Teaching

My ultimate goal in teaching is to not only help students understand the concepts of earth science (and occasionally GIS), but to practice scientific thinking by executing research projects using "real world" data. Also, there is no better way to engage students in earth science than field trips, so please see a few highlights of past trips in the photos below!

GEOL 1500 - Earth Revealed

Field trip to San Gabriel Mountains to investigate local neotectonic features

GEOL 1550 - Oceanography

Boat trip on San Pedro Bay to learn basic oceanographic data collection techniques

GEOL 4300 - Sedimentology and Stratigraphy

Field trip to Torrey Pines Natural Reserve and Sunset Cliffs Park to investigate Eocene stratigraphy and observe a variety of depositional environments

GEOL 4350 - Coastal Processes

Field trip to Crystal Cove State Park to observe ancient and modern coastal geology features and learn how to conduct beach surveys using classic and modern techniques. 

GEOG 4020 - Geomorphology

Field trip to Oceano Dunes to investigate both modern and ancient aeolian processes using Ground Penetrating Radar.

GEOG 4620 - GIS Applications

This course is designed to learn about advanced environmental and earth science applications of GIS and remote sensing. 

GEOL 5700 - Drones in Earth Science

This graduate level course provides a thorough overview of Unmanned Aircraft System operation, FAA regulations, RTK-GPS surveying, Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry, and applications in the Earth Sciences

Juneau Icefield Research Program

In the summers of 2021 and 2022, I was a faculty member for the Juneau Icefield Research Program (JIRP), an interdisciplinary polar science program for undergraduate and graduate students. I was responsible for teaching concepts of geology, remote sensing, and spatial analysis and how they related to the glacial environment in which we were living. Students participated in summer-long research projects, of which I led a project in measuring the velocity of the glaciers.