Teaching

My goal as an educator is to teach students to think analytically and quantitatively as they learn in formal and informal settings.  This philosophy infuses my teaching in both lecture and laboratory courses on Earth and environmental science.  It also shapes how I mentor undergraduate interns and graduate students in field and lab-based research.  With this approach, my students investigate fundamental and cutting edge topics in the overlapping fields of biogeochemistry, environmental science, paleoclimate research, and stable isotope geochemistry.

EEPS 201: Formation and Evolution of a Habitable Planet (3 credits; taught in Fall of even years)

This course will provide an introduction to the formation and evolution of Earth with an emphasis on how our habitable planet has originated, developed, and sustained conditions suitable for life from a planetary science perspective. Topics include the Big Bang and formation of elements, formation of minerals and organic molecules, formation of the Solar System and planets, formation and differentiation of Earth's interior, plate tectonics and internal circulation, interactions between interior, atmosphere, and oceans, climate regulation, co-evolution of life and planet, and habitability of other planets in the Solar System and in the universe.

EEPS 334/434: Environmental Chemistry (3 credits; taught in Spring of odd years)

This course provides an interdisciplinary exploration of environmental chemistry, focusing on the chemical processes and interactions occurring in the atmosphere, aquatic systems, soils, and sediments. This course focuses on the fundamental science underlying issues of local, regional, and global scale pollution. Topics include urban air quality, stratospheric ozone depletion, acid rain, greenhouse gases, ocean acidification, eutrophication, persistent organic pollutants, and heavy metals. Through case studies, analysis of environmental samples, and exploration of current environmental monitoring data sets, students will explore the complexities of environmental systems, pollutant pathways, and mitigation strategies, preparing them for advanced study and careers in environmental science, engineering, environmental policy, public health, and related fields. 

   Recommended preparation: CHEM 105 & 106 or equivalent; MATH 125 & 126 or equivalent.

EEPS 352/452: Biogeochemistry (3 credits; taught in Spring of even years)

This course is intended for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students and will focus on global environmental changes and the intersections between biology, geology, chemistry, and environmental sciences. Throughout the semester students will explore the cycling of biologically important elements (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus) in order to understand their role in shaping ecosystem processes and in the development of life on Earth.  We will discuss the tools and approaches to studying biogeochemistry, natural and perturbed cycles, and the influence that climate change has had and will have on biogeochemical cycles. 

   Recommended Preparation: CHEM 105 & 106 or equivalent; MATH 125 & 126 or equivalent.

ESTD 398/399: Seminar in Environmental Studies (3 credits; taught in Fall of odd years; this course is taught by Prof. Tali Babila in Fall of even years)

This course will take students on a journey through a broad spectrum of current environmental non-fiction literature spanning topics on environmental justice, indigenous knowledge, environmental learning, animal behavior, conservation, pollution, human diet and sustainability.  Students will lead a number of in-class discussions and will post written responses to the readings prior to each class.  Students enrolled in ESTD 399 will have an additional term paper to complete.