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Department of Geological, Environmental, and Marine Sciences (GEMS)

This handbook provides a thorough overview of the department, its faculty, and student accomplishments and opportunities. For the most recent information about each faculty member, course offerings and syllabi, facilities, student activities, and requirements for all GEMS majors and minors, please visit the department’s web site at http://www.rider.edu/gems. In addition, numerous links to other web sites provide easy access to a variety of geological, environmental, and marine science-related research and general interest resources. The department’s newsletter, Surf and Turf, is published once a year and is available for download from the web site. The newsletter’s articles highlight student, alumni, and faculty activities, research, and awards, along with updates on events, speakers, and field trips. If you have any questions regarding this information, or about the department in general, please feel free to contact us.

GEMS Programs

GEMS offers six majors and two minors. Five of the six majors are described below, while information on the sixth major, Integrated Sciences and Math, is available in a separate handbook.

1. Geosciences

The geosciences major incorporates a broad and challenging curriculum, which emphasizes and investigates many of the important geologic subdisciplines. These include rock-forming mechanisms and controls, deformational and tectonic processes, the weathering and erosion of geologic materials, the transportation and deposition of derived sediments, and the physical and biological history of the Earth. In addition, all geosciences graduates must attend a senior-level geology field camp (not offered at Rider) where they learn and practice fundamental field and mapping skills, as well as how to professionally apply and integrate what they have learned in their individual class and laboratory courses to complex, real-world geologic problems.

2. Environmental Sciences

Drawing on programs and faculty of the Departments of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, and GEMS, the environmental sciences program crosses social, political, and scientific boundaries. All environmental sciences majors will participate in extensive fieldwork, exploring a rich diversity of ecological environments and acquiring the knowledge and skills required for a wide range of potential careers. Depending on an individual student’s area of interest, an environmental sciences major may study such subdisciplines as cell and molecular biology, environmental biogeochemistry, organic and inorganic chemistry, plant ecology, forest dynamics, climate change, or coastal processes.

3. Marine Sciences

The marine sciences major investigates and emphasizes the multiple feedback interactions among unicellular to vertebrate marine organisms, the physiochemistry of the water in which they live, and the substrates in and/or on which they dwell. Typically, students who major in the marine sciences also double major or minor in one or more of the following programs: biology, chemistry, earth and environmental sciences, environmental sciences, geosciences, and psychology (for marine mammal training).

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4. Liberal Studies: Environmental Emphasis / 5. Liberal Studies: Marine Ecological Emphasis

The Bachelor of Science Degrees in Liberal Studies: Environmental Emphasis and Marine Ecological Emphasis are designed primarily as second majors for students in the CLAES School of Education interested in teaching science in elementary schools. The programs are tailored to meet the interdisciplinary science objectives of elementary education majors and to facilitate the timely completion of their dual requirements in the School of Education and the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. These programs are not designed to prepare students for further study in science disciplines at the graduate or professional level, or to teach science at the middle school or high school level.

GEMS Student Information

Research Assistantships

Faculty members from the Departments of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and GEMS have submitted numerous grant proposals to various funding organizations. These include the American Chemical Society, Council for Undergraduate Research, Dreyfus Foundation, National Institute of Health, National Science Foundation, NJ Department of Environmental Protection, NJ Department of Coastal Resources, NJ Water Resources Research Institute, Research Corporation, Rippel Foundation, National and NJ Sea Grant, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. These grants allow the departments to offer financial assistance to students in the form of research assistantships. Financial support for undergraduate research also is available from Sigma Gamma Epsilon, Sigma Xi, and the Rider University GEMS Student Research Fund.

Internships and Summer/In-Semester Employment Opportunities

A number of private environmental consulting firms, the Delaware River Basin Commission, the Mercer County Wildlife Center, the NJ Geological Survey, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, and the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, have provided part-time employment to our majors as part of formal internship programs. In addition, GEMS majors with an interest in the marine sciences have interned at the NJ Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, Jenkinson’s Aquarium, Marine Aquarium at Norwalk, CT, Newfound Harbor Marine Institute, FL, NJ State Aquarium at Camden, Rutgers Marine Field Station, Tuckerton, NJ, Shoals Marine Laboratory, ME, and the Universities of Maryland and Delaware Sea Grant Programs. Many of these internships have led to the use of state-of-the-art research equipment, the securing of permanent full-time employment upon graduation, and the donation of specialized services to the department. Full-time summer employment with many of these organizations also is possible. Furthermore, GEMS students also may be employed on a part-time basis on University work-study allocations to the department during the summer and/or the regular school year.

Organizations and Activities

GEMS students can become active in a number of on-campus student organizations and clubs, including Sustainable Rider. The primary function of these organizations is to enhance the educational, professional, and social development of member students. These organizations also may host invited lectures by professional environmental scientists. National organizations also may fund student independent research.

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GEMS students can attend professional meetings and field trips sponsored by many sponsoring organizations. These include the Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education (hosted by Rider University), American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, the Geological Society of America, the Geological Association of NJ, the NJ Academy of Science, the NJ Water Works Association, and the New York and Pennsylvania State Geological Associations. Attending these meetings and field trips provides students with a greater awareness and understanding of current research problems and allows GEMS majors to meet faculty and students from potential graduate schools.

Student Honors and Awards

College of Liberal Arts, Education, and Sciences Honor Society: Awarded in recognition of the highest scholastic achievement and distinction in the College of Liberal Arts, Education, and Sciences. Minimum GPA of 3.5 in senior year or 3.75 in junior year required for consideration by the faculty of the college.

GEMS Honors Program: Graduation with honors in any GEMS major is awarded in recognition of majors who have demonstrated outstanding academic and research abilities. Enrollment in the program is by invitation of the GEMS faculty. Eligibility requirements include a minimum GPA of 3.5 in courses required for the major and the satisfactory completion of a Senior Thesis or a three- or four-credit Independent Research and Study course, depending on the specific major. In addition, an honors candidate must maintain an overall minimum GPA of 3.0.

Sigma Xi: National Scientific Honor Society, Rider Chapter. Demonstration of research proficiency is required by publication or presentation of senior thesis or independent research on campus or at a local, state, or national meeting. In GEMS, a minimum research grade of B+ is required for nomination consideration by the faculty research supervisor.

Latini Memorial Award: The Rider chapter of Sigma Xi, the national scientific research society, underwrites this award, which is presented to a senior education/physical or biological science double major. The student must maintain a minimum 3.25 GPA and demonstrate proficiency in science research based on a credit-bearing senior thesis or independent research.

Beta Beta Beta: “Tri-Beta” is a national honor society affiliated with the American Association for Advancement of Science and the American Institute of Biological Sciences. Membership is extended to science and science education majors who have demonstrated superior academic achievement.

Recent GEMS Student Research

Amber Andyshak: Factors influencing the growth and habitat choice of the Northern Piperfish, Syngnathus Fuscus.

Kevin Becker: Impact of the Folcroft Landfill Superfund site on the water quality of the Lower Darby Creek near the Philadelphia International Airport.

Stacy Belgiovene: Female brood production, egg development and sperm limitation in the invasive European green crab Carcinus maenas.

Michael Ciaramella: Isolation of marine haloarchaea from a mid-Atlantic salt marsh.

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Elissa Connolly-Randazzo: The sex ratio of stoplight parrotfish found in Roatan, Honduras.

Samantha DeLaunay: Methodology of garnet separation to investigate the provenance of New Jersey beach sands.

Elizabeth Evans: Cohabitation of damselfish in the western Caribbean.

Nicole Glen, Theresa Contor, Alison Golinski, Amanda Kagel, Elise Proctor, Carey Sliko, Brian Tate, Alyssa Tomlinson, and Susan Zabrocky: Comparison of plankton composition, phytoplankton growth, and zooplankton grazing at a coastal ocean versus a shallow back-bay site in New Jersey.

Alison Golinski: Sexual selection in the oyster toadfish, Opsanus tau.

Daniel Hewins: Increase in impervious area and its hydrological impact over the last 50 years in the Delaware River Basin.

Maria Huffine: Retention of sodium in a soil column experiment.

Kenneth Kacperowski, Timothy Swavely, and Heather Warren: Relationships among grain size, infiltration rate, and foreshore slope on New Jersey beaches.

Christien Laber: Toxin production of the dinoflagellate Karlodinium veneficum with variation in light intensity.

Ashleigh Layton: Characteristics of soils near I-95.

Jessica Langlois: Feeding rates of the mixotrophic dinoflagellate Karlodinium veneficum depend on prey density.

Kelli Lucarino, Carl Natter, and Daniel Carlson: Road salt application and its impact on the water quality of the Delaware River.

Carl Natter: Weathering rate of rocks in the non-tidal portion of the Delaware River Basin.

Carl Natter: Glauconite deposition in the Cretaceous/Tertiary strata of the New Jersey Coastal Plain.

Matthew Nelson: Effect of structural water in clay minerals on the estimation of soil organic matter content by the LOI analytical method.

Matthew Nelson: Is New Jersey barrier island morphology controlled by the Pleistocene-Holocene unconformity along the Inner Continental Shelf?

Anne Paul: Comparing predatory fish populations between two islands: densely populated Roatan, Honduras, and sparsely populated San Salvador, Bahamas.

Valerie Romaniello: Evaluation of Methodology in the Estimation of Percent Organic Matter in Salt Marsh Sediments.

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Leeann Sinpatanasakul: CaCl2 salt transportation in soil column.

Carey Sliko, Alison Golinski, and Susan Zabrocky: Phosphate stress in two strains of the mixotrophic dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum determined using a single-cell alkaline phophatase assay (ELF 97).

Brian Tate: Spatial distribution of intertidal organisms on man-made intertidal substrates in New Jersey.

Robert Weber: Effectiveness of wetland mitigation and restoration.

Susan Zabrocky: Variation in the feeding and decoration behavior of spider crabs in tropical regions of the Eastern United States and Caribbean.

Charlie Zielinski: Analysis of trichloroethylene (TCE) transport into soil and groundwater.

GEMS Graduate School Placements

Over the past 25 years, GEMS graduates have pursued advanced degrees at some of the most prestigious graduate schools in the country. These include Arizona State University, Boston College, Boston University, Bowling Green University, Bryn Mawr College, University of California-Santa Barbara, University of Cincinnati, Colorado School of Mines, University of Delaware, University of Denver, Drexel University, Florida State University, Hofstra University, University of Illinois, University of London (UK), Louisiana State University, University of Maine, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, Montclair State University, New Mexico State University, North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina, Nova Southeastern University, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University, University of Prince Edward Island, Queens College (CUNY), Rutgers University, University of San Diego, University of South Carolina, Southeastern Nova University, University of Southern California, University of South Florida, SUNY-Buffalo, SUNY-Stony Brook, University of Tampa, Vanderbilt University, Virginia Tech, University of West Virginia, and The College of Williams and Mary (VIMS). Most GEMS students attend these graduate programs with financial support, often in the form of merit-based teaching or research assistantships. In addition, some GEMS graduates remain at Rider for graduate degrees, usually to acquire their teaching certification or MBA.

GEMS Graduates Employers

Over the past 25 years, many GEMS graduates have been employed by state and federal geological surveys and environmental protection agencies, by the mining, forestry, and petroleum industries, by environmental consulting firms, museums, and aquariums, and by academic and research institutions. Companies and organizations have included the Adventure Aquarium-Camden, Amoco Oil, Applied Earth Sciences Inc., AquaTek Environmental Inc., ARCADIS, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Barnstead/Thermolyne, Boston University, California State University, the Cancer Research Institute of Hawaii, Columbia University, Congoleum Corp., ConocoPhillips, Cornell University, the Department of the Navy, Earth Engineering, Inc, EarthTech Inc., the East-West Institute, ENSR Inc., Environmental Compliance Monitoring, Inc., Enviro Services Inc., ExxonMobil, the Florida Aquarium, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Geo-Cleanse International, Groundwater and Environmental Services, Inc., Habitat Management & Design, Inc., Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, the Maritime Aquarium of Norwalk, the Maryland

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Department of Natural Resources, the National Audubon Society, the National Aquarium-Baltimore, the National Park Service, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, the NJ Geological Survey, the NJ Marine Sciences Consortium, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Old Dominion University, TRC Omni Environmental Corporation, Orange Coast College, Parsons Engineering Science, the Peace Corps, Remora Energy, Sadat Associates, Science Applications International Corporation, Shearson Lehman Brothers, Inc., the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Sun Oil, Union Texas Petroleum, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Geological Survey, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, VWR International, Walt Disney World (EPCOT Center), Weston Solutions Inc., Woodward-Clyde Consultants, Yale University, and many more. Additional GEMS graduates have gone on to successful careers in various other fields, including law, teaching, architecture, international commerce, sales, insurance, and computer science.

GEMS Facilities and Equipment

Marine Field Stations: A number of different field marine science field courses are offered by GEMS and are taught during the spring/summer in alternating years at various field station, including the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS); the Shoals Marine Laboratory (SML), Appledore Island, Gulf of Maine; the Institute of Marine Sciences, Roatan, Honduras; and the Newfound Harbor Marine Institute, Big Pine Key, Florida. The cost to students for each of these field courses is approximately $2500, depending upon which laboratory facility is utilized. This cost includes room and board for approximately two weeks, transportation, and laboratory and boat rental fees; course tuition typically is included as part of Rider’s spring semester full-time tuition fee. Each course focuses on the biological, physical-chemical, and sedimentological aspects of various habitats, which can include mangroves, rocky intertidal, sponge communities, coral reefs, kelp beds, and soft coral communities, depending on location. Course emphasis is on team exercises in each habitat, team mapping projects, and individual experimental projects. Most habitats are located in shallow water accessible by wading or snorkeling. SCUBA certification is not required nor needed for these courses.

Rider University also is a member of the New Jersey Marine Science Consortium and students and faculty have access to consortium facilities at Fort Hancock, located on Sandy Hook.

Geology Field Camps: The satisfactory completion of a geology field camp course (not offered by Rider, although typically awarded the equivalent of at least 3 semester hour credits) is required for the geosciences major. Many educational institutions and organizations offer these field camps (including some overseas) and the course normally is taken during the summer following the junior or senior year; credit is easily transferred to Rider. The cost for a field camp course ranges from approximately $2000 to $4000, depending on length, location, and tuition charges. Although many Rider geosciences majors enroll in the field course offered by the University of Houston-Yellowstone Bighorn Research Association (YBRA) at Red Lodge, Montana, any geology field camp approved by the department is acceptable.

Rider University has an exchange agreement with the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador), which operates the Galapagos Academic Institute for the Arts and Sciences (GAIAS), located in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the capital of the Galapagos Island Archipelago on the island of San Cristóbal. GAIAS offers full-semester study abroad programs, including programs in Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation in the Galapagos; Marine Ecology; Mountain Studies; and Galapagos and Andean

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Geosciences. Students can apply the courses they take at GAIAS toward fulfilling their GEMS major requirements. For additional GAIAS program and cost details, students should go to their website at http://www.usfq.edu.ec/gaias or contact the Rider University Center for International Education.

Rider University and BIOS also have an articulation agreement that enables Rider students to earn 14 semester credit hours in a fall semester at BIOS, which is accepted for equivalent Rider credit in the marine sciences major. Financial aid can be applied toward the tuition costs at BIOS or GAIAS.

Campus Facilities and Equipment

GEMS has access to a variety of laboratory and research spaces, all housed in the Rider University Science and Technology Center. Some of the available state-of-the-art instrumentation and other resources located within this facility and accessible to all departmental faculty and students include the following:

1. Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) emission spectrometer2. X-ray diffractometer3. Marine aquarium lab4. Sample preparation lab5. Climate-controlled greenhouse6. Field vans7. Air abrasive system8. Magnetic mineral separator9. GIS capable computer labs10. GPS units11. Submersible water chemistry probes and analyzers12. Piezometer kits13. Flow meters14. Petrographic and stereographic optical microscopes with video capability15. Rock and wood saws, thin sectioning system, polishing/grinding laps, and tumblers16. Tree coring, cutting, and analysis equipment17. Recirculating flume18. Refrigerated aquaria, seawater tables, and constant temperature cold room19. Auto level20. Laser rangefinder21. Chemical field kits 22. Fluorescence spectrometer23. Electronic dissolved oxygen, oxidation-reduction potential, and pH meters24. Refractometers and photometers25. Plankton nets, corers, and permeometers 26. Sieve sets, eolian sediment traps, and sieve shakers27. Portable PVC meter-square quadrats and 1.5 meter stadia poles28. Underwater video camera and camera with strobe29. Marian S. Hubbard teaching collection of approximately 1000 species of shelled organisms30. Mineral, rock, and fossil collections

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GEMS Faculty

Full-Time Faculty

Dr. Jonathan M. Husch received his doctorate from Princeton University in 1982 and currently holds the rank of Professor of Geologic and Environmental Sciences. A member of the Rider faculty since 1980, he was appointed GEMS Chair in December 2006. Jon's Ph.D. dissertation was a comprehensive study of the petrogenesis and evolution of Paleozoic anorthosites and related rocks associated with subvolcanic ring complexes, Air Massif, Republic of Niger. In addition to his teaching responsibilities at Rider, Jon has been a faculty member for the Princeton-Penn-YBRA Geology Field Camp in Red Lodge, Montana. Jon also was a Visiting Research Scientist at Rutgers University where he continued with his ongoing research project on the geochemistry, mineralogy, and petrogenesis of Early Jurassic diabase in the Newark Basin of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Jon and his students have co-authored numerous papers and presentations on this topic and also on the petrogenesis of Late Archean amphibolites from southwest Montana, and the ICP analysis of trace metals in marine, lacustrine, and other environmental samples, particularly those associated with the Centennial Lake Watershed Restoration Project and various research projects focusing on the Delaware River Watershed. He was appointed to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Science Advisory Board in 2010. Jon also is the Rider University NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative and is extensively involved in a wide variety of athletic issues, activities, and projects on campus. He represented Rider University as a member of the 2001 People to People Delegation to Cuba on Women in Sports and he has traveled recently to Costa Rica, Iceland, Ecuador and the Galapagos, and Panama as part of his team teaching for Rider’s unique Nature’s Business course. Finally, Jon has been honored for his teaching excellence by being selected for inclusion in the 2002 and 2007 editions of "Who's Who Among America's Teachers" and for his service to Rider University by being awarded the 2005 Frank N. Elliot Award for Distinguished Service. Dr. Husch can be reached at 609-896-5330 (e-mail: [email protected]; office: SCI323D).

Selected Publication Titles

Retention of sodium in a watershed due to the application of winter deicing salt. Proceedings of the Tenth International Symposium on Stochastic Hydraulics and Fifth International Conference on Water Resources and Environmental Research.

Soil mineral structural water loss during LOI analyses: Impact on organic matter content determinations. Canadian Journal of Soil Science.

Changes in the impervious surface area, flood frequency, and water chemistry within the Delaware River Basin during the past 50 years: Initial results. Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Hydroscience and Engineering (ICHE-2006).

Geochemistry and petrogenesis of Early Jurassic diabase from the central Newark basin of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Geological Society of America Special Paper.

The Palisades sill: Origin of the olivine zone by separate magmatic injection rather than gravity settling. Geology.

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Dr. Daniel L. Druckenbrod received his Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from the University of Virginia in 2003 and currently holds the rank of Assistant Professor I of Environmental Sciences. Before becoming the department’s newest full-time faculty member in September 2009, Dan was an Instructor of Biology at Sweet Briar College in 2001, a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Environmental Sciences Division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory from 2003 to 2005, and an Assistant Professor of Environmental Sciences at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia from 2005 to 2009. The recipient of many honors, awards, and grants for his scholarly and research efforts, Dan uses tree rings, computer models, historical documents, and field surveys to study how forests and their environments change over long time scales. His most recent projects investigate forest dynamics since the colonial era at significant historical sites, including George Washington’s Mount Vernon Plantation and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello Plantation. Dan also is a peer reviewer for numerous scholarly journals and for the National Science Foundation. Dan encourages students to participate in his research or to develop research projects on environmental science topics. Previous student projects have led to presentations at statewide and national scientific conferences. Dr. Druckenbrod can be reached at 609-896-5422 (e-mail: [email protected]; office: SCI323F).


Forest cover in the Virginia Piedmont 1860 to the present, Part I: Extent and trends, and Part II: Distribution and topography. Association of American Geographers Abstracts.

Investigating habitat value to inform contaminant remediation options. Journal of Environmental Management.

Comparing current and desired ecological conditions in the Cumberland Plateau and Mountains, USA. Journal of Land Use Science.

Geomorphic response to historical agriculture at Monument Hill in the Blue Ridge Foothills of Central Virginia. Catena.

Dendroecological reconstructions of forest disturbance history using time series analysis with intervention detection. Canadian Journal of Forest Research.

Spatial pattern and process in forest stands within the Virginia piedmont. Journal of Vegetation Science.

Dr. Reed A. Schwimmer, a 1984 Rider geosciences graduate, received his Ph.D. in geology from the University of Delaware in 1999 and currently holds the rank of Associate Professor of Geological and Marine Sciences. Reed has a broad background in the Earth sciences, particularly in coastal geology and geomorphology. He has taught a variety of courses and classes for the University of Delaware, Kutztown University, and the National Audubon Society. He also worked as an environmental scientist in Maryland and as the wetland compliance officer for the town of Greenwich, Connecticut. Reed's primary research interests, and those of his students, focus on the development and evolution of coastal salt marshes and barrier islands in New Jersey and elsewhere along the Atlantic coast. Reed also is active in the Rider Science Education and Literacy Center (SELECT), the development of new science education curricula, and is the department representative to the Geological Society of America. Dr. Schwimmer can be reached at (609) 896-5346 (e-mail: [email protected]; office: SCI323E).

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Synthesizing process and pedagogy in the development of a field marine science course for K-8 teachers. Journal of Geosciences Education.

A temporal geometric analysis of eroding marsh shorelines: Can fractal dimensions be related to process? Journal of Coastal Research.

Rates and styles of marsh shoreline erosion in Rehoboth Bay, Delaware, U.S.A. Journal of Coastal Research.

A model for the evolution of marsh shorelines. Journal of Sedimentary Research.

Dr. Gabriela Smalley received her Ph.D. in marine and estuarine environmental sciences from the University of Maryland in 2002 and currently holds the rank of Assistant Professor II of Geological and Marine Sciences. Before coming to Rider in 2004, Gabi was a postdoctoral fellow at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Chemical Ecology Laboratory in Savannah. Gabi has a broad background in oceanography, particularly in biological oceanography, and teaches the oceanography courses for marine science majors at Rider. Her research interests focus on plankton ecology. Gabi is specifically interested in microbial trophic interactions, algal bloom dynamics, and chemical signaling between planktonic predator and prey. She has participated in numerous research cruises in the Chesapeake Bay, the South Atlantic Bight, and in waters off Norway. Her lab and students currently are working on a project looking at nutrient limitation in various phytoplankton species and the different ways these organisms deal with it. Dr. Smalley can be reached at 609-896-5097 (e-mail [email protected]; office SCI323A).


Comparing predatory fish populations between two islands: densely populated Roatan, Honduras, and sparsely populated San Salvador, Bahamas. Proceedings of the 2010 Benthic Ecology Meeting.

Chemical cues induce consumer-specific defenses in a bloom-forming marine phytoplankton. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

The use of a single-cell alkaline phosphatase assay (ELF 97) to determine phosphorus limitation in mixotrophic dinoflagellates. American Society of Limnology and Oceanography Abstracts.

Feeding in the mixotrophic dinoflagellate Ceratium furca is influenced by intracellular nutrient concentrations. Marine Ecology.

Ecology of the red-tide dinoflagellate Ceratium furca: distribution, mixotrophy, and grazing impact on ciliate populations of Chesapeake Bay. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology.

A new method using fluorescent microspheres to determine grazing on ciliates by the mixotrophic dinoflagellate Ceratium furca. Aquatic Microbial Ecology.

Dr. Hongbing Sun received his doctorate from Florida State University in 1995, specializing in environmental and coastal hydrology, and currently holds the rank of Professor of Geological and Environmental Sciences. Prior to joining the Rider faculty in 1997, Hongbing was an Assistant

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Professor of Geology at Temple University. His research has focused on the interaction of groundwater and ocean tides along the New Jersey Coast, estuary dynamics of Apalachicola Bay, Florida, and the effect of the fluctuation of water level on gasoline contamination in New Jersey aquifers. More recently, Hongbing and his students have begun examining the tidal effect on the borehole fluid and temperature change in the deep-ocean sediments of the Juan de Fuca Ridge, eastern Pacific Ocean, and the impacts of development on water quality and flood frequency and intensity in the Delaware River Basin, particularly processes controlling salt migration through the watershed. Finally, Hongbing continues as a member of a research team, funded by the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge in Brigantine, NJ, investigating the control of phragmites through tidal inundation at the Refuge. Dr. Sun can be reached at 609-896-5185 (e-mail: [email protected]; office: SCI323C).


Retention of sodium in a watershed due to the application of winter deicing salt. Proceedings of the Tenth International Symposium on Stochastic Hydraulics and Fifth International Conference on Water Resources and Environmental Research.

Soil mineral structural water loss during LOI analyses: Impact on organic matter content determinations. Canadian Journal of Soil Science.

Changes in the impervious surface area, flood frequency, and water chemistry within the Delaware River Basin during the past 50 years: Initial results. Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Hydroscience and Engineering (ICHE-2006).

Response of Phragmites to environmental parameters associated with treatments. Wetlands Ecology and Management.

Analysis and forecasting of salinity in the Apalachicola Bay, Florida: Use of ARIMA models. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering.

Land subsidence due to groundwater withdrawal: Potential damage of subsidence and sea level rise in southern New Jersey. Journal of Environmental Geology.

Adjunct Faculty

Dr. William B. Gallagher was, until his retirement in 2008, the Assistant Curator of Natural History, Collections and Exhibits, Natural History Bureau, New Jersey State Museum. He also was a GEMS Visiting Assistant Professor for the 2008-2009 academic year and is currently a Rider University Science and Technology Advanced Research Institute (STARI) Fellow. Bill received his Ph.D. in geology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1990 where his doctoral dissertation investigated the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary and its associated mass extinction event. He has traveled the world during the course of his field studies on dinosaurs and other vertebrate species, including stops in Iran, Egypt, China, Russia, Argentina, Ireland, England, the Netherlands, Italy, and Switzerland, as well as much of eastern North America and most of the American west. Bill has taught both undergraduate and graduate courses at numerous other institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University, Drexel University, Richard Stockton College, and Kean University, and has authored over 70 scientific papers, articles, and abstracts, as well as the popular book, When Dinosaurs Roamed New Jersey. His current research interests include the paleoecological dynamics of mass extinction events,

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especially the Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/P) Boundary mass extinction event, which coincided with the disappearance of the dinosaurs.


When Dinosaurs Roamed New Jersey. Rutgers University Press.

A new Mosasaur specimen from Maastricht (the Netherlands), with a review of the Late Cretaceous-Early Paleogene marine faunas of New Jersey and Limburg. The Mosasaur.

Faunal changes across the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary in the Atlantic coastal plain of New Jersey: Restructuring the marine community after the K-T mass-extinction event. Geological Society of America Special Paper 356.

Dr. Karl Muessig is the New Jersey State Geologist and Director of the New Jersey Geological Survey, positions appointed by the Governor. He received his Ph.D. degree in geology from Princeton University in 1979 and currently holds the rank of Adjunct Associate Professor. Karl's doctoral dissertation was a regional sedimentologic, structural, and petrologic study of petroleum basins in northwestern Venezuela. He has a broad background in economic, environmental, petroleum, sedimentary, and structural geology, tectonics, and hydrology. In addition to his over 20 years with the New Jersey Geological Survey, Karl also has extensive experience working for the petroleum industry, both in research labs and field mapping. He also presently serves as the Association of American State Geologists annual meeting host, the editor of the State Geologists Journal, and on the Hard Minerals Sub-Committee of the Outer Continental Shelf Policy Committee for the U.S. Minerals Management Service, Department of Interior.


New Jersey's cooperative study of offshore sand resources in federal waters for beach replenishment. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs.

Distribution of heavy minerals and gravel in sediments of the New Jersey shelf as determined from grab and vibracore samples. Proceedings of the Third Symposium on Studies Related to Continental Margins.

Structure and Cenozoic tectonics of the Falcon Basin, Venezuela and Adjacent Areas. Geological Society of America Memoir 162.

Dr. Kenneth F. Najjar is Head of the Planning and Implementation Branch of the Delaware River Basin Commission, where he is responsible for comprehensive planning for the 13,500 square mile river basin, watershed planning, water quality field studies and evaluation, water supply and sustainable use studies, water conservation, stream geomorphology and restoration, and public education and outreach. Ken received his Ph.D. degree in Environmental Science from Rutgers University in 1989 and currently holds the rank of Adjunct Assistant Professor. His Ph.D. dissertation was a three-part mathematical model of stormwater pollution in a tidal embayment along the New Jersey shore. Ken also is a licensed Professional Engineer in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Ken has worked in the environmental field for over 25 years and has expertise in the areas of surface and ground water hydrology, air and water quality, stormwater management, wetlands

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protection, discharge permitting, environmental site assessment, stream ecology, brownfield evaluation, and hazardous waste characterization and remediation. In 2005, Ken received the Water Resources Association 2005 Government Award for his leadership in the planning and development of the 30-year comprehensive Water Resources Plan for the Delaware River Basin. In addition to teaching at Rider, Ken is an Adjunct Professor at Mercer County Community College and Villanova University where he teaches courses in the areas of civil and environmental engineering.

Affiliated Faculty

The following are either full-time faculty in other science departments or full-time employees at Rider University with faculty status who teach courses required by one or more of the GEMS programs.

Dr. Kelly Bidle received her Ph.D. in molecular and cell biology from the Center of Marine Biotechnology at the University of Maryland in 1996 and currently holds the rank of Associate Professor of Biology. Kelly’s dissertation research examined the genetic adaptations employed by hyperthermophiles, microorganisms that thrive in deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Following graduate school, Kelly was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded postdoctoral fellowship to continue her deep-sea research at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography where she examined the effects of high hydrostatic pressure on deep-sea microbes. At Rider, Kelly continues to focus her research primarily around understanding the molecular and genetic adaptive strategies employed by microorganisms from extreme environments such as the deep-sea or hypersaline lakes. Kelly’s NSF- funded research helps to support numerous student research projects and their travel to national and international meetings. Several of Kelly’s undergraduates have been the recipients of prestigious national undergraduate research fellowships and have been named as co-authors on peer-reviewed publications. Students in her lab gain valuable experience learning fundamental tools in molecular biology that can then be applied to a host of environmental microbiology, marine biology, or genomic studies. Dr. Bidle can be reached at 609-895-5418 (e-mail [email protected]; office: SCI338D).


Overexpression and characterization of a prolyl endopeptidase from the hyperthermophilic Archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus. Journal of Bacteriology.

RecD function is required for high-pressure growth in a deep-sea bacterium. Journal of Bacteriology.

A phylogenetic analysis of microbial communities associated with methane hydrate containing marine fluids and sediments in the Cascadia Margin (ODP Site 892b). FEMS Microbiology Letters.

HMG-CoA reductase is regulated in response to salinity in the haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii. Extremophiles.

Dr. Kathleen M. Browne received her Ph.D. from the University of Miami in 1993 and currently holds the rank of Associate Professor of Geological and Marine Sciences. Her doctoral thesis investigated the processes controlling the formation of lamination in Bahamian cyanobacterial mats and mounds known as stromatolites. Kathy's main research interests focus on the interaction of biological, chemical, and sedimentological processes producing cyanobacterial mats in subtropical, carbonate environments in the Bahamas and Australia. This research has been supported by grants from the National Geographic Society and the Kanagawa Museum of Natural History in Tokyo. Kathy

Revised 5/21/2313

has most recently been studying microbial mats and tide pool physiochemistry from New Jersey marshes. In addition, Kathy has initiated long-term chemical and physical studies of Centennial Lake on the Rider University campus as part of the Centennial Lake Watershed Restoration Project. Kathy now serves as the University’s Assistant Provost, Academic Director of the Rider Teaching and Learning Center (TLC), and the Director of the Rider Science Education and Literacy Center (SELECT). Dr. Browne can be reached at 609-895-5408 (e-mail [email protected]; office: SCI303).


Modern marine stromatolitic structures: the sediment dilemma. Stromatolites: Interaction of Microbes with Sediments.

Schizothrix gebeleinii sp. nov. builds subtidal stromatolites, Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas. Algological Studies.

Modern marine stromatolites in the Exuma Cays, Bahamas: Uncommonly Common. Facies.

Normal-marine salinity of intertidal stromatolites, Exuma Islands, Bahamas. Geology.

Dr. Bruce S. Burnham received his doctorate in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 1994 and currently holding the rank of Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Bruce's Ph.D. dissertation involved a study of the synthesis, pharmacological activity, and toxicology of boronated nucleosides (amine-boranes). His recent research, which often involves the work of numerous students, has focused on the search for new anticancer/antiviral or lipid lowering agents, some of which are analogs to natural marine compounds. Bruce also has an interest in the toxicological effects of various compounds in animal models. Dr. Burnham can be reached at 609-896-5207 (e-mail: [email protected]; office SCI336C).


Lipid-lowering polymers derived from halophenyl pyrroles. Journal of Polymeric Materials.

Lipid-lowering effects of ethyl 2-phenacyl-3-arylpyrrole-4-carboxylates. Molecules.

The hypolipidemic activity of boronated nucleosides in male mice and rats. Anticancer Research.

Dr. Laura Hyatt received her Ph.D. in biology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996 and Currently holds the rank of Associate Professor of Biology. Dr. Hyatt’s research, and that of her students, focuses on understanding why and how some exotic plants establish populations that grow very rapidly and alter recipient communities and ecosystems. Studying biological invasions has important basic and applied consequences. Not only does an understanding of the ecology of exotic species provide important insights into how complex ecological systems function, but it also assists in the development of intelligent control programs grounded in basic principles of ecological dynamics. Dr. Hyatt also is interested in the properties possessed by ecosystems that are especially susceptible to being altered by the introduction of novel species. Bringing these two approaches together provides a more comprehensive view of the biological invasion process and gives us novel insights into the regulation of all kinds of ecosystems, invaded or not. Dr. Hyatt can be reached at 609-895-5419 (e-mail: [email protected]; office: SCI338F).

Revised 5/21/2314


Invasibility of forest communities in southeastern New York. Biological Invasions.

The distance dependence prediction of the Janzen-Connell hypothesis: A meta-analysis. Oikos.

Seed bank formation during early succession in a temperate deciduous forest. Journal of Ecology.

Dr. Paul Jivoff received his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Maryland in 1995 and currently holds the rank of Associate Professor of Biology. He has been a research associate at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Maryland and, most recently, at the Rutgers University Marine Field Station in Tuckerton, NJ. His research, and that of his students, includes studies on reproduction in the commercially valuable blue crab, interactions between the blue crab and the invasive European green crab, and the influence of artificial shorelines on estuarine habitats and organisms. Dr. Jivoff can be reached at 609-895-5421 (e-mail: [email protected]; office: SCI339A).


Evaluating salt marsh restoration in Delaware Bay: The response of blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, at former salt hay farms. Estuaries.

A review of male mating success in the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, in reference to the potential for fisheries-induced sperm limitation. Bulletin of Marine Science.

Biotic resistance to invasion: native predator limits abundance and distribution of an introduced crab. Ecology.

Revised 5/21/2315

GEMS Major/Minor Requirements (Revised For Fall 2010)

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE GEOSCIENCES MAJOR

GEMS (46+ credits) Credits______ ENV-200 Statistical and Computer App. in the Nat. Sciences 4______ ENV-205 Introduction to Geographical Information Systems 3______ GEO-100 Earth Systems Science 3______ GEO-102 Earth Materials and Processes Lab 1______ GEO-201 Elements of Mineralogy 4______ GEO-305 Petrology and Petrography 4______ GEO-306 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy 4______ GEO-310 Structural Geology 4______ GEO-350 Soils and Surficial Processes 4______ GEO-407 Hydrology and Water Resources 4______ MAR-120 Oceanography 3______ MAR-121 Introductory Oceanography Lab 1______ MAR-210 Marine Life Through Time 4______ ------------ Approved Geology Field Camp (not offered at Rider) 3+

Chemistry (8 credits)______ CHE-120 Principles of Chemistry 3______ CHE-121 Principles of Chemistry Lab 1______ CHE-122 Introduction to Chemical Systems 3______ CHE-123 Quantitative Methods Lab 1

Physics (4 credits)______ PHY-100 Principles of Physics I 3______ PHY-100L Principles of Physics I Lab 1

Electives (6 credits; select two)______ ENV-220 Weather and Climate Change 3______ ENV-375 Environmental Biogeochemistry 3______ GEO-168 Mesozoic Ruling Reptiles 3______ MAR-340 Marine Processes and Environments Seminar 3

Geosciences majors also will take either MTH-105 Algebra and Trigonometry or MTH-210 Calculus I to satisfy the SLAS core requirement.

TOTAL CREDITS: 64+

Revised 5/21/2316

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES MAJOR

GEMS (26 credits) Credits______ ENV-100 Introduction to Environmental Science 4______ ENV-200 Statistical and Computer App. in the Natural Sciences 4______ ENV-205 Introduction to Geographical Information Systems 3______ ENV-220 Weather and Climate Change 3______ GEO-100/113 Earth Systems Science or Environmental Geology 3______ GEO-102 Earth Materials and Processes Lab 1______ GEO-350 Soils & Surficial Processes 4______ GEO-407 Hydrology and Water Resources 4

Biology (12 credits)______ BIO-115 Principles of Biology: Animals 4______ BIO-116 Principles of Biology: Plants 4______ BIO-350 General Ecology 4

Chemistry (12 credits)______ BCH-225 Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry 4______ CHE-120/121 Principles of Chemistry & Lab 3/1______ CHE-122/123 Introduction to Chemical Systems & Lab 3/1


Electives (10-11 credits; select three courses; one from each group.)

Group A: Biotic Processes Group B: Abiotic Processes______ BIO-250 Field Nat. History 4 ______ ENV-350 Env. Toxicology 3______ BIO-272/L Intro. Marine Bio/Lab 3/1 ______ ENV-375 Env. Biogeochem. 3______ BIO-321 Env. Microbiology 4 ______ GEO-201 Elements of Min. 4______ BIO-335 Mod. Plant Bio. 4 ______ GEO-305 Petrol and Petrog 4______ MAR-227-9 Field Marine Sci. 4 ______ GEO-306 Sed. and Strat. 4______ MAR-360 Plankton Ecology 4 ______ MAR-330 Chemical Ocean. 4

______ MAR-410 Physical Ocean. 3

Group C: Social Processes______ AMS-250 America and the Future 3 ______ HIS-299 Am. Env. History 3______ AMS-304 Tech./Science in Amer. 3 ______ IND-316 Nature’s Business 3______ BHP-231 Natural Adventures 3 ______ PHL-320 Phil. of Science 3______ BHP-232 NJ Shoreline-Sci./Pol. 3 ______ POL-215 Global Politics 3______ ECO-335 Public Sector Economics 3 ______ POL-328 Env. Policy/Politics 3

______ SOC-225 Population Study 3

Environmental Sciences majors also will take either MTH-105 Algebra and Trigonometry or MTH-210 Calculus I to satisfy the SLAS core requirement. Upper-level MAR courses require MAR-120 and MAR-121 as prerequisites.

TOTAL CREDITS: 64-65Revised 5/21/2317

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MARINE SCIENCES MAJOR

GEMS (34 credits) Credits______ ENV-200 Statistical and Computer App. in the Natural Sciences 4______ GEO-100 Earth Systems Science 3______ GEO-102 Earth Materials and Processes Lab 1______ GEO-306 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy 4______ MAR-120 Oceanography 3______ MAR-121 Introductory Oceanography Lab 1______ MAR-227-9 Introduction to Field Marine Science 4______ MAR-330 Chemical Oceanography 4______ MAR-340 Marine Processes and Environments: Seminar 3______ MAR-401 Marine Ecology 4______ MAR-410 Physical Oceanography 3

Biology (8 credits)______ BIO-115 Principles of Biology: Animals 4

or______ BIO-116 Principles of Biology: Plants 4

---------------------------------------______ BIO-272 Intro to Marine Biology 3______ BIO-272L Marine Biology Lab 1

Chemistry (8 credits)______ CHE-120 Principles of Chemistry 3_____ CHE-121 Principles of Chemistry Lab 1______ CHE-122 Introduction to Chemical Systems 3______ CHE-123 Quantitative Methods Laboratory 1

Physics (8 credits)______ PHY-100 Principles of Physics I 3______ PHY-100L Principles of Physics I Lab 1______ PHY-101 Principles of Physics II 3______ PHY-101L Principles of Physics II Lab 1

Electives (7-8 credits; select two)______ BIO-372 Behavior of Marine Organisms 4______ ENV-205 Introduction to Geographical Information Systems 3______ MAR-210 Marine Life Through Time and Lab 4______ MAR-325 Marine Vertebrates: Fish to Mammals 4______ MAR-360 Plankton Ecology 4

Marine Sciences majors also will take either MTH-105 Algebra and Trigonometry or MTH-210 Calculus I to satisfy the SLAS core requirement.

TOTAL CREDITS: 65-66

Revised 5/21/2318

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE LIBERAL STUDIES:MARINE ECOLOGICAL EMPHASIS MAJOR

GEMS (24 credits) Credits______ ENV-200 Statistical and Computer App. in the Natural Sciences 4______ GEO-100 Earth Systems Science 3______ GEO-102 Earth Materials and Processes Lab 1______ MAR-120 Oceanography 3______ MAR-121 Introductory Oceanography Lab 1______ MAR-210 Marine Life Through Time 4______ MAR-380 The Learning and Teaching of Marine Science 4______ MAR-401 Marine Ecology 4



--------------------------------------------______ BIO-272 Introduction to Marine Biology/Lab 3______ BIO-272L Marine Biology Lab 1

Chemistry (4 credits)______ CHE-120 Principles of Chemistry 3______ CHE-121 Principles of Chemistry Lab 1


Electives (7-8 credits; select two)______ BIO-372 Behavior Marine Organisms 4______ GEO-306 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy 4______ MAR-227–9 Introduction to Marine Field Science 4______ MAR-325 Marine Vertebrates: Fish to Mammals 4______ MAR-330 Chemical Oceanography 4______ MAR-360 Plankton Ecology 4______ MAR-410 Physical Oceanography 3

Marine Ecological Emphasis majors also will take either MTH-105 Algebra and Trigonometry or MTH-210 Calculus I to satisfy the SLAS core requirement.

TOTAL CREDITS: 47-48

Revised 5/21/2319

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE LIBERAL STUDIES: ENVIRONMENTAL EMPHASIS MAJOR

GEMS (26 credits) Credits______ ENV-100 Introduction to Environmental Science 4______ ENV-200 Statistical and Computer App. in the Natural Sciences 4______ ENV-205 Introduction to Geographical Information Systems 3______ ENV-220 Weather and Climate Change 3______ GEO-100/113 Earth Systems Science or Environmental Geology 3______ GEO-102 Earth Materials and Processes Lab 1______ GEO-350 Soils and Surficial Processes 4______ GEO-407 Hydrology and Water Resources 4

Biology (8 credits)______ BIO-115 Principles of Biology: Animals 4______ BIO-116 Principles of Biology: Plants 4

Chemistry (4 credits)______ CHE-120 Principles of Chemistry 3______ CHE-121 Principles of Chemistry Laboratory 1


Electives Group A (4 credits; select one)______ BIO-250 Field Natural History 4______ BIO-272/L Introduction to Marine Biology and Lab 3/1______ BIO-335 Modern Plant Biology 4______ BIO-350 General Ecology 4______ BIO-372 Behavior of Marine Organisms 4______ MAR-227-9 Introduction to Field Marine Science 4______ MAR-380 The Learning and Teaching of Marine Science 4______ MAR-401 Marine Ecology 4

Electives Group B (3 credits; select one)______ AMS-250 America and the Future 3______ AMS-304 Technology and Science in America 3______ BHP-231 Natural Adventures: Journeys in Amer. Ecology/History 3______ BHP-232 Issues at the NJ Shoreline-Science and Politics 3______ HIS-299 American Environmental History 3______ IND-316 Nature's Business 3______ PHL-320 Philosophy of Science 3______ POL-215 Global Politics 3______ POL-328 Environmental Policy/Politics 3______ SOC-225 Population Studies 3

Environmental Emphasis majors also will take either MTH-105 Algebra and Trigonometry or MTH-210 Calculus I to satisfy the SLAS core requirement. Upper-level MAR courses require MAR-120 and MAR-121 as prerequisites.

TOTAL CREDITS: 49

Revised 5/21/2320

MARINE SCIENCES MINOR REQUIREMENTS*

GEMS (12 credits)______ GEO-100 Earth Systems Science 3______ GEO-102 Earth Materials and Processes Lab 1______ MAR-120 Oceanography 3______ MAR-121 Introductory Oceanography Lab 1

---------------------------------------------------______ MAR-380 Learning and Teaching of Marine Science 4

or______ MAR-227-9 Introduction to Field Marine Science 4



----------------------------------------______ BIO-272 Introduction to Marine Biology 3______ BIO-272L Marine Biology Lab 1

Elective (3-4 credits; select one)______ GEO-306 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy 4______ MAR-325 Marine Vertebrates: Fish to Mammals 4______ MAR-330 Chemical Oceanography 4______ MAR-360 Plankton Ecology 4______ MAR-410 Physical Oceanography 3

*Marine Sciences majors may not select this minor. TOTAL CREDITS: 23-24

EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES MINOR REQUIREMENTS*

GEMS (20 credits)______ ENV-100 Introduction to Environmental Science 4______ GEO-100 Earth Systems Science 3______ GEO-102 Earth Materials and Processes Lab 1______ GEO-350 Soils and Surficial Processes 4______ GEO-407 Hydrology and Water Resources 4______ MAR-210 Marine Life Through Time 4

Elective (3-4 credits; select one)______ ENV-200 Statistical and Computer App. in the Natural Sciences 4______ ENV-205 Introduction to Geographical Information Systems 3______ ENV-220 Weather and Climate Change 3______ ENV-375 Environmental Biogeochemistry 3______ GEO-168 Mesozoic Ruling Reptiles 3______ GEO-201 Elements of Mineralogy 4______ GEO-306 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy 4

TOTAL CREDITS: 23-24*Geosciences and Environmental Sciences majors may not select this minor.

Revised 5/21/2321

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