Geology was one of the core science programs at Berea College for many years but with the retirement of the last professor in 2003, the program went into a hiatus. In 2018, we are pleased to be bringing back earth sciences to Berea College in the new science building. In the fall of 2018, Dr. Suzanne Birner joined us after finishing her Ph.D. at Stanford University in Geology and Environmental Sciences.  She is working to develop a new curriculum in geology to restart the program and open this field to a new generation of Berea College students. So far she has added some introductory physical geology types of courses along with an introductory mineralogy course that follows up on these.

Starting in the Fall of 2021, we have hired Dr. Holly Peterson to work in both the Chemistry Department as well as the Geology Program.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Geology Program, email Prof. Suzanne Birner at birners@berea.edu. We offer courses in intro geology, mineralogy, and other topics; a minor in Environmental Science (and hopefully a minor in Geology soon!); and fun on- and off-campus activities, such as movie nights, hikes, and trips to local gem and mineral shows.