Biography
Dr Gontz is a geologist who is interested in how landscapes change over various time and spatial scales. He didn’t always want to be a geologist. In fact, he started his education as a civil engineer. Before graduating college, he spent 4 years in the US Army as a Technical Engineering Specialist. Two of those years were in a combat heavy engineer battalion attached to the 10th Mountain Division which included 2 tours of duty in Somalia. The last two years were with an engineer company in the 82nd Airborne Division. After his time in the Army, Dr Gontz returned to higher education to finish his undergraduate degree. The time spent doing engineering work in the Army led him to choose a different path at Lock Haven University where he declared Biology with a concentration is Ecology as a major. While looking for classes, he took a hydrology course which resulted in declaring Applied Geology as a second major. Upon graduation with a B.S., he sought to further his knowledge of geology through a M.S. at the University of Maine. When asked by his would-be adviser what he would like to do, he replied… “be on the water and play with high-tech toys”. And so began his interest and developing expertise in applications of geophysics to solve problems related to the environment and understand how the world around us is change due to variations in climate and anthropogenic pressures. His research program has led him to all seven continents with projects located in UNESCO World Heritage Areas linking geology with archaeology and climate variation. At Clarkson University, he’ll provide engineers with an understanding of how the Earth functions and its surface changes so engineering project can become more integrated with the processes that shape the surface of the Earth. He’ll also use his geophysical techniques to illustrate how they can be used in engineering situations to understand site architecture and environmental issues associated with societal activities.
Education Background
Earth Science Ph.D. - 2004 University of Maine
Geological Science M.S. - 2002 University of Maine
Applied Geology B.S. - 1999 Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania
Biology with concentration Ecology B.S. - 1999 Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania
Experience
Professor Clarkson University , 2021-present
Professor Quaternary Geology and Geophysics, San Diego State University, 2016-2021
Professor & Department Chair San Diego State University, 2016-2021
Associate Professor University of Massachusetts Boston, 2011-2016
Visiting Professor University of Queensland, 2012
Assistant Professor University of Massachusetts Boston, 2005-2011
Technical Engineering Specialist 51T1P, US Army, 1992-1996
Research Interests
- Impacts of climate variations and anthropogenic forcings on landscapes
- Applications of geophysical methods to provide and earth systems science-based foundation for understanding the Earth’s surface
- Using geological and geophysical techniques to assist in deciphering the archaeological record
- Impacts of changing lake and sea levels on coastal environments
Publications
- Kelly, JT & Gontz, AM, 2020. Rapid assessment of shoreline changes induced by Tropical Cyclone Oma using cubesat imagery in southeast Queensland, Australia. Journal of Coastal Research, 36(1), 72-87.
- Blanton, C, Rockwell, TK, Gontz, A & Kelly, JT, 2020. Refining the spatial and temporal signatures of creep and co-seismic slip along the southern San Andreas Fault using very high resolution UAS imagery and SfM-derived topography. Geomorphology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2020.107064.
- Ellerton, DE, Rittenour, T, Shulmeister, J, Gontz, A, Welsh, KJ, & Patton, N, 2020. An 800 kyr record of dune emplacement in relationship to high sea level forcing, Cooloola Sand Mass, Queensland, Australia. Geomorphology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2019.106999.
- Gontz, AM, Moss, PT & Wagenknecht, EK, 2014. Stratigraphic architecture of a regressive strand plain, Flinders Beach, North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia. Journal of Coastal Research, 30(3), 575-585.
Santinello, DJ, Snyder, NP & Gontz, AM, 2013. Using ground penetrating radar to determine the quantity of sediment stored behind the Merrimack Village Dam, Souhegan River, New Hampshire. Geological Society of America Reviews in Engineering Geology, The Challenges of Dam Removal and River Restoration, 21, 45-57.