Energy, and present their findings at local, regional and national research conferences.
Internships
Eastern’s Institute for Sustainable Energy offers credit and paid internships for Environmental Earth Science students. Other internship opportunities are available through Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and regional geo-environmental firms.
Field Trips
The EES Department frequently offers field trips to locations such as Iceland, Arizona and Wyoming/Idaho.
Each year the EES department offers global field courses, and for Spring Break 2025, a group of EES students led by Dr. Cunningham and Dr. Drzewieki traveled to Arizona. This is the first post featuring the stunning scenery, and our very own stunning students! The students participated in daily hiking to explore this beautiful terrain while learning about the geology of the area. Keep up with the EES social media for the post to see more awesome pictures!
Meet Jennifer Croteau! An EES class of ‘19 alumni. Jenn works for INSPIRE Environmental as a Project Scientist, and is currently a part of a project that will eventually build an off shore wind farm. She uses is GIS to analyze data of the potential wind farm locations. She analyzes many aspects of the underwater environments including critical habitats, sediments, and even marine animals, which is super important! Jen also has a seasonal position with the Watch Hill Conservancy, doing horseshoe crab spawning surveys and working in outreach programs to educate the public! It is awesome to have her as an EES alumni. To learn more about what Jen does, her interview is linked in the EES Instagram bio. Thank you Jen! @easternctstateuniv @easternctalumni whyeastern
Our next EES alumni Erica Poisson class of 2012! She is a GIS coordinator with State Massachusetts, working with the Department of Recreation and Conversation. She received her Graduate degree from the University of Rhode Island. During her time as a graduate student, she worked as an intern for the National Park Service, where she took hand written fire data from 1974 to 1991, and made it digital. Her job now requires her to work with 115 people, working with many different types of scientists to create visual art and maps of data available to everyone! She discussed how she did not exactly know what she wanted to do after college, Eastern did not even have the GIS minor yet. But she kept an open mind and learned that she enjoyed GIS when she was introduced to ArcMap through Eastern. She mentioned that taking Hydro was also very helpful as well as GIS for her career. She was asked what can students do help them find a career that suits them, and she said that the best way to succeed is to put yourself out there! It never hurts to try. When asked what her favorite aspects about her job were, she replied that she gets to do different things everyday, and that she can encourage people to learn and use GIS. Thank you Erica!
Meet class of ‘23 EES alumni Cam Soulagnet! He recently agreed to be interviewed to discuss his year long internship with the National Park Service, working on an ongoing remote project. He talks about what it was like going straight from school to work, travel opportunities, connections he’s made, and skills he has learned. The third photo is a small spoiler into one of the topics covered. It is of a multibeam sonar Echoboat he used to scan sites on Fire Island, which is super cool! Check out his interview on the EES YouTube channel! A link is available in the Instagram bio. Thank you Cam!
Highlighting Riley Matto EES class of 2024! She is currently working as an Environmental Scientist. Prior to her current position, she had an internship through the Mystic Watershed Alliance during the 2024 summer. The Mystic Watershed is an organization the works to protect the Mystic River Watershed. She describes the experience as incredibly rewarding; spending many hours outdoors, taking water samples, drivings boats, handling equipment, and much more. To learn more about Riley’s internship, check out her video linked in the EES Bio. Thank you Riley!
This past week Professor Oakley attended the biennial Coastal GeoTools Conference in Wilmington, NC, a coastal city already feeling the impacts of sea level rise. Not only did Professor Oakley attend this conference but presented as well! He presented research from a recently completed project mapping the seafloor habitats around Acadia National Park. All of the EES faculty are active researchers, and attending and presenting at conferences keeps them current in their field, allowing them to keep the course content on the cutting edge and ensuring that the EES curriculum remains relevant to students as they head into the workforce, graduate school, and beyond!
“One of my ongoing research projects is to understand the climate and environments of the Jurassic rocks in the Connecticut Valley, which were deposited at the time dinosaurs roamed the planet.”
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Bryan A. Oakley
Professor and Department Chair
“Taking students into the field and showing them how to conduct research, collect and analyze data and then present the data at a research conference is a super rewarding experience.”
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Career Options
Students who pursue undergraduate degrees in Environmental Earth Science can have rewarding and successful careers in a variety of professional fields, including:
Energy Specialist
Environmental Scientist, Consultant, Technician
Geologist
Geo-Environmental Technician
Geological or Environmental Engineer
GIS Analyst
Hazardous Waste Scientist
Hydrogeologist
Land/Marine Surveyor
Physical Science Educator
Resources Exploration Geoscientist
Successful Alumni
Recent Eastern students who earned a bachelor’s degree or a minor in Environmental Earth Science are at the following companies and professional/graduate schools:
Geo-Environmental Firms (e.g. Fuss & O’Neill)
Energy and Consulting Firms (e.g. Eversource)
U.S. Geological Survey
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Dickson Cunningham, professor of environmental earth science, has spent nearly 40 years investigating changes in the Earth's crust, main in Central Asia, and how mountains form.
Two students from the Department of Environmental Earth Science (EES) at Eastern Connecticut State University joined Professor Peter Drzewiecki on a nine-day trip in the Pyrenees Mountains of Spain to examine the development of the area’s geological features in late May.
This summer, a group of environmental earth science (EES) researchers from Eastern traveled to Block Island, RI, to study coastal geology and erosion along the island’s iconic bluffs. Their trip entailed using a drone and helicopter to photograph the coastline in order to create 3D models to track erosion along the shoreline. This “photogrammetry” research project was led by Professor Drew Hyatt with the assistance of EES Professor Bryan Oakley and students Kelvin Carranza-Martinez and Matthew Tardella.
Environmental Earth Science major Laura Markley ’15 earned her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at Syracuse University and now works there in the Center for Sustainable Community Solutions. Her research focuses on the life cycle and environmental impact of plastics. “What I most appreciate about Eastern are the relationships I developed with professors. They allowed me to find my niche and learn what I really enjoy doing.”
Environmental Earth Science
Matthew Gonsalves ’14
“Taking a variety of different courses in the liberal arts, along with applied learning opportunities and independent studies, led me to becoming an environmental consultant today, conducting environmental assessments in conjunction with private, commercial and municipal clients. In my spare time, I design board games with my wife and former roommates. We hope to market the games to the public in the near future.”
Environmental Earth Science
Cody Lorentson ’14
Cody is a sustainability data manager at Mondelez International. “Two of the greatest strengths of Eastern’s EES department are the opportunity to complete independent studies and the faculty’s dedication to student growth. By the end of my four years, I developed personal and professional skills that have allowed me to excel in postgraduate endeavors.”
MPA candidate
Melody Ochoa ’23
“I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in public affairs with a concentration in Environmental Policy. My experience in the Economics Department has given me a versatile background on topics ranging from environmental economics to human resource management. The liberal arts core taught me a lot about my interests and allowed me to explore career topics I didn’t even know were accessible to me.”
Environmental Earth Science
Alex Fazzino ’18
Alex is a GIS analyst for Verdantas, an environmental consultant. After Eastern, he earned his MS in Spatial Data Science at Penn State. “Based on what I do at work, Eastern’s EES program did a great job of choosing our required courseload. What excites me about working in this field is the ability to clean up the environment and make our world a little greener.”
Environmental Earth Science
Jacklyn Olivieri ’17
Jackie is an environmental scientist for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. She is responsible for investigating complaints and suspected violations of environmental laws and regulations. “I realized that understanding how things work and how to put them to use to make a difference for the environment and the world is my passion and why I ended up with a STEM career.”
Environmental Earth Science
Jack Cerra ’21
An environmental technician at Atlas, Jack presented at the New England Estuarine Research Society as an Eastern student; his research evaluated bluff erosion along the shoreline of Block Island, RI. Speaking of his liberal arts education, he said, “Being exposed to a little bit of everything has helped me to become a more well-rounded person and enabled me to look at things from different perspectives.”
Hydrologic Modeling
Timothy Bugden ’14
Environmental Earth Science major Timothy Bugden earned his M.S. in hydrology at the University of Connecticut and works as a CAD draftsman at OneEarth Environmental. “Eastern was nothing short of extraordinary. I flourished under the instruction of exceptionally motivated professors and enjoyed the camaraderie of my fellow EES students. I shudder to think of the opportunities I would have missed had I not enrolled at Eastern.”
Sustainable Development
Nicholas Denegre ’14
Environmental Earth Science Nicholas Denegre is studying sustainable development as a graduate student at the University of Graz in Austria. Upon graduating from Eastern, he worked as a system analyst at Greenskies Renewable Energy. “Eastern’s EES program prepared me for the environmental sciences field with a rigorous education and many undergraduate research opportunities. It without a doubt catapulted my career.”
Fisheries Biologist
Corey Pelletier ’12
Environmental Earth Science major Corey Pelletier is a fisheries biologist for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. “Eastern provided me not only with the knowledge base to understand our environment and natural processes, but also a working knowledge applicable to the natural resources field.”
Eversource
Nick Jones ’12
Environmental Earth Science major Nick Jones works at Eversource Energy as the Energy Efficiency Program Lead of Residential New Construction. He works with builders, designers and governmental organizations to advance high-performance building practices and technologies. “The passion of the professors and administration at Eastern is something that students take with them long after they graduate.”
Sustainability
Melody Ochoa ’23
Melody completed an internship on campus at Eastern’s Institute for Sustainability, focusing on composting. She worked on a number of initiatives, including creating a group of students on campus who were passionate about composting and food waste. “Every other Thursday we would collect compost and bring it to a location off campus. We are promoting town wellness and community.”
Staff Scientist
Jennifer Croteau ’19
Environmental Earth Science major Jennifer Croteau ’19 is a staff scientist at INSPIRE Environmental, an environmental consulting company based in Newport, RI. “The EES program prepares students for the professional and academic worlds. I was provided with many opportunities to conduct independent research and present at conferences. These opportunities helped me get a jumpstart on building a professional network while still in school, learn and use field techniques outside of a classroom setting and build my resume.”
