Stephen Robinson
Assistant Professor of Geology

If you have any questions about wetland dynamics in northern Canada, glacial geology in northern New York, or problems you might encounter while building on permafrost, Steve Robinson is the man to ask. “I’m doing something that I actually love doing,” he explains regarding his research funded by the Canadian Forest Service and his teaching of St. Lawrence students. “I’ve always been fascinated by landscapes and landscape development, especially in northern regions, and now I get to pass on my knowledge and experience to a group of students, many of whom share my enthusiasm. We get out in the field a lot, either somewhere close to campus for the afternoon, or weekend trips, or for extended trips. There aren’t many jobs where you get paid to go hiking in Alaska!”

In August 2003, Robinson took 11 St. Lawrence students and 11 students from Queen’s University in Ontario on a two-week glacial geology field trip to south-central Alaska. “We were able to see active glaciation and the students were able to make the link back to the sites we had visited in northern New York, where glaciation happened 10,000 years ago,” Robinson explains. The trip was such a success that Robinson is repeating it in 2005.

A native of Manchester, England, Robinson grew up in the suburbs of Toronto. He received his B.S. from the University of Waterloo, M.Sc. from Queen’s University and Ph.D in physical geography from McGill University. When asked about his hobbies and interests, Robinson replied, “travel, travel, and more travel! Also, being Canadian, I’m very much into hockey.”