Teaching Philosophy
My teaching emphasizes learning through observation, field experience, quantitative analysis, and scientific inquiry. Students develop an understanding of Earth processes by integrating classroom concepts with laboratory investigations, fieldwork, and independent research. I encourage interdisciplinary thinking and the use of modern analytical techniques to investigate real geological and environmental problems.
Courses
- Geological Oceanography
- Marine Sedimentology
- Scanning Electron Microscopy
- Graduate seminars and special topics in marine geology
Field-Based Learning
Fieldwork is central to my teaching. Students investigate beaches, estuaries, coastal cliffs, wetlands, and the seafloor of Monterey Bay using geological mapping, sediment analysis, GIS, and environmental monitoring.
Research Opportunities
Graduate and undergraduate students are encouraged to participate in ongoing research projects, including:
- Environmental impacts of the Moss Landing battery fire (EMBER)
- Monterey Canyon morphodynamics
- Coastal sediment dynamics
- Silica diagenesis
- Marine geochemistry