Teaching
This undergraduate course provides a brief introduction to our planet Earth including the following geoscience topics: geology, hydrology, oceanography, and atmospheric science. The coursework emphasizes developing a basic understanding of geoscience processes and concepts rather than memorization of terms, definitions, and facts.
In this course, students will learn to:
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Identify the basic characteristics, history, and processes of planet Earth.
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Describe interconnections within and between different Earth systems.
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Utilize some visual analysis techniques that are useful in Earth science, including graphs, maps, and representations of three-dimensional features.
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Compare the temporal and spatial scales over which different Earth processes operate to the temporal and spatial scales they encounter in everyday life.
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Recognize the relevance of Earth science and the study of planet Earth to their daily life and their future, as well as to modern and future societies.
This graduate-level course focuses on the chemical processes involved in the formation and evolution of our solar system and our planet. Topics covered include the discussion of nucleosynthesis and chemical abundances, the origin and composition of various planetary objects and their constituent materials, and the distribution and cycling of elements within and between different Earth systems, including the solid Earth, atmosphere, and oceans.
In this course, students will learn to:
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Describe the inventory of planetary materials in our solar system and explain their characteristics
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Explain what causes the first-order distribution of elements in different parts of the Earth and other planetary bodies
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Apply principles of thermodynamics and reaction kinetics to predict the physical and chemical characteristics of Earth and planetary materials
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Describe how the chemical exchange between the solid earth, biosphere, and ocean-atmosphere affect the evolution of the Earth system
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Identify outstanding questions in the primary cosmochemistry and geochemistry literature and propose what new observations, data, and/or models could be used to address these questions
This course covers general theory and applications of geochronology and thermochronology to questions in Earth and planetary science.
In this course, students will learn to:
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Explain the basic physical processes underlying the most commonly used dating methods.
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Calculate geochronological dates from raw geochemical datasets or other kinds of observations for the most commonly used dating methods.
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Use physical and numerical models to interpret the significance of geochronological dates.
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Evaluate which geochronological method, if any, is most appropriate for answering a particular scientific question in Earth and planetary science.
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Discuss the contribution of geo/thermochronology to big questions in Earth and planetary science.