My teaching broadly focuses on field-intensive instruction, including my position as the co-director of the Les Huston Field Camp outside of Canon City, CO.
Courses Currently Taught
GEOL 1014, Geology and Human Affairs: introductory geoscience for non-STEM majors, designed to increase awareness and appreciation for geosciences in everyday life
GEOL 1114, Physical Geology: introductory geoscience with laboratory for STEM majors
GEOL 2464, Rocks & Minerals: combined mineralogy/petrology for geoscience majors, emphasizing practical application of mineralogy and petrological processes to understanding broader geologic principles
GEOL 3546, Field Geology: 5-week summer field experience that serves as a "capstone" experience for geoscience majors, taught at the Les Huston Field Camp outside of Canon City, CO.
GEOL 3546, Field Geology ONLINE: virtual field camp for those with accessibility or other limiting issues that may not be able to attend an in-residence field camp. Real-world skills in mapping, hydrogeology, petroleum geology, and topographic analysis are emphasized.
GEOL 4613, Magmatism & Metamorphism: advanced igneous and metamorphic petrology for students with interest in hard rock geoscience. Students gain skills in quantitative petrology, geochronology, and geochemistry, and learn how to make thin sections for a semester project.
GEOL 4753/5753, Volcanology: physical volcanology, with additional emphasis on volcanic hazards, mitigation, and impacts of volcanology on human society.
Courses Currently Taught
GEOL 1014, Geology and Human Affairs: introductory geoscience for non-STEM majors, designed to increase awareness and appreciation for geosciences in everyday life
GEOL 1114, Physical Geology: introductory geoscience with laboratory for STEM majors
GEOL 2464, Rocks & Minerals: combined mineralogy/petrology for geoscience majors, emphasizing practical application of mineralogy and petrological processes to understanding broader geologic principles
GEOL 3546, Field Geology: 5-week summer field experience that serves as a "capstone" experience for geoscience majors, taught at the Les Huston Field Camp outside of Canon City, CO.
GEOL 3546, Field Geology ONLINE: virtual field camp for those with accessibility or other limiting issues that may not be able to attend an in-residence field camp. Real-world skills in mapping, hydrogeology, petroleum geology, and topographic analysis are emphasized.
GEOL 4613, Magmatism & Metamorphism: advanced igneous and metamorphic petrology for students with interest in hard rock geoscience. Students gain skills in quantitative petrology, geochronology, and geochemistry, and learn how to make thin sections for a semester project.
GEOL 4753/5753, Volcanology: physical volcanology, with additional emphasis on volcanic hazards, mitigation, and impacts of volcanology on human society.
Courses Currently In Development, Coming Soon
GEOL 2030/1222, Introductory Geological Processes: field-based introductory geology for geoscience majors. Course includes near-weekly field trips to sites around Stillwater (and beyond) to teach students physical geology at the outcrop, immersing them in the program with other majors and geoscience faculty.
GEOL 3222, Introductory Field Methods: field-based course designed to teach (and reinforce existing skills in) field etiquette, safety, and methods. Topics include:
GEOL 4623/5623, Radioisotope Geochronology: course designed to provide students with sufficient background in radiogenic isotopic methods to allow them to understand the details of the arguments for some fundamental questions in geoscience, and to allow them to explore the potential application of radiogenic isotope geochemistry in their own current or future research.
GEOL 2030/1222, Introductory Geological Processes: field-based introductory geology for geoscience majors. Course includes near-weekly field trips to sites around Stillwater (and beyond) to teach students physical geology at the outcrop, immersing them in the program with other majors and geoscience faculty.
GEOL 3222, Introductory Field Methods: field-based course designed to teach (and reinforce existing skills in) field etiquette, safety, and methods. Topics include:
- Field safety and etiquette, including a range of topics which varies from basic outdoor skills to proper attire, to situational awareness, to safe hammer and equipment usage
- basic compass usage for navigating and measurements
- map interpretation (geologic and topographic maps)
- basic geologic and surficial mapping
- recognition of basic geologic structures
- hand-sample identification/description of rocks and minerals
- outcrop description and sketching
- field fossil recognition
- basic stratigraphic section construction
- field geomorphology and hydrogeology
- introductory digital methods, including field measurement and cartographic software, vector-based graphic software, and data curation.
GEOL 4623/5623, Radioisotope Geochronology: course designed to provide students with sufficient background in radiogenic isotopic methods to allow them to understand the details of the arguments for some fundamental questions in geoscience, and to allow them to explore the potential application of radiogenic isotope geochemistry in their own current or future research.