When Jeff Chiarenzelli teaches, all the Earth under our feet is his subject matter.  “I'm a generalist,” says the associate professor of geology and 1981 St. Lawrence graduate. “I enjoy learning more about the Earth by applying a variety of analytical tools.” In particular, Prof. Chiarenzelli has done extensive work on Precambrian rocks that make up the Canadian Shield and the Adirondacks. “Most of this has involved geochemistry and isotopic age dating,” he explains. He has also spent “about 15 summers mapping various areas in the Canadian Arctic.” He is a technical advisor for several communities in Alaska on military base environmental clean-up. Recently he was recognized as an exceptional peer reviewer by the scientific journal GSA Today.

But it is the relationships he has developed with his students that Chiarenzelli finds most rewarding. “The international students keep my calendar full with all their wonderful events,” he says. “Peterson Maina, a first-year student from Kenya, spent Thanksgiving with my family and we enjoyed the chance to get to know him better and do a few non-academic things.”

Last summer, Chiarenzelli, two faculty colleagues and two students spent time conducting research in Alaska, in connection with his environmental remediation work. “One of the best things was watching the students, Brian Congiu and Lisa Romas, react to things they had never seen before. I enjoy finding opportunities for people, just as many have done for me,” he says.

Outside of work, among the activities Chiarenzelli enjoys are hiking and “an occasional trip up a local mountain. The views are spectacular, but the rock exposures are even better,” he exclaims. He enjoys visiting Canadian cities; working with international colleagues as a member of an international research group on the Precambrian; teaching and learning martial arts; and racquetball (“I play with St. Lawrence Athletic Hall of Fame member and world champion Vic Sacco '51,” he says).