Beverly A. Chomiak

Beverly A. Chomiak serves as Associate Teaching Professor of Geology and Environmental Studies at Connecticut College, where she has been faculty since 2000. She is affiliated with the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Geophysics and the Environmental Studies program.

Her educational background includes:

• B.A. and M.S. from University of Connecticut
• Ph.D. from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Professor Chomiak specializes in economic geology and geochemistry, with expertise in high-grade metamorphic rocks and metamorphosed ore deposits. Her research analyzes fluid inclusions—microscopic bubbles trapped in rocks—to understand mineral precipitation processes in volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits and geothermal systems. She applies Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map geological features in the Connecticut College Arboretum, investigating complex folding histories from continental collisions. Current projects involve creating large-scale geodatabases of arboretum resources including vegetation, wetlands, vernal pools, glacial erratics, and stonewalls.

As an educator, she teaches Introduction to Physical Geology (ES 115), Introduction to Environmental Geology (ES 120), and Introduction to GIS (ES 310). She volunteers as a geology field guide for the Arboretum and collaborates with undergraduate students across environmental studies courses on mapping initiatives that support disciplines ranging from ecology to ecological anthropology.

Professor Chomiak maintains the GIS computer laboratory and leads student teams in developing spatial datasets for interdisciplinary academic use. Her future work aims to untangle regional geological events through comprehensive outcrop mapping in the Arboretum.