Academics

Bio

Steve was born in Lynchburg, Virginia in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. He fished, hunted, camped and hiked in the hills and mountains of central and west-central Virginia until he moved away as a young adult. These outdoor experiences form the basis for his geologic intuition. His hobbies include guitar, hiking, backpacking, nickel/dime poker games, and cooking.

Steve’s formal education began at Central Virginia Community College in Lynchburg. After two years, he transferred to Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia where he received his B.S. in geology. In 1984, he left Virginia for the University of Idaho where he earned his M.S. in geology. After briefly attending Washington State University, he transferred to Texas A&M University where he earned his Ph.D. in geology. With Ph.D. in-hand, he moved to Houston, Texas to work for Shell Oil as an exploration geologist. After less than two years of "big city life," Steve accepted a faculty position at Morehead State University in 1992.

Steve is a sedimentologist and stratigrapher by training. Currently, however, he is part of a watershed planning group which consists of a microbiologist, an environmental scientist and a geographer. In 2009, the team began a five-year, EPA-funded effort to improve water quality in Triplett Creek and its tributaries, a 181 square mile watershed that drains most of Rowan County, Kentucky.