Faculty
Michael L. Bass
Professor of Biology
mbass@umw.edu
441 Jepson Science Center
Phone: (540) 654-1424
A.A. - Clinch Valley College
B.S. - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
M.S. - Medical College of Virginia
Ph.D. - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Bass' areas of interest include the study of the physiological effects of pollutants on aquatic invertebrates, especially the interaction of temperature and toxicity. He is also actively monitoring the macrobenthic and periphyton community structure in freshwater streams that are impacted by non-point source pollution. Additional research concerns the effectiveness of riparian forested buffers in preventing nutrient, sediment and pesticide loading from agriculture run-off in streams.
Robert L. McConnell
Professor Emeritus of Geology
rmcconne@umw.edu
B.S., M.S. - University of Tennessee
Ph.D. - University of California, Santa Barbara
McConnell's interests include the impact of population growth and development on the severity of geological hazards; specifically the development's role in flash flood hazards of Northern Virginia. Recently, McConnell's research also involves quantifying institutional barriers to sustainable development and the impact of externalities and subsidies on energy and transportation sectors of the U.S. economy.
Grant R. Woodwell
Professor of Geology and Department Chair
gwoodwel@umw.edu
407 Jepson Science Center
Phone: (540) 654-1427
B.A. - Columbia University
M.Phil., Ph.D. - Yale University
Woodwell has engaged in field work in the Canadian and American Rocky Mountains, the Appalachians and the Spanish and French Pyrenees. Prior to his appointment at Mary Washington College, Woodwell was a researcher at London University studying hydrocarbon migration in northern Spain in cooperation with Hispanoil petroleum company. While still at Yale University Woodwell did postdoctoral research into the subject of nuclear waste disposal for the Oakridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. Woodwell's research interests encompass structural geology and stable isotope geochemistry. Specific research has included studying the sources, composition and movement of fluids in the Earth's crust, the effect of fluids on rock deformation and faulting, and understanding microscale deformation mechanisms and their associated rock fabrics. He has also been active in using computers to display spatial data and multidimensional geophysical data sets.
Jodie L. Hayob
Professor of Geology
jhayob@umw.edu
439 Jepson Science Center
Phone: (540) 654-1425
B.S. - University of Wisconsin - Madison
M.S., Ph.D. - University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Hayob's research interests include igneous and metamorphic petrology,
mineralogy, and geochemistry (thermodynamics and phase equilibria).
More specifically, she has conducted research on the metamorphism of
rocks from the lower crust of central Mexico, the origin and development
of microtextures in feldspar minerals, and the metamorphism of Piedmont
rocks near Fredericksburg.
Hayob has also conducted high temperature, high pressure experiments
with the piston cylinder apparatus at the U.S.Geological Survey in Menlo
Park, California. Much of her research has been collaborative with scientists
from the U.S.G.S., University of Arizona, and University of South Florida.
Most of Hayob's field work has been done in Canada and Mexico, and more
recently in the Appalachians of Virginia. Follow this link
to read about recent research.
Ben Odhiambo Kisila
Associate Professor of Geology
bkisila@umw.edu
440 Jepson Science Center
Phone: (540) 654-1107
B.Sc. - Nairobi University, Kenya
M.S. - University of Victoria, British Columbia
Ph.D. - University of Arkansas
I am interested in researching the behavior of contaminants and nutrients in the context of natural aquatic systems; using tools such as hydrochemical water analysis, transient and steady state tracers, particle fluxes and sedimentation rates, multivariate statistics and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Of particular interest are analyses of surface water site-specific contaminant sources as well as broader contaminant issues associated with long-range atmospheric transport; eutrophication of lakes and reservoirs associated with fluxes of nutrients and increase of productivity in surface waters; watershed geomorphological analysis; use of geophysical methods in sedimentation research such as multifrequency echo-sounding systems to estimate sedimentation rates, sediment thicknesses and stratigraphical sequences in lakes and reservoirs; using isotopes in estimating sediment fluxes and sediment fingerprinting (natural versus anthropogenic); ground water quality and contamination; and the interaction between surface and ground waters, i.e., using major ions and stable isotopes in establishing mixing trends and contamination.
Present research focus includes the following:
1. Bathymetry, geology, sedimentation, and geochemistry of lakes and reservoirs
2. Watershed changes and analysis: impact on water quality in streams, lakes and reservoirs
3. The impacts of dam removals
4. Isotopic analysis of vegetation evolution as a function of both climatic change and human activities.
Melanie Szulczewski
Assistant Professor of Environmental Science
mszulcze@umw.edu
438 Jepson Science Center
Phone: (540) 654-2345
B.A. Cornell University
M.S., Ph.D. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Szulczewski (pronounced “Scholl-chess-ski”) has worked with contaminated and degraded soils in the mid-West, the Everglades and southern Florida, and the Sahel region of Africa. She is now pursuing similar issues in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Szulczewski’s research interests include studying soils contaminated with heavy metals as well as environments degraded due to excessive nutrients (nitrogen or phosphorus) or desertification. With experience in international and local extension work, Szulczewski also investigates the effects of human behavior on the environment, both as a cause and potential solution. One current project encompassing the social aspect of remediating degraded environments involves the study of solar cooking adoption as a way to decelerate desertification and improve environmental quality in West Africa.
Neil Tibert
Associate Professor of Geology
ntibert@umw.edu
432 Jepson Science Center
Phone: (540) 654-1423
B.Sc., M.Sc., Dalhousie University
Ph. D., University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Neil grew up on the shores of the Bay of Fundy where he developed a first hand appreciation for coastal environmental processes. He is currently involved in several resarch projects that include the taxonomy and palecology of microfossils (ostracodes and foraminifera) that resided in the ancient swamps, lagoons and estuaries of Paleozoic and Mesozoic North America. His recent projects involve the application of microfossils to document high-resolution environmental changes (both anthropogenic and natural) in modern marsh and estuarine ecosystems of the Atlantic coast.
Charles E. Whipkey
Associate Professor of Geology
cwhipkey@umw.edu
432 Jepson Science Center
Phone: (540) 654-1428
B.S. - Penn State University
M.S. - North Carolina State University
Ph.D. - University of Pittsburgh
The primary focuses of Whipkey's recent research are the geochemistry and isotope geology of carbonate minerals, soils and groundwater. He is currently working on several aspects of soil development on 10,000 to 350,000 year old basalt surfaces in semi-arid areas of the Hawaiian Islands. Using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, petrographic techniques, and chemical analysis, he is characterizing the mineralogy and geochemistry of dolomite and magnesian calcite developing in these soils. In addition, using strontium isotope analysis of the carbonates, soil water, and cation exchange complex, he is quantifying the influx of nutrient elements to the soils from sources that include basalt weathering, sea spray, and precipitation.
Whipkey also has carried out research on clastic sedimentary rocks
in central Pennsylvania and in Paleocene and Eocene strata of the Powder
River Basin of Wyoming and Montana. Prior to completing his Ph.D., Whipkey
spent six years as a hydrogeologist with several environmental consulting
firms, where work on military bases, chemical plants, and other facilities
taught him a great deal about the practical as well as technical aspects
of the field.