Teaching
The courses I teach help students learn some of the exciting fundamentals of Earth science, and push students to high order thinking skills to develop their academic potential. Learning in the lab with engaging, hands-on activities and in the field in immersive environments brings topics into context and focus. Field trips are an essential, and fun, component of many of the courses I teach.
ESS 302: Mineral Science
Minerals are the foundation of the solid Earth; their physical and chemical properties govern nearly all solid Earth processes. They are also the foundation of our modern society through mining them for raw materials.
In this class, students learn how the chemical compositions and atomic structures of minerals control their physical, optical, and chemical properties. I teach minerals in a novel way, that is in the context of the rock cycle. We look at minerals as they tend to occur in igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks and process.
ESS 340: Global Natural Resources & Environmental Issues
This course is an introductory course into the topic of mineral resources and the associated environmental issues. I strike a balance between natural resources as valuable commodities to be used for the betterment of society, and the need to be careful stewards of our environment.
ESS 357: The Rock Cycle & Ore Deposits
This course emphasizes the formation of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks, and their importance to understanding Earth processes.
ESS 366: Geologic Structures & Tectonics
This course emphasizes the formation of geologic structures and their importance to Earth processes.
ESS 385: Earth & Environmental Chemistry
In this course, students are introduced to the Earth through the techniques of chemistry.