Jennifer Elick

Jennifer Elick is an Associate Professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences at Susquehanna University, where she has been since 2000, achieving tenure and promotion to Associate Professor in 2005. She specializes in Devonian geology, sedimentology, and environmental hazards, with a focus on the Centralia coal fire and microplastics in wastewater. Dr. Elick co-directs the Global Opportunities program in Ireland and Northern Ireland and leads field-based courses like Sedimentology and Stratigraphy and The Susquehanna River.

• Education: PhD in Geology from University of Tennessee-Knoxville, MS in Geology from Kansas State University, BS in Geology from Temple University.

Research Interests include:

• Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of Devonian coastal and alluvial environments
• Legacy sediments and landscape evolution
• Subsurface mine fires and thermal infrared imaging
• Microplastics pollution in river systems
• Devonian root systems and early terrestrial ecosystems

Publication Trends highlight her work on coal geology, sedimentology, and environmental impacts, with a focus on Pennsylvania geology and field-based studies. Her scientific awards include the C.H. Gordon Award and Robert J. Weimer Award. She has supervised over 20 undergraduate research projects, including studies on Devonian trace fossils, Centralia coal fire, and paleosol geochemistry.

• Grants: Summer Research Partners Grant (2014), Faculty Research Grant (2003), NSF proposals for lab improvements (2002-2003).

Professional Service includes leadership roles in the Geological Society of America and Society for Sedimentary Geology, organizing field trips, and advising on environmental projects with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.