Welcome to EES!

Earth and Environmental Science at Acadia offers programs leading to B.Sc. degrees in Environmental Science, Geology and Environmental Geoscience, and M.Sc. degrees in Geology, Environmental Science and Applied Geomatics.

Departmental News

ENGO student Hayley Newell awarded PDAC Leishman travel grant

ENGO student Hayley Newell has been awarded one of only 5 Leishman travel grants for attending this year’s PDAC. She will be going to Toronto in March.

The Dr. Donald M. Leishman experience was established in 2022 by the Leishman family. It provides an opportunity to attend the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada's annual convention free of cost for 5 undergraduate or graduate Geoscience students across Canada who have never been to PDAC before. This award includes free travel and accommodations, as well as many exclusive networking opportunities and events for the students.

Congratulations Hayley!

Science Atlantic - Atlantic Geoscience Society Speaker Tour

On January 17 the department hosted Dr. Ted Matheson from CBU for the Science Atlantic – Atlantic Geoscience Society Speaker Tour. Dr. Matheson gave a great talk titled “The Sedimentary Record of Oxygen and the Evolution of Animals: Revising the Phanerozoic Paradigm using Ironstones and More!” Dr. Matheson also visited UNB and Dalhousie University on this tour, and did an extra talk at CBU. As always we had a great turnout, thanks to everyone for coming out and thanks to Dr. Matheson for an excellent visit!

A trip back in time through the archives!

On Tuesday January 16th, the Fletcher Geology Club hosted an open house in the Kirkconnell Room at the Acadia Archives. It was well attended and everyone had a great time with books, maps and cross sections going all the way back to 1827! The Fletcher Club material was a particular hit with old photographs of club activities, and hand-made programs for AUGC conferences going back to the 1950s.

Thank you to Ciaran Purdome from the Archives Department for putting this all together and to Keaton Markham for getting it all started. We hope to make this a yearly event. Thank you to everyone who came out!

Department members listening to archivist Ciaran Purdome.

Fletchers from the Fifties!

Students intently reading through old textbooks...

Hand-drawn landscape in book of geological maps from the late 1800s.

Yes, we still ask those exact questions in classes!

Upcoming Events

Dec

2025

GEOL 5900 Seminar Presentations 4PM HSH 336

Ben Gooley 4:00- 4:30 pm (M.Sc. ENVS)

Community Water Fluoridation: Friend or Foe?

Community Water Fluoridation (CWF) is a controversial topic in popular media and scientific literature. Advocates praise fluoride’s dental health benefits, whereas critics argue about its potential neurotoxic effects. CWF is a long-standing public health intervention that protects populations from dental caries (tooth decay). Fluoride interacts with the enamel through the remineralization process, creating resistance to acid attacks from bacteria, sugar, and plaque. It is widely accepted in oral scientific literature that CWF reduces dental caries rates by 26-35%. Drinking water fluoridation has the benefit of equitably distributing dental healthcare in a community regardless of an individual’s socioeconomic background. CWF is also cost-effective; for example, €2.95 million in health care costs were saved in Ireland in 2021. Collectively, scientific and epidemiological data that supports CWF has resulted in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considering water fluoridation one of the ten most successful public health measures of the 20th century.

However, in recent years, controversial peer-reviewed research has correlated IQ deficits in children with fluoride concentrations in drinking water within the range of Canada’s acceptable limits. The general public have also expressed concerns about state-prescribed health interventions with the rise of social media and predatory websites, such as Fluoride Action Network, that have disseminated claims about the efficacy of CWF unsupported by evidence-based science. This presentation provides the most recent scientific perspectives on this debate, which still collectively advocate for CWF.

Keywords: CWF, fluoride, neurotoxicity, dental health

Lindi Coyle 4:30 - 5:00 pm (M.Sc. AG)

The concept and controversy of Clean Coal: A Scientific Review

This presentation will critically examine the role of clean coal science and technology in the development and implementation of global energy systems strategies. Clean coal technologies (CCTs), such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), are designed to mitigate the environmental impacts of coal combustion by significantly reducing pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. Supporters claim that these technologies can enhance the viability of coal as a transition fuel in the shift towards a low-carbon economy, citing the potential to reduce pollutants, including carbon dioxide (CO2), while maintaining energy security by using this abundant fossil fuel resource. Critics of clean coal technology are skeptical about its effectiveness and sustainability. Research suggests that the high costs of CCS infrastructure, combined with concerns about the long-term stability of carbon storage and, importantly, the lifecycle environmental impacts associated with coal extraction and combustion, remain significant challenges. The term "clean coal" is highly controversial and considered potentially misleading, as it underrepresents the broader environmental and climate consequences of ongoing coal use.

This presentation will review operational challenges, economic factors, and environmental impacts of clean coal technologies. The exploration of diverse perspectives in the clean coal debate will provide insight into its role in energy solutions and climate action. This ongoing debate has highlighted the importance of energy source diversification and addressing the environmental concerns associated with continued worldwide reliance on coal.

Feb

2026

AGS Colloquium, Feb 6-7, Truro NS

Truro, NS

6-7 February

Details at https://atlanticgeosciencesociety.ca/

Mar

2026

Science Atlantic Environment Conference (SAEC) @ Acadia - March 13th-15th

The 2026 SA Environment Conference (SAEC) is to be held at the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre in Wolfville Nova Scotia.

Visit the website here for more information.

Mar

2026

Honors Presentations 4pm-6pm HSH 336

Join us on Friday March 27 4-6 PM for our honors students presentations!

Huggins Science Hall room 336.

Food will be provided.

Acadia ALERT - Campus Closed (Weather)

Welcome to EES!

Departmental News

ENGO student Hayley Newell awarded PDAC Leishman travel grant

Science Atlantic - Atlantic Geoscience Society Speaker Tour

A trip back in time through the archives!