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COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

A student looks a mapping program in class.

The Department of Geography and the Environment integrates the disciplines of geography and environmental science in teaching and research to seek a better understanding of the spatial patterns in the natural and built environments, the physical and social processes that produce those patterns, and their interactions.

We are witnessing global change at a pace unique in human history, and we clearly must understand and manage our interactions with natural systems. Our department emphasizes integrated thinking and learning at the nexus of science, policy and human behavior to prepare our graduates to solve some of the most pressing issues facing society today. The Department of Geography and the Environment (GEV) is home to three undergraduate majors (BS in Environmental Science, BA in Environmental Studies, and BA in Geography), two undergraduate minors (Geography and Sustainability), and a graduate program (MS in Environmental Science). Students undertake timely and important research under the guidance of research-active faculty mentors who are leaders in their fields.

Department of Geography and the Environment
Suite G67, Mendel Science Center
Villanova University

Chair:
Dr. Nathaniel B. Weston

Undergraduate Program Directors:
Dr. Steven Goldsmith (Environmental)
Dr. Stephen Strader (Geography)

NEWS & EVENTS

OPEN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR POSITION

The Department of Geography and the Environment at Villanova University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Environmental Science starting in August 2022. We seek an environmental scientist who expands on existing strengths in ecosystems ecology and biogeochemistry within the department, and who will support the growth of the undergraduate and graduate programs. Our new colleague will broaden the scope of expertise among the faculty and will expand the research and teaching opportunities within the department. Willingness to work collaboratively with faculty and to mentor students from a wide range of disciplines, cultures, and academic backgrounds is essential. We are especially interested in candidates whose teaching will contribute to the department's commitment to diversity and academic excellence, whose teaching and research hold the promise of incorporating geospatial technologies to complement the environmental sciences, and who will enhance the department’s academic programs. MORE...

BECKMAN SCHOLARSHIP FOR STUDENT RESEARCH

Gillen Curren ’22 CLAS, received a Beckman Scholarship for academic years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 to fund her research project titled "Heavy Metals in Estuarine Food Webs" with her Faculty Mentor, Nathaniel Weston, PhD, associate professor and Chair of the department of Geography and the Environment. Gillen will be working to compare the heavy metal concentrations found in various plants, insects, fish, benthic infauna, and filter feeders from coastal tidal marsh systems in the Delaware Estuary (New Jersey and Delaware) and the Plum Island Estuary (Massachusetts). Gillen is one of five students at Villanova to be awarded a Beckman Scholarship. MORE...

FACULTY AWARD

Stephen Strader, PhD, received the American Meteorological Society’s 2020 Outstanding Early Career Award in Societal Impacts Award. Dr. Strader is a hazards geographer, atmospheric scientist, and geographic information systems (GIS) analyst with interests in coupled human-environment interactions, severe and local storms, mesoscale meteorology, natural hazard vulnerability and risk, and GIScience applications. MORE...

GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP AWARDED

Nicole Marks ’20 MS, was one of nine students nationwide to be awarded a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Management Fellowship. Marks will work with the Delaware Coastal Management Program to develop an outreach and education program for Delaware that details the actions communities, homeowners, business owners and land stewards can undertake to address encroaching coastal waters. Link to graduate homepage MORE...

EDUCATION WITH IMPACT

 

AN EDUCATION IN THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES promotes intellectual curiosity and rigor; instills the fundamentals of critical insight, mature judgment and independent thinking; and strengthens students’ sense of their moral responsibility for others and for the betterment of society.