Michael O'Donnell

  Graduate of West Virginia University, 1985, BS Geology

Graduate of Shippensburg University 1998, MS Geoenvironmental Studies

After graduating from WVU, I spent 3 years on active duty in the US Army’s 10^th Mountain Div (Light) as an artillery officer, being discharged honorably in the fall of 1988. I married my wife in June of 1988, and we had the first of three children in October of 1989. I was a stay-at-home dad from that point until I enrolled in the graduate program at Shippensburg University. In 1998 I earned a MS degree in Geoenvironmental Studies from Shippensburg University. With this degree in hand, I began a 2-year stint working in the office of Potomac Headwaters Resource, Conservation, and Development (RC&D). This is part of an effort started by USDA and NRCS to provide help to local communities by setting up councils made up of local people. I was hired under several different grants that the office had been awarded. The first was conducting a water quality survey on Tuscarora Creek in Berkeley County, WV let led to a source water assessment and protection (SWAP) report for NRCS. The other major project I accomplished was a grant awarded to refurbish the automated flood warning equipment in the 8 counties of the eastern panhandle of WV. This was a project of the NWS started in the mid-1980s. I implemented the grant and helped the 8 counties to purchase new automated rain gauges and computer systems which they used to access data from the NWS. As the grant funding ended, I pivoted into education. I taught chemistry and physical science at a local high school for 10 years. In 2010 I transitioned to education and began a career as a full-time professor of physical sciences at Blue Ridge Community & Technical college as well as an adjunct professor of geology at Laurel Ridge Community College.

My interests are water quality issues and natural hazards.