This Spring quarter I am teaching the following classes:

1. •Field module using Geophysical Methods, GSC491L (pictures)
   

2. •Intro to Seismology GSC450/L, only taught every other year
   

I also teach the following classes:

1. •Introduction to Global Geophysics, GSC/PHY 307/L, this class is only taught every other year
   

2. •Earth Science Seminar, GSC410
   

3. •Shallow Subsurface Geophysics, GSC434/L
   

4. •Engineering Geology II, GSC415/L
   

5. •Introduction to Astronomy (GSC116)
   

6. •Natural Disasters, GSC350
   

7. • Quantitative Applications for Earth Scientists (GSC225)
   

I expect the following teaching schedule for the next year (due to PI duties on a large educational grant, my teaching schedule is fairly light):

1. •Shallow Subsurface Geophysics (Winter 13)
   

2. •Engineering Geology II (Winter 13)
   

3. •Advanced Shallow Subsurface Geophysics (Spring 13, MSc class)
   

Hopefully soon I will also get the opportunity to teach my new lower level GE class called “Living in Earthquake Country”. If you have any questions about these classes, or their pre-requisites, just send me an E-mail.

   As a seismologist, the classes I teach for science and engineering majors have a somewhat different approach to the Earth Sciences than most other geology classes at Cal Poly Pomona. Investigations of the Earth increasingly incorporate modeling and quantitative techniques to interpret observations and measurements. Visualization of data and models has a significant computational aspect.  Students who have taken classes that include quantitative content and have learned how to apply computational approaches to geoscience problems are better prepared for industry, graduate school and research (and are thus much in demand). My classes include a significant problem solving component focussed on examining real-world Earth Science problems using actual geophysical or geological data and observations.

   The math and physics used in my classes are not particularly advanced. My “big picture” goals are to show students how to approach Earth Science problems scientifically: how to go from understanding the question you are trying to answer, to setting up your experiment and data collection, to modeling and analysis of the data, to visualization of the results, and finally to interpretation and answering that initial question that drove the whole process, while developing quantitative literacy. These problem-solving and analytical skills are beneficial for any career path, but should be particularly useful if your career objectives include graduate school, project management or a position with government agencies such as the USGS.

    More specifically, my interest is in teaching how the Earth works, or at least what we think we know about how the Earth works, in particular where it involves earthquakes, natural hazards and tectonics.