Ronald McDowell

I have been a part-time instructor at Fairmont State since 1994.  My full-time job is as a Senior Research Geologist with the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey in Morgantown.  I received my B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was employed in the communication electronics industry for several years before returning to school to study geology.  I received my M.S. in Geology from the University of Kansas and my Ph. D. in Geology from the Colorado School of Mines.  Immediately following completion of my doctoral studies, I became project geologist for a mining company exploring for gold and other metals in the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada.  After two years in this position, I became director of product development for a mapping software company.   

Since 1991, I have been employed by the State Geological Survey, initially as a mathematical geologist and more recently as a field geologist and geochemist.  I usually spend my summers mapping the bedrock in and around Pendleton County, WV.  During the academic year, I teach Historical and Environmental Geology at Fairmont State University.