Geological Excursion to Death Valley, California (EESC V1010y)

A spring break field trip for first-year and sophomore students. The trip focuses on the geology of Death Valley and adjacent areas in the eastern California desert – a chance to see geology in action, and to look back more than 1 billion years through geological time, in an area of outstanding vistas and natural beauty.

Two places are normally set aside for each of Barnard College and SEAS, and the remaining 16 places assigned to students from Columbia College and General Studies. Early application by email is encouraged (mid-November deadline). Check the website for instructions. Offered annually.

Sedimentary Geology (EESC W4223x/y)

An overview of sedimentology and stratigraphy, for majors and concentrators in Earth and environmental sciences, and for graduate students from other disciplines. Undergraduates in such related fields as Earth and environmental engineering, environmental biology and environmental chemistry are also welcome. Lectures/class discussions, labs. and field exercises are integrated, with emphasis on processes, the characteristics of sediments and sedimentary rocks, interpretation of the continental geological record, and practical applications. An alternate year course, offered next in Spring, 2010, and then again (tentatively) in Spring 2013 following my 2011-2012 sabbatical leave.

Frontiers of Science (SCNC C1000x)

Frontiers of Science integrates modern science into the Core Curriculum. The course includes weekly lectures and seminar sections of up to 22 students. The purpose of the seminars is to discuss the lecture and its associated readings, plan and conduct experiments, and debate the implications of the most recent scientific discoveries. I will participate in the course annually as a section leader in Fall term, beginning in 2008.