SUU receives Dominion Energy Environmental Grant Award
By Nikki Koontz
Southern Utah University’s geology program was selected to receive $25,000 from Dominion Energy’s 2018 Environmental Grant Awards for the SUU Geology Field Trip Program.
“SUU’s Geology Field Trip Program is a six-credit course that occurs almost entirely in the field,” said Johnny MacLean, associate professor of geology. “We teach two sections with roughly 28 students every summer, and each section runs for five weeks. Students from all over the country come to our field camp where they learn about several types of geologic processes in the spectacular settings of our national parks and other public lands. This is truly experiential education at its best.”
The money awarded to the Geology Field Trip Program will be used to fund on-site specialists, equipment and gear, and travel fees.
Dominion Energy awarded $1 million in grants through its philanthropic arm, the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. These grants were given to 129 organizations in 12 states working to improve natural spaces or encourage environmental stewardship. Since 2003, Dominion has donated nearly $32 million to a wide variety of environmental projects across its footprint.
“Each year I am impressed by the diverse and meaningful efforts being made in our communities to improve and sustain the environment,” said Hunter A. Applewhite, president of the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. “These grants support programs and people dedicated to making our world a better, more livable place — one that can be treasured today and passed down to future generations.”
The competitive grants program supports environmental education and stewardship projects that preserve or enhance nature or make it more accessible. SUU was one of eight organizations in the company’s western region that received grants up to $25,000 grants, along with the National Forest Foundation and Friends of Arches and Canyonlands Parks.
The SUU geology program provides hands-on, field-based learning experiences to students, utilizing the campus’ close proximity to some of the most diverse land in North America. Students study nearly two billion years of geologic history within a 100-mile radius of campus, involving students in cutting-edge research and taking education outside the classroom.
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