Whenever possible, I try to help students experience & understand earth systems “from the inside…”

EARTH 102: Voyages of Discovery

EARTH 102: Global Warming – The Scientific Evidence

EARTH 519: Responsible Conduct of Research

ENVR SC 201 / CIV ENV 201: Earth – A Habitable Planet

EARTH 360: Instrumentation and Field Methods

This course introduces students to the challenges of collecting and using environmental data. They do the course labs and their final project on the data loggers they build at the start of the course.

As my research evolves over time so too does the content of this problem-based course. But the core learning goal remains the same:  for the students to realize they are capable of generating primary data with equipment they can both build and understand. Imparting a ‘sense of agency’ is critical to the confidence they will need to address local and global problems in the future.

This course uses an an open-source datalogger system developed during my time at Northwestern with the goal of making an educational version of our research loggers that works within the practical limits of STEM courses.

Students often progress to independent research projects based on the loggers in the instrumentation course.

Other educators have adopted the system demonstrating suitability for a wide range of US institutions – from R1s  to larger state universities and smaller state colleges.

Mammoth Cave – Experiential Field Excursion:

Mammoth Cave is known throughout the world and I have lead several Northwestern trips to make sure students experience the wonder of this amazing cave.

Yucatan Field Trip – Experiential Field Excursion:

I have organized several of these trips w Northwestern University students since 2009. (See: Learning in the Field )