Geology Club

The primary purpose of Onondaga's Geology Club is to promote geological inquiry outside the formal classroom.  The club promotes awareness of geology by means of field trips, career luncheons, attendance at professional geology meetings, and informal presentations by club members.  The club also sponsors internships, job shadowing, and study groups.  A secondary purpose of the club is to increase intellectual interchange and social interaction between students and faculty on an informal basis. 

The Onondaga Geology Club (or GeoClub) has in recent years organized field trips to:

  • the Outer Banks of North Carolina (oceanography)
  • local caves as part of an active spelunking group
  • PRI's Museum of the Earth (in Ithaca)
  • New York's American Museum of Natural History 
  • Block Island, Rhode Island (glacial geology & oceanography)
  • Cape May, New Jersey (whale watch & oceanography)
  • New Hampshire & Vermont (mineral gathering)

In addition, the GeoClub organizes:

  • a career luncheon each semester which brings in speakers to talk about careers in geology
  • Earth Day cleanups each year

If you want to know more about the GeoClub or wish to join, we hold meetings most Wednesday's (during the fall/spring semesters) during the college hour (11:15 -12:10 pm) in Ferrante 367.  Also look for our fliers around campus for planned activities.  If you want to know more contact Faculty Advisor  Brian McAninch.

  • Geology Club on MySpace 
  • Geology Club on FaceBook (login required) 
  • Syracuse Post-Standard article: Trilobite fossils collected several years ago by Meg Harris and Geology Club Members were studied and subsequently identified as a new species. In recognition of Meg's significant contribution to this discovery the trilobite was named the Kennacryphaeus harrisae.

* Please note: Onondaga Community College is not responsible for the content of personal homepages. If you have questions about a faculty homepage, please contact the individual directly. These links do not contain official college information. 

Spring Semester 2011

  • Spring Break Trip to N.Carolina-OBX
  • Career Luncheon, NASA Internships Speaker

Winter Break 2011

  • Spelunking field trip, Clarksville, NY.

Fall Semester 2010

  • Career luncheon with Syracuse University Geology Department.
  • Camping field trip Wellesley Island, NY.
  • Fall field trip to the New Jersey shore.
  • Spelunking field trip, near Albany NY.

Spring Semester 2010

  • Spring Break Trip to N. Carolina-OBX
  • Career Luncheon, with guest speaker Dave Palmerton discussing hydrofracting.
  • Horseback riding in Onondaga valley, NY

Fall Semester 2009

  • Career luncheon with guest speaker Jean Saprano from Kindred Kingdoms Wildlife Rehabilitators
  • Trip to Museum of the Earth (PRI), Ithaca, NY
  • Field trip to American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
  • Fall camping trip to Lake Durant and Blue Mountain, Adirondacks, NY

Spring Semester 2009

  • Spring Break Trip to N. Carolina-OBX
  • Career Luncheon, with guest speaker Guy Swenson from O'Brien & Gere
  • Spelunking, Field trip, Howe Caverns, NY
  • Spring Camping Field trip to Niagara Falls and Western New York

Fall Semester 2008

  • Career Luncheon, with guest speaker Dan Ours from S&W Redevelopment.
  • Fall trip to New Jersey Shore
  • Fossil Collecting in Jamesville Quarry

Spring Semester 2008

  • Spring camping trip, Allegany State Park, NY
  • Career Luncheon, with guest speaker Joel Parratt from Parratt-Wolff, Inc.
  • Spelunking field trip, Howe Caverns, NY
  • Northeast Regional Meeting of the Geological Society of America, Buffalo, NY

Fall Semester 2007

  • Trip to Museum of the Earth (PRI), Ithaca, NY
  • Career Luncheon, with Sarah McCullough & Tara Williams (alum) speaking on women careers in geology
  • Hosted several Central New York Association of Professional Geologists (CNYAPG) meetings at OCC

Spring Semester 2007

  • Spring camping trip, Whitaker Falls Tug Hill Plateau, NY
  • Career Luncheon, with guest speaker Dr. Charles Driscoll, SUNY ESF, speaking on acid rain
  • Career Luncheon, with guest speaker Dr. Gayle Gleason, Suny Cortland, speaking on women careers in geology
  • Spelunking field trip, Howe Caverns, NY
  • Northeast Regional Meeting of the Geological Society of America, Harrisburg, PA

Fall Semester 2006

  • Field trip to Block Island, RI
  • Career Luncheon, with Dr. Christopher McRoberts, SUNY Cortland, speaking on evidence of past mass extinctions

Spring Semester 2006

  • Spring camping field trip, Whitaker Falls, Tug Hill Plateau, NY
  • Field trip to the New Jersey and the Outer Banks, VA

Fall Semester 2005

  • Mineral hunting field trip to Vermont and New Hampshire
  • Career Luncheon, with guest speaker Dr. Bob Darling, SUNY Cortland speaking on the development of the Himalaya

Spring Semester 2005

  • Career Luncheon, with Bill Kappell USGS, the invited speaker
  • Field trip to Block Island, RI
  • Field trip to New Jersey shore and Outer Banks, NC
  • Spring Geology Club Camping trip (Tug Hill) 

Winter Break 2005

  • Field trip to American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY and New Jersey Shore. 

Fall Semester 2004

  • Career Luncheon, with Dr. Barbara Hill, Syracuse University
  • Mineral hunting fieldtrip, Fonda, NY
  • Boy Scout outreach, Herkimer, NY (w/ SUNY Cortland)
  • Fossil hunting field trip, Skaneateles Lake, NY 

Spring Semester 2004 

  • Field trip to Block Island, RI
  • Fossil hunting field trip in Tully and visit to the Paleontological Research Institute, Ithaca, NY 

Fall Semester 2003

  • Whale watch Field Trip, Cape May NJ
  • Geology Club attended symposium at Cornell University on “Frontiers in Paleontology”
  • Career luncheon, careers in geology, with Brian McAninch, OCC, the invited speaker 

Spring Semester 2003

  • Spring Geology Club Camping Trip, Tug Hill Plateau, NY
  • Field trip to Outer Banks, Portsmith Island, VA

Fall Semester 2002

  • Jamesville Quarry field trip with the CNYAPG
  • Fossil collecting field trip in the Otisco area
  • NYSGA Annual Meeting with field trips in the Lake George region 

Spring Semester 2002 

  • Attended meetings of the Central New York Assoc of Professional Geologist Career Luncheon 

Fall Semester 2001

  • Day trip to the Tug Hill Plateau for fossil collecting
  • Attended meetings of the Central New York Assoc of Professional Geologists
  • Fossil collecting in the Edgecliff Member of the Onondaga Fm, small abandoned quarry in Jamesville
  • Career Luncheon - with guest speakers Bill Morrow of Parratt-Wolff  Inc. and Chris Sturick of ERM Northeast Inc.
  • Trip to SUNY Cortland to hear author Victoria Bruce talk about her book, No Apparent Danger 

 Spring Semester 2001

  • Northeast Regional Meeting of the Geological Society of America Burlington, Vermont
  • Spring break trip to the Outer Banks, NC
  • Career Luncheon - Presentation on the new Environmental Technology program for the Geosciences 

Fall Semester 2000

  • NYSGA meeting at Hobart College
  • CNYAPG field trip to the Jamesville Quarry
  • Bus trip to New York City to visit the American Museum of Natural History
  • Hosting the monthly CNYAPG meeting Nov 7th in Gordon Student Center, with speaker Dr Samuel Clemence from SU discussing the history and construction of the Erie Canal

Spring Semester 2000:

  • Career Luncheon with guest speaker Deb Wright from O'Brien & Gere
  • Spring break trip to the Outer Banks, VA
  • Attended a CNYAPG meeting to hear a talk by one of the consulting geologists who testified in the "Civil  Action" trial
  • Camping field trip to Taughannock Falls in Ithaca, where we also visited the Paleontological Research Institute and the Space Imaging Facility at Cornell

For more information about Geology Club activities please contact: Professor Brian McAninch 

For photos of Geology Club and Earth Science field trips visit our Virtual Field Trips sites.

For more information about these field trips or if you have a problem accessing these pages contact: Professor Brian McAninch