Understand and Solve Earth’s Climate, Environmental and Sustainability Challenges

The Department of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EEAS) offers undergraduate and graduate degrees with unique interdisciplinary study programs encompassing Geosciences, Meteorology, Hydrology and Sustainability. Our research and teaching engage students in today’s environmental challenges, including climate change, critical minerals and water resources.

Meet Our Students & Alumni

Plane and trucks on an airport runway.
Russell Todd ’81, ’83 ’81, ’83
Environmental Science, Mathematics

Curiosity led Russell Todd ’81, ’83 to a wide-ranging career that included nuclear subs, weather radar and disease outbreak modeling.

My UMass Lowell education prepared me superbly for my career.
Read More About Russell Todd ’81, ’83 
William Lefebvre poses for photo at the COP28UAE - United Nations Climate Change in Dubai-2023.
William Lefebvre ’25
Climate Change and Sustainability

From attending COP28 in Dubai to joining the Rist Institute for Sustainability and Energy, William Lefebvre is learning that environmental science is also an art.

UMass Lowell has enabled me to expand sustainability more than I ever thought it would.
Read More About William Lefebvre 
Christopher Skinner points at a weather map on a screen with Tyler Harrison looking on
Tyler Harrington
Atmospheric Science

Before starting his Ph.D. in atmospheric science at UMass Lowell, Tyler Harrington interned at the Federal Aviation Administration, where he wrote a report for Congress on how extreme weather events affect air travel.

I knew that this was a person I really wanted to work with.
Read More About Tyler Harrington 
Ericka Boudreau poses with another researcher outdoors in Oregon.
Ericka Boudreau '22
Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Earth System Science Ph.D. student Ericka Boudreau is on her way to becoming a triple River Hawk.

I enrolled in the Ph.D. program because I loved the research I was doing and wanted to continue to develop those skills.
Read More About Ericka Boudreau 
Jamie-Lyn Cavallon poses at the top of Mount Washington.
Jamie-Lyn Cavallon '24
Meteorology

Jamie-Lyn Cavallon won an NSF-funded meteorology internship.

It was a great opportunity.
Read More About Jamie-Lyn Cavallon 
  • Christopher Skinner points at the pyranometer.

    Professor Studies Weather ‘Whiplash’ from Downpours to Droughts

    A warming climate is leading to greater extremes of wet and dry weather, a pattern called hydroclimate whiplash. One example is the Los Angeles fires, which were followed by torrential rains and mudslides, says Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Prof. Christopher Skinner.
    Featured Story
  • An artist rendering of a three-story building addition, with people crossing a street in the foreground.

    Kennedy College Breaking Ground on Olney Science Center Expansion

    Work is set to begin on the expansion and renovation of the Olney Science Center, providing modern labs, collaborative spaces and amenities to enhance the learning experience for Kennedy College of Sciences students.
    Featured Story