Teaching
The Geology Department at WWU offers a range of exciting courses that support our undergraduate and graduate degree programs, which include BAE, BS, BA, a combined BAE, and MS Degree tracks!
Below are a few courses that I teach in the department:
Upcoming: Fall 2024
Introduction to crystal chemistry and crystallography. Origin, occurrence and classification of common minerals; physical and chemical properties of minerals used in identification. Basic petrographic microscopy techniques and identification of common rock-forming minerals in thin-section.
Upcoming: Winter 2025
Origin, occurrence and classification of igneous and metamorphic rocks, hand specimen identification of rocks. In alternate years, one section that year may be taught entirely in the field.
GEOL 497/597 - Magmatism
Upcoming: Spring 2025
The global distribution, chemical composition, and behavior of volcanoes is a critical linchpin of the foundation theory in geoscience: plate tectonics. Volcanoes and their associated hazards also cause loss of life and economic damage to communities worldwide. Volcanism, however, is but the final surface expression of magmatism. In this course, we will explore the physiochemical evolution of magmas from their petrogenesis in the mantle, to storage and crystallization in the crust, and final ascent prior to eruption. Students will utilize recently published literature in the fields of geochemistry, petrology, geophysics, geodesy, structural geology, and tectonics to investigate the relationships between plate tectonics and magmatism in units focused on convergent margins, divergent margins, and hotspots, where magmatism is most prevalent. As an upper division elective suitable for graduate students and advanced undergraduate students, the course content will be useful for students with broad and multi-disciplinary interests in the geosciences.