New GSA fellow

Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor and Chair Noah Snyder, whose research has focused on how rivers respond to both natural and human-driven changes, has been named a Fellow of the Geological Society of America.

Society fellowship is an honor “bestowed on the best of the profession” by election at the spring GSA Council meeting, according to the association. Snyder and other members of the 2025 class of fellows will be formally recognized at the GSA Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Tex., on October 20.

“I am very grateful to the mentors and colleagues that have supported me throughout my career,” said Snyder. “To me, this recognition is a result of the enthusiasm that I get from working with Boston College students in the classroom, the lab, and the field.”

Colleagues praised Snyder, who joined the BC faculty in 2004, for his impressive portfolio of research, publications, and external funding, as well as his teaching and mentoring of students.

“Noah is an incredible scientist and collaborative leader at Boston College,” said fellow E&ES Professor Ethan Baxter, associate dean for STEM disciplines in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences. “Noah has developed a unique expertise to understand the evolution of river systems, including their response to tectonics over millions of years, and their response to human engineering practices over decades.

“His leadership of collaborative efforts, including the origins of our Environmental Studies program and a major collaboration with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, highlight his commitment to bringing scientists and students together to solve critical environmental issues for the common good,” Baxter added.

GSA members are nominated by their peers in recognition of a sustained record of distinguished contributions to the geosciences and the society through publications, applied research, teaching, administration of geological programs, contributing to the public awareness of geology, leadership of professional organizations, and taking on editorial, bibliographic, and library responsibilities.

One nominator, Dartmouth College Professor of Geography Francis Magilligan, said Snyder “has assembled a professional profile that would rival a more senior scholar. Through his research and publication record, his enviable record of external funding, his teaching and mentoring of students, and his dedication to GSA and an array of other professional organizations, Noah not only meets the high standards of being a Fellow of GSA but far exceeds those standards.”

Magilligan praised Snyder’s work in the subfield of landscape evolution modeling and the development and application of high-resolution airborne LiDAR measurement and modeling: “Noah’s work was foundational to the development of both sub-fields.”

Beyond his extensive portfolio of scholarship, Snyder has taken on a range of administrative and leadership roles, including department chair, and director of the Environmental Studies program.