EARTH 100 AND 100H: Environment Earth
[General education] The course examines the Earth system and the resources it provides, the use of these resources by humans, and the effects that this resource use has on the Earth. Throughout the semester, we will talk about how the Earth supports human civilization. We will also discuss how our activities affect the environment on which we depend, both in the short and long terms.
TAUGHT SPRING SEMESTER/ALTERNATE INSTRUCTOR FOR FALL
TYPICAL ENROLLMENT ~100/25
GEOSC 202: Chemical Processes in the Geosciences
[Required major course] An in-depth examination of the application of chemical principles to geological processes.
TAUGHT FALL SEMESTER /ALTERNATE INSTRUCTOR FOR SPRING
TYPICAL ENROLLMENT ~30
GEOSC 416: Stable and Radioactive Isotopes in the Geosciences
[Upper-level undergraduate course] Includes and introduction to stable, radiogenic, and cosmogenic isotope systems, from traditional to non-tradtional. Includes discussions on theories for natural isotopic and element variations and their applications to the solution of geologic and cosmologic problems.
TAUGHT SPRING SEMESTER
TYPICAL ENROLLMENT ~10-20
GEOSC 518D: Isotopic Analysis in the Geosciences (i.e., Anatomy of a Mass Spectrometer)
[Graduate-level course/part of graduate isotopic curriculum]
This course covers the principles and practice of analyzing the isotopic composition of natural geological and biological materials. In particular, the course investigates the physical and chemical principles underlying: the conversion of matter into atomic and molecular ions, the separation of charged particles by mass, and the detection of ion beam intensities for the purpose of precise, accurate, reproducible determination of isotopic ratios in geoscientific applications. The course delves into the principles behind, and practical considerations of, the equipment that enables contemporary mass analysis techniques, such as power supplies, vacuum systems and monitoring, signal detecting and processing, data handling, and standardization. Students will gain advanced understanding of how isotopic ratios are measured, an appreciation of how analytical developments guide (and have guided) research questions in isotope geochemistry, along with practical training in the operation and maintenance of modern mass spectrometers. Through analysis of the scope and limitations of existing techniques and instrumentation, students will be empowered to incorporate isotopic analysis into their research and design methods to support new research directions.
TAUGHT SPRING SEMESTER EVERY ~TWO YEARS (2023/2025/2027)
TYPICAL ENROLLMENT ~15
EARTH 402: Earth System Modeling
[Required course for Earth Science and Policy majors] Focuses on modeling Earth systems with a focus on the climate system, including the economic and policy aspects of energy and carbon emissions. By building and experimenting with numerical models of these systems, students gain insight into the dynamics of these systems, including the future consequences of different policy decisions that impact the climate system. This is an active class in which work on the models is done in small groups in the classroom setting. There is a final course project associated with the course as well, which students work on in the classroom with assistance from the instructor.
TAUGHT FALL SEMESTER
TYPICAL ENROLLMENT ~25
TOPICAL SEMINARS
[Graduate-level course] Past offerings include…Non-Traditional Isotope Geochemistry; Anatomy of the Mass Spectrometer; Isotope Effects of Diffusion; Paleogene Climate; Numerical Methods in the Geosciences
ASK FOR US TO TEACH ONE IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN A PARTICULAR TOPIC
TAUGHT VARIOUS SEMESTERS; TYPICAL ENROLLMENT ~5-15
GEOSC 597K: Remote Sensing of the Earth System
[Multi-disciplinary course] Interactive course designed to familiarize students working at the interfaces of disciplines within the Earth system. The emphasis will be on reading and discussion of hot topics in the recent literature that use satellite data from current platforms. It will complement discipline-oriented classes on sensor and algorithm techniques.
TYPICAL ENROLLMENT ~10