SUNY Potsdam Associate Professor of Earth & Environmental Science Dr. Page Quinton to Advance Climate & Sustainability Knowledge
Dr. Page Quinton, a faculty member in SUNY Potsdam’s Department of Earth and Environmental Science, has been named a SUNY Sustainability Faculty Fellow for the 2026-27 academic year.
SUNY Potsdam Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Science Dr. Page Quinton has been named a SUNY Sustainability Faculty Fellow. Chancellor John B. King, Jr., announced her appointment this week as part of the second cohort to undertake the program.
The 12 fellows, representing 10 SUNY campuses, will strengthen curricular programs on climate and sustainability for students and faculty across SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities.
“SUNY is leading the way in helping New York State achieve its climate and sustainability goals,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “Through the work of SUNY’s Sustainability Faculty Fellows, we are inspiring our students to build a resilient and sustainable future. Our students are eager to lead the way in tackling global challenges like climate change, and I am proud of the work of our dedicated faculty members to prepare the next generation of climate-conscious individuals.”
"This year the Sustainability Faculty Fellow Program is focused on producing materials and resources to help teach future teachers what they need to know to meet the New York State Education Department’s requirement for the inclusion of climate education in the Pre-K to 12 curriculum. I felt like this was the perfect opportunity to integrate my teaching, research, passion and experience with open-access education resources, and ongoing collaboration with educators in our region,” Quinton said.
Quinton is a stable isotope geochemist who studies the connection between the carbon cycle, ancient climate change, and major mass extinction events. Research she conducted with colleagues at El Kef, Tunisia, received international attention when it was published in the journal Science in 2018. Recent work has included research focusing on the role of climate change in the dinosaur mass extinction event, understanding the impact of early land plants on shallow seas, and understanding the connection between sea level change and carbon cycling. This work has taken her to Australia, Canada and all over the U.S.
Along with her colleague, Dr. Michael Rygel, she recently was awarded a $411,477 National Science Foundation grant to investigate the chemistry of ancient waters preserved in sedimentary rocks across Atlantic Canada—their second NSF grant collaboration. Quinton and Rygel have also collaborated on a campus Geoscience Garden, and co-authored open-access educational resources, including textbook to benefit their students and materials designed for New York State educators.
“We recently received the printed copies of our New York State Geologic Map, which we plan to distribute free of charge to any K-12 teacher in New York State who would like to hang one in their classroom. Any teachers that want a printed copy can reach out to me!” Quinton said.
The inaugural cohort of Sustainability Faculty Fellows, announced in September 2025, worked to advance climate literacy in the curriculum throughout the SUNY system by providing webinars and resources, including support for the discipline-specific incorporation of sustainability topics in readings, case studies, and problem sets.
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “SUNY is committed to providing our students with the tools they need to be knowledgeable about climate change and sustainability, and we are proud to be a leader in New York State’s sustainability efforts. We applaud the faculty members selected to be Sustainability Faculty Fellows for their leadership in this field.”
This year’s 12 Sustainability Faculty Fellows will build on the success of last year’s program and will continue to work to assist faculty across the system in incorporating sustainability and climate topics into a wide range of courses.
The second cohort of Sustainability Faculty Fellows will continue to advance climate literacy and knowledge of sustainability topics throughout the SUNY system by developing pedagogical resources and providing support for faculty as they develop and teach courses across a broad spectrum of disciplines and levels of study from microcredentials through doctoral programs. For this year, the Fellows will also work to provide support for SUNY faculty who are teaching future teachers to meet the New York State Education Department’s requirement for the inclusion of climate education in the Pre-K-12 curriculum. The Fellows were selected following an open call for nominations.
The Sustainability Faculty Fellows initiative builds on SUNY’s work to advance leadership in sustainability and climate solutions. In April, SUNY celebrated progress in achieving the goals of its inaugural Climate and Sustainability Action Plan, which was adopted at the beginning of 2025 and provides a framework for decarbonizing the SUNY System, and for creating the next generation of climate leaders through education, experiential learning, research, workforce development, and civic engagement. The plan includes 156 specific actions and strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, doubling climate research, strengthening climate education, increasing green workforce development, and expanding engagement and applied learning opportunities for students.
To further advance climate and sustainability, SUNY announced the recipients of the SUNY Sustainability Awards, which recognize undergraduate students throughout the SUNY System for the work they have done to advance sustainability on their campuses, in February. In October 2025, SUNY announced the launch of SUNY’s “Outdoors for All” program to promote inclusive engagement with the environment, fellow students, and wellness. In March 2024, SUNY announced a uniform policy to phase out single-use plastics across the SUNY system including plastic bags, beverage bottles, food service products, utensils, plastic wrap, and packaging films.
About the State University of New York:
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than 3 million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
About SUNY Potsdam:
Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America’s first 50 colleges—and the oldest institution within SUNY. Now in its third century, SUNY Potsdam is distinguished by a legacy of pioneering programs and educational excellence. The College currently enrolls approximately 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its challenging liberal arts and sciences core, distinction in teacher training and culture of creativity. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu.