Mailing Address
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
400 W. First St.
Chico, CA 95929–0205

Office Hours
8 am – 5 pm
Monday–Friday

Location
Science Building (SCI) Room 258A
31 Ivy Street
Chico, CA 95928
530-898-5262
erth@csuchico.edu

Alumni Spotlight

Dennis Veich, B.S. Geology (2013)

Within two years of graduation, I landed a full-time, permanent position as Forest Geologist on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. My “office” encompasses over 2.1 million acres and contains nearly every type of geology there is. It takes about five hours to drive from one side of the Forest (near Medicine Lake) to the other side (South Fork Ridge on Hwy 36). I also have the opportunity to work with experts from other scientific disciplines such as soil science, botany, silviculture, hydrology, entomology, aviation, wildlife biology, fire science and range management, just to name a few.

The education and training I earned in the Geological and Environmental Sciences Department has prepared me for just about everything I encounter on a daily basis.

Ellie Spangler, B.S. Geology (2008)

After Chico, Ellie went to the University of Montana and received a M.S. in Geosciences. Ellie has spent her professional career working for various state geological surveys. She has worked in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington, Arctic Alaska, and all over northern California providing support on a variety of engineering geology projects such as landslide studies, mapping, hazard assessments, and fault characterization studies. Ellie has a Professional Geologist licensure and works as an Engineering Geologist for the California Geological Survey, Seismic Hazards Program. She prepares seismic hazard zone maps and conducts various hazard studies. “Although she doesn’t get to do as much field work as she’d like, she loves working for the California Geological Survey and couldn't imagine working anywhere else.“

Cheryl Hayhurst, B.S. Geology (2002)

Cheryl joined the California Geological Survey (CGS) in 2010 as an Engineering Geologist and was promoted to Senior Engineering Geologist in 2019. Cheryl works in the Forest and Watershed Geology Program evaluating timber harvest plans for geologic hazards including geomorphic indicators of landslide potential, erosion potential, and mineral hazards, as well as assessing proposed road and crossing construction methods and locations. In addition to serving on the CSU Chico Geological and Environmental Sciences Department Advisory Committee, Cheryl has presented at various professional conferences and has led several public tours related to ongoing project work. Prior to joining CGS, Cheryl was a consulting geologist for four years in the field of environmental geology, and spent two years performing detailed landslide mapping for a private timber company in northwestern California. Cheryl has a Bachelor’s degree in Geology from CSU Chico, and a Master’s degree in Watershed Management from Humboldt State University.