About Us

The Department of Earth and Environmental Systems (EES) unites multiple disciplines under one physical roof (Snowden), to provide an integrated experience for students interested in how the Earth and its environment shape our lives, and how we in turn shape our planet. Our classes combine lectures with hands-on experiences that leverage our 13,000 acre campus, and we balance experimental and laboratory work with the modeling and technical skills needed in the modern workplace.

Our Programs

Natural Resources

Combine a foundation of forestry & geology with customizable coursework to develop the breadth of knowledge needed for a career that balances the intrinsic and utilitarian value of the Earth's finite resources.

Watershed Science Certificate

Learn about the interconnected physical, chemical, and biological factors that affect our watersheds while getting a leg up in the job market. 

Want to learn how our majors compare? 

Check out this visual comparison of the four majors we offer under the umbrella of Earth & Environmental Systems.

Faculty & Staff
Learn about who we are and what we do.

Teaching and advising students takes a village. In our department, that includes all of our faculty and staff. 

Meet the EES Faculty & Staff
Student Research
Grow beyond the classroom

From experiences in the great outdoors to measurements at world-class particle accelerators. 

Explore Research Opportunities in EES.
Outcomes
Kickstart a meaningful vocation.

Learn about career outcomes for graduates from across the four EES majors.

Learn about careers in EES.

Resources & Opportunities

Landscape Analysis Lab (LAL)

Through the LAL, take courses in GIS (Geographic Information System), and learn to collect and analyze spatial data. LAL also provides GIS support for faculty, staff, and students across the university, community, and regional organizations

Sewanee's Integrated Program in the Environment (SIPE)

SIPE has over 30 faculty and staff engaged with students on a variety of research and applied field projects. They provide internship support and are involved with management and conservation issues across the globe.

Island Ecology

The Island Ecology program has provided students the unique opportunity to live and work on St. Catherines, one of the largest undeveloped islands on the Atlantic coast of the United States for 34 years.

University Farm

The University Farm helps to nourish our students nutritionally and intellectually. Many of our students work on the farm and may even complete capstone projects utilizing this unique resource.

Departmental News

Scholarship Sewanee
Undergraduate Research

Eighteen EES students presented research at Scholarship Sewanee on topics as varied as subalpine forest mortality in the Rocky Mountains, thin section analysis of the Pennington Formation, phase transitions in hydrous sulfates at extreme pressures and temperatures, a multi-temporal landslide inventory for Wetar Island, and how regenerative practices affect soil carbon sequestration on small farms on the Cumberland Plateau. 

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AGU Fall Meeting
Undergraduate Research

Undergraduates Brian Gulick (C'24) and Máté Garai (C'24) travelled to Chicago to present their geology research at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting. This is the largest international geology meeting in the world, and draws more than 25,000 scientists from over 100 countries! Also in attendance to present their work were Dr. Max Dahlquist and Dr. Lily Thompson (not shown).

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GSA Annual Meeting
Undergraduate Research

Christian Shushok and Audrey Burch presented their research at the Geological Society of America (GSA) Annual Meeting. Their work explores the properties of two minerals, epsomite and melanterite, at elevated pressures and extreme temperatures. These findings tie together work conducted in the Snowden laboratory, as well as spectroscopy measurements conducted at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory. 

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