Geography and Earth Sciences

Program Information
Program and Course Offerings

The School of Geography and Earth Sciences offers programs leading to the degrees M.A., M.Sc., and Ph.D. in Geography; and M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Enquiries: 905 525-9140 Ext. 23535
Fax: 905 546-0463
E-mail: geograd@mcmaster.ca
Website: http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/geo/

Faculty/Fall 2016

Director:

Bruce K. Newbold, B.A., Ph.D. (McMaster) / Director

Associate Directors:

Janok Bhattacharya, B.Sc (Memorial), Ph.D. (McMaster)
Darren M. Scott, B.A. (St. Mary’s), M.A. (Western), Ph.D. (McMaster)

Distinguished University Professor

John D. Eyles, B.A., M.Sc. (L.S.E.), Ph.D. (London)

Professors

Altaf M. Arain, B.E. (Pakistan), M.S., Ph.D. (Arizona)
Sean K. Carey, B.Sc. (Guelph), M.Sc., Ph.D. (McMaster)
Vera A. Chouinard, B.A. (Western), M.A. (Toronto), Ph.D. (McMaster)
Paulin Coulibaly, B.A.Sc., M.A.Sc., (Nice), Ph.D. (Laval)
Alan P. Dickin, M.A. (Cambridge), D. Phil. (Oxford)
Carolyn H. Eyles, B.Sc. (East Anglia), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Toronto)
Richard S. Harris, B.A. (Cambridge), M.A. (Ohio State), Ph.D. (Queen’s)
Antonio H. Paez, B.Sc. (Mexico), M.A., Ph.D. (Japan)
Eduard G. Reinhardt, B.A., Ph.D. (Carleton)
Gregory F. Slater, B.Sc., M.Sc. , Ph.D. (Toronto)
James E. Smith, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Guelph), Ph.D. (Waterloo)
Michael J. Waddington, B.Sc. (McMaster), M.Sc., Ph.D. (York)
Allison M. Williams, B.A. (Bishops), M.A. (Toronto), Ph.D. (York)
Robert D. Wilton, B.A. (Hull), M.A., Ph.D. (S. California)

Associate Professors

Joseph I. Boyce, B.Sc. (McMaster), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Toronto)
Suzanne Mills, B.Sc. (McGill), M.Sc. (Alberta), Ph.D. (Saskatchewan)
Maureen Padden, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Waterloo), Ph.D. (Geological Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)
Niko Yiannakoulias, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (Alberta)

Assistant Professors

Luc Bernier, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Montreal), Ph.D (McMaster)
Sang-Tae Kim, B.Sc. (Korea), M.Sc. (Michigan), Ph.D. (McGill)
John MacLachlan, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D (McMaster)
Michael Mercier, B.Sc. (Trent), M.A. (Carleton), Ph.D (McMaster)

Associate Members

Gavin J. Andrews, B.A. (Lampeter), Ph.D. (Nottingham) / Health, Aging and Society
James Dunn, B.A., M.A. (McMaster), Ph.D. (Simon Fraser)
Dustin Garrick, B.A. (Texas-Austin), M.P.A. (Columbia), Ph.D. (Arizona) / Engineering
Gail Krantzberg, B.Sc. (McGill), M.Sc., M.E.S., Ph.D. (Toronto)
Saledeh Razavi, B.Sc. (Sharif), M.Sc. (Iran), Ph.D. (Waterloo) / Civil Engineering
Olive Wahoush, R.N., R.S.C.N., M.Sc., Ph.D. / Nursing
John C. Weaver, B.A. (Queen’s), M.A., Ph.D. (Duke) / History

Adjunct Members

Howard Barker, B.Sc. (Toronto), M.Sc., Ph.D. (McMaster)
Jing Chen, B.Sc. (Nanjing), Ph.D. (Reading)
Allan Crowe, B.Sc. (Waterloo), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Alberta)
Ian Droppo, B.A., M.Sc. (McMaster), Ph.D. (Exeter, U.K.)
Susan J. Elliott, B.A. (Brock), M.A., Ph.D. (McMaster)
Tim Lotimer, B.E.S. (Waterloo)
Dan McKenny, B.Sc. (Texas), M.Sc. (Guelph), Ph.D. (Australia)
Hanna Maoh, B.Sc. (Bethlehem), M.Sc., Ph.D. (McMaster)
Stacey Mater, B.Sc., M.Sc. (McMaster)
Matthias Peichl, B.Sc. (Germany), M.Sc., Ph.D. (McMaster)
Michael Pisaric, B.Sc. (Brock), M.Sc. (McMaster), Ph.D. (Queen’s)
Ulrich Riller, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Germany), Ph.D. (Toronto)
Dominique Rissolo, B.A. (San Diego State), M.A., Ph.D. (California-Riverside)
Corinne Schuster-Wallace, B.Sc. (Leicester), Ph.D. (Laurier)
Amanjot Singh, B.S., M.S., Ph.D. (Ludhiana, India)
Spencer Snowling, B.Eng., Ph.D. (McMaster)
Matthias Sweet, B.A. (Appalachian State), M.A. (Georgia), Ph.D. (Pennsylvania)
Martin Taylor, B.A. (Bristol), GCE (Leeds), M.A., Ph.D.(British Columbia)
Ross Upshur, B.A. (Winnipeg), M.A. (Queen’s), M.D. (McMaster),M.Sc. (Toronto)
Lesley A. Warren, B.Sc., Ph.D. (Toronto)
Christopher Werner

Research in Geography and Earth & Environmental Sciences

The School of Geography and Earth Sciences offers research opportunities in the areas of Environment and Health, Social Geography, Spatial Analysis, Hydrological Sciences, Geochemistry and Near-Surface Environmental Processes.

Environment and Health

The McMaster Institute of Environment and Health is located within the School of Geography and Earth Sciences and is directed by one of our faculty members, Dr. Bruce K. Newbold. Areas of research interest include individual and community impacts, environment and health policy, environment and development, and spatial relationships.

Social Geography

Research opportunities in the specialist area of Social Geography include the social aspects of health and health care, feminist geography, disability and space, housing, political economy and urban historical geography.

Spatial Analysis

The application of economic and behavioural theory via quantitative analysis to understand spatial patterns of outcomes in human activity has been a major focus of urban/economic geography at McMaster. Areas of research interest now include transportation, population, urban economics and land use, and health and its determinants.

Hydrological Sciences

The area of physical geography concentrates on physical hydrology, hydro-climatology, boundary layer research, aquatic biogeochemistry, biogeography, soil and vegetation, ground water contamination and near-surface water environments.

Geochemistry

Geochemical research at McMaster is focused on the areas of stable and radiogenic isotopes, physical processes, geochronology and interpretation of physio-chemical records in terrestrial materials. The geological time frame addressed is broad but emphasizes Quaternary and Holocene time.

Near-Surface Environmental Processes (NEP)

The NEP research group focuses on earth and atmospheric processes operating at or close to the Earth’s surface and includes research in the fields of physical climatology and hydrology, surficial geoscience (sedimentology, marine processes, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, geophysics), and environmental quality (biogeochemical and contaminant transport, trace gas exchange).

Facilities for Research in Geography

The School of Geography and Earth Sciences is amongst the most advanced in Canada in terms of its experience in training candidates for advanced degrees.

The facilities include: analytic and experimental laboratories for climatology, and geomorphology; a geographic information system laboratory; and a comprehensive map collection.

Facilities for Research in Earth & Environmental Sciences

The School of Geography and Earth Sciences is well equipped with analytical facilities including mass spectrometers, X-ray fluorescence, atomic absorption spectrometers, and gamma ray spectrometer. Transmission and scanning electron microscopes with elemental analysis facilities are available and commonly used. School facilities for Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) and thermoluminescence (TL) age-dating techniques have been used in the study of archaeological sites, earthquake recurrence rates, coastal sediments and hominid evolution.

There are special laboratories for the study of aqueous geochemistry, experimental sedimentology, X-ray diffraction and fluorescence, rock/mineral analysis, radiochemistry, mass spectrometry and fossils.

The School operates a microcomputer laboratory comprising a suite of PC’s with associated printers, plotters and flatbed scanners. At the undergraduate level specific courses have been developed around the application of software packages to geological problems.

The School maintains a suite of geophysical equipment for the acquisition of magnetic, gravity and IP/Resistivity data. In addition, an industry standard computing system is used for the imaging of geophysical and remote sensing information and interpretive modeling of potential field data.

The choice of thesis topic is made in light of the interests of the student and the support available from research grants.

Programs

Master

Doctoral

Geography and Earth & Environmental Sciences, Ph.D

Course Offerings

Geography and Earth & Environmental Sciences Courses