Environmental Science

The Department of Geology & Environmental Science is delighted to announce that Dr. Emily Elliott has been appointed as an Andrew Mellon Professor.

Paige Ritti, a senior Environmental Science and English writing major, is on the leadership team of Epsilon Eta Delta’s environmental honors fraternity and are highlighted in the

Pittsburgh's three rivers have bounced back from being nearly lifeless a century ago to now teeming with over 100 fish species, and GES's Dr. Daniel Bain helps explain how landmark mining laws and a massive new sewage tunnel project are turning the tide on acid drainage and storm overflows.

A citizen coalition led by Protect PT is challenging the state's claim that radioactive landfill leachate poses no health threat. However, GES's Dan Bain's research team found higher radium levels downstream of a wastewater treatment plant than upstream, suggesting treated leachate may still be introducing radioactive material into local waterways. Read the full story for more.

Jonathan Burgess, Director of the GES Department's Pittsburgh Water Collaboratory initiative, recently gave an interview on how climate change is impacting the localized, intense rainfall in the region recently.  Read more at TribLive. 

Congratulations to GES graduate student Poushalee Banerjee, who was awarded an honorable mention by the American Fisheries Society in their 2026 Student Writing Contest! 

This award acknowledges students who excel in communicating fishery-related research. Poushalee's article discusses her research on the Eastern Hellbender: "Ancient Giants and the Biological Bulldozer: How Can Mapping Help in Imperiled Eastern Hellbender Survival?"

Our rivers have come a long way, one stretch of the Monongahela went from a single fish fifty years ago to more than 23,000 today. Cleaner water doesn't automatically mean swimmable water. In a new piece for The Conversation, GES Associate Professor, Dr. Dan Bain, breaks down what sewage overflows, industrial legacy, and a tenth of an inch of rain mean for anyone thinking about taking a dip. Read more at The Conversation.

In case you missed it, recent graduate, Eli Hall has been featured in PittWire: His PhD thesis solved a mystery — and may help turn a lake blue again | University of Pittsburgh

Congratulations to all of the PittSustainability Awardees - we are especially proud of our GES students Rachel Garcia & Mare McGrory!