Mark Erickson, Chapin professor of geology and mineralogy, says he would rather “do science than simply talk about it.”

Whether working one-on-one with a student or teaching a whole group, Erickson sets high standards.  “I want my students to do research that gives them results they recognize and that they can be proud to have accomplished,” he says.  “This guiding precept allows students to rise to their abilities and recognize their potentials.”

Erickson offers courses ranging from Biostratigraphy to Introduction to Historical Geology. “My courses are specimen-based,” he says, “meaning that students work with real fossils they have collected in the field, processed in the lab, and about which they have developed hypotheses.”  Erickson has mentored over 60 senior theses at St. Lawrence, almost all of which have been published as full journal articles or abstracts and presented by the students at national or international conferences.”

Erickson finds his job rewarding on multiple levels.  “I like seeing real understanding emerge on a student’s face,” he says.  “I take pleasure in the satisfaction a student finds in completing his or her senior thesis.  I value seeing the graduation of a student who had great difficulty in making it through St. Lawrence but who did so by persistence. And being confident that our geology program is one of the best in the country is rewarding.”

Outside the classroom, Erickson enjoys fishing and photography and is interested in libraries, museums, and aquariums. He is a board member of St. Lawrence’s Friends of the Library organization.