Introduction to Earth System Science (Geol Sci 100) (Syllabus) This course is designed to provide a general overview of Earth Science. It is constructed such that all students (irrespective of their major area of study) can learn about Earth Sciences. The course will cover brief overviews of the four major systems of Earth Science: lithosphere (earth surface and interior), atmosphere, biosphere (living material), hydrosphere (oceans, lakes, rivers, groundwater). Emphasis will be placed on showing how the Earth systems are connected. The goal of the course is to provide students with a basic understanding of Earth Science so that they can understand and evaluate current related topics in the media, have a foundation for future study in Earth science, and gain an appreciation for the complexity and beauty of the Earth.

Introduction to Oceanography (Geol Sci 206) (Syllabus) This course is designed to provide a general overview of oceanography. It is constructed such that all students (irrespective of their major area of study) can learn about the oceans. The course will cover brief overviews of the four major areas of oceanography: marine geology (plate tectonics, sediments, and coastal geology), physical oceanography (ocean and atmospheric circulation, and waves), marine chemistry (seawater chemistry and some aspects of biological oceanography), and marine biology. The goal of the course is to provide students with a basic understanding of the oceans so that they can understand and evaluate current ocean topics in the media, have a foundation for future study in oceanography, and gain an appreciation for the complexity and beauty of the oceans.

Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry (Geol Sci 622) (Syllabus) This course focuses on stable isotope biogeochemistry with emphasis on carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen. The goal is to expose student to both theoretical and applied aspects of isotope biogeochemistry so that they can: 1- understand and critically evaluate research articles containing stable isotopic data, and 2- see how isotopes might be used to enhance or broaden their own research. Theoretical principles, isotope fractionation, and variation of isotopes in nature with emphasis on the ocean, atmosphere, and biosphere will be presented and discussed. Stable isotope techniques, applications of stable isotopes in research, and introduction to mass spectrometry will form the applied component of the course. Although not a stable isotope, 14C as a tracer tool in biogeochemistry will also be included where relevant. The reading material will be drawn from the texts listed above as well as relevant seminal, and new journal articles.

Class photo of Spring 2008
Class photo from left to right:
Front: Kevin, Ruth, Taniya, Andrea, Matt, Adam
Middle: Alexa, Erica, Julia, Laurie, Lesley, Elodie
Back: Brandon, Jeremy, Stephen, Simon, Pedro

Graduate Seminar (Geol Sci 851) (Syllabus) This seminar is entitled: Environmental Sustainability: In the face of global change, global population growth, and limited natural resources. It will be centered around the book Collapse by Jarred Diamond. Two chapters will be covered per week and discussed. Students will research and present one chapter each in detail, seeking out relevant publications from the peer-reviewed literature and expanding the scope of each chapter beyond that presented by Diamond. Special guest faculty will be invited to attend and contribute their expertise to the discussion.

Year-end project -- Group Project Report: What you can do to promote sustainability at local to national scales (.pdf file) (.doc file)

Class photos (Graduate Seminar 2007)
Class photo from left to right:
Front: Michael, Erica, Amy, Soo-Yuen, Abbey, Ruth, Andrea
Back: Annie, Ryan, Julie, Branwen, Adam, Chrissy, Zach, Suzanna, Abigail