Research
Research
Research in the Department of Geology
The mission of the Department of Geology is, at its core, the drive to understand global environmental change. This is evident in our research in paleontology, paleoclimate, and planetary science. Our research seeks to answer fundamental questions about the world we live in: How did the Earth form? What inhabited the Earth before us? What are the fundamental processes that change the flora and fauna? How has climate shaped the world we see? What are the processes that have changed climate in the past? And, how are we, as a species, altering Earth's climate today?
The Department of Geology is committed to providing Rowan students a comprehensive Geoscience education. We believe that such an education is rooted in experiential learning through active participation in research. Rowan students work alongside faculty in the laboratory and the field, and are well positioned for careers in the geosciences, public service and private industry, as well as continuing education and research.
Paleontology Research
Drs. Paul Ullmann, Kristyn Voegele, and Zach Boles, and School of Earth and Environment Dean Ken Lacovara are vertebrate paleontologists. Their research is done both in the laboratory and the field, from advanced molecular laboratories in North Carolina to field sites in the deserts of Argentina, and the badlands of South Dakota, Montana, and at the Jean and Ric Edelman Fossil Park at Rowan. We have dedicated paleontology tools and labs that provide unparalleled insight into the last moments of the Cretaceous. Research interests include molecular analyses of ancient proteins, 3D modeling of dinosaur joint motions, analysis of predator-prey relationships in ancient environments, and advancing our understanding of the K/Pg boundary, when the reign of the 'terrible lizards' suddenly ended and new forms (mammals) took over the Earth.
Paleoclimate research
Drs. Aaron Barth and Gerald Rustic are paleoclimatologists studying past changes in Earth's climate. Documenting how climate has changed allows us to understand the mechanisms that drive such changes and the processes that feedback to amplify or dampen forcing signals. This research involves samples from the tops of mountains to the depths of the oceans, isotope geochemistry, statistical analysis, mass spectrometry and laser ablation, microscopy, and a lot of patient, painstaking work. Research interests include climate variability - including the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) - , the timing and extent of glaciations, rapid climate change, and the development of novel techniques and methods to extract more information from climate archives.
Planetary Geology
Founding Chair Dr. Harold Connolly is a cosmochemist who studies the composition of extra-terrestrial objects to infer the early composition of the solar system, and from this the formation of the Earth. Dr. Connolly's research is fundamental to understanding how the Earth came to be. He is the Mission Sample Scientist on NASA's New Fontiers 3 asteroid sampe return mission, OSIRIS-REx and Co-I on JAXA's Hayabusa2 asteroid sample return mission. These missions will retrieve samples from distant asteroids whose composition will reveal, for the first time, the early composition of the solar system.