Hanover Geology Department
Why Study Geology?
Deciding upon a major can be an intimidating task, and you may be wondering if geology would be a good fit for you. If any of the following is true, then the geology department at Hanover College may be just what you have been searching for.
You enjoy:
• Being outdoors
• Protecting the environment
• Conducting research
• Studying rocks, minerals, and fossils
• Studying the Earth's history and the processes that continue to shape Earth
• Learning about environmental regulations and laws
You want to:
• Pursue graduate work in geology or environmental science
• Pursue a career teaching earth science
• Become an environmental consultant, lawyer, environmental engineer, hydrogeologist, or mining or petroleum geologist
What Hanover Geology Offers
Geologists contribute not only vital information concerning the history of the Earth, but also information on and solutions to the problems that threaten the Earth today. Ever important, geologists address such critical issues as global warming, human population growth, and depletion of our natural resources.
The Department of Geology at Hanover has a history dating back to 1886, making it the oldest geology department in the state of Indiana. There is nothing old, however, about our modern facilities and state-of-the-art technology. To suit students' individual needs, we offer a broad spectrum of geology courses and in-depth research opportunities. Beyond general geology classes, available courses include Geology of National Parks and Monuments, Environmental Geology, Global Environmental Change, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), History of Life, and Physical and Contaminant Hydrogeology, to name a few. Our faculty members are focused on teaching and student assistance, rather than on their own research. These factors – its history, its faculty, and its facilities – make the geology program at Hanover a truly exceptional one.
A degree in geology will prepare you for a number of traditional geology professions (including earth science teaching), careers in the rapidly expanding environmental field, or for continuing your education in graduate or professional school. Whatever your choice, you will be well prepared for the future.
Highlights
Top-Notch Facilities and Dedicated Faculty
The geology department is housed on the third floor of the Goodrich Wing of the
Science Center. Along with faculty offices, the Goodrich Wing also houses the Grant Wickwire Microscopy Laboratory, the Clifford Adams Sediment Laboratory, a Geographic Information Systems computing lab, and two introductory lab/classrooms. Located in the Science Center are the Geochemistry / Hydrogeology lab, the scanning electron microscopy lab, and the rock/fossil preparation lab. Also located on the third floor of the Goodrich Wing is the Geology Sudent Office, where geology majors and minors have their own study carrels and a small kitchen area.
The three faculty members of the geology department are committed to providing excellent instruction and research mentorship. In addition to extensive field experience and expertise in computer applications to the earth and environmental sciences, our geology faculty also have extensive professional contacts in the academic and business worlds, and have published a number of peer-reviewed research papers and abstracts. Finally, all of our geology faculty offer courses and serve as research advisors for our new Environmental Science minor.
Real World Experience 
The geology department conducts frequent field trips and exercises to help you gain real-world experience. We examine a variety of sedimentary rocks and invertebrate fossils in the classic exposures of upper Ordovician through Devonian strata in southern Indiana. We also investigate the soils, geomorphology, hydrogeology, and glacial geology of the Hanover area. Finally, most geology majors and minors take our Field Methods course, which is taught at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico and emphasizes geological mapping and preparation of geological structure sections. (Check out the Ghost Ranch website at www.ghostranch.org for more information on this outstanding natural laboratory and study center.)
State-of-the-Art Technology
Major pieces of teaching and research equipment include a variable-pressure scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive elemental analyzer, a Scintag x-ray diffractometer, Nikon petrographic and stereoscopic microscopes, a custom-built stream table, a Bison single-channel surveying seismograph, and a Trimble GeoExplorer3 handheld GPS mapping and GIS data-collection system. Our geochemistry/hydrogeology lab is equipped with two fume hoods, bench surfaces and scaffolding for erection of apparatuses for fluid mechanics, and a variety of teaching/research tools such as ant farm models, a flow meter, and permeameters.
Travel
In addition to the Field Methods course taught at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, the geology department offers a number of other travel opportunities including trips to the Appalachian Mountains, Southern California, and the Grand Canyon. Also, travel opportunities to Iowa and Wisconsin are available to students taking our Historical Geology course. These trips provide students with valuable field experience while also allowing them to explore new opportunities and meet new people.
Geology Club
The Hanover College Geology Club includes geology majors and other interested students from the college at large. Our club periodically holds social and fundraising events and study trips, and provides many opportunities for students to interact with their peers and with department faculty under less 'academic' conditions. Our principal goal is to promote the study of geology in non-classroom settings, which we do primarily by holding fall and spring break field trips. Recently, our members have taken study trips to Death Valley, Grand Canyon, and the Great Smoky Mountains national parks.
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Opportunities for Research
All geology students are encouraged to participate in off-campus research projects and field studies. These opportunities allow you to gain a deeper understanding of geological principles and processes. Some students have pursued research projects that were initiated through summer internships with private companies or with government agencies such as the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Several students have conducted their senior independent studies at localities in eastern Oregon (glacial geology) and northeastern Tennessee (paleontology, stratigraphy, and structural geology).
Recent research projects have included:
- Michael Lichtenwalter's "Possible Taphonomic Bias in the Preservation of Phosphatic Macroinvertebrates in the Brainard Member of the Maquoketa Formation (Upper Ordovician) of Northeast Iowa." (Published in Journal of Taphonomy, Volume 4 (Issue 4), 2006, p. 207-220)
- Brian Jolly's "Stratigraphy and Paleontology of Pennsylvanian Strata near Pineville, Kentucky."
- Mark Otto's and Joe Goshorn-Maroney's " Late Quaternary Evolution of the Central Ohio River Valley" and "Reconstruction of Late Pleistocene Glacio-lacustrine Systems in the Ohio River Valley".
- Leah Peelman's "Characterization of Storm-water Runoff within a Small, Partially Urbanized Watershed in Southern Indiana".
Recent field studies have included:
• Studying Precambrian rocks in southwestern Wisconsin and southeastern Missouri
• Investigating Paleozoic rocks and fossils in eastern and central Iowa
• Analyzing Upper Mesozoic rocks and fossils in northern New Mexico
• The central Ohio River valley and the Oregon Cascade Range
The geology department also offers exciting opportunities for joint student-faculty research in paleontology, geomorphology, glacial geology, and hydrogeology. Such research projects allow students to work side-by-side with professional experts.
Career Opportunities
Studying geology within the context of a liberal arts education equips you with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary to continue on to a variety of career and/or graduate school opportunities.
Previous graduates' career and professional placements have included:
• Shrewsberry and Associates (Indiana)
• GEM Engineering (Kentucky)
• Hanover Environmental Services (California)
• Sequoia National Park (California)
• Shield Environmental (Kentucky)
• The Nature Conservancy (Florida)
• Precision Well Logging (Texas)
• Department of Natural Resources (Indiana)
• Chevron Oil (Texas)
Graduate school placements have included:
• University of Iowa
• Miami (Ohio) University
• University of Kentucky
• Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
• Idaho State University
• University of Akron
• Michigan Technological University
• Wichita State University
• Ohio University