Category Archives: teaching

Geochronology Short Course at GSA 2014

Posted on August 3, 2014 by Thermochronic

As a graduate student in 2005 I was lucky enough to attend a Thermochronology Short Course sponsored by the Mineralogical Society of America. It was a 2 day event at Snowbird, a ski resort outside of Salt Lake City, just … Continue reading →

Posted in (U-Th)/He, geochronology, teaching, thermochronology | Leave a comment

John Perry, Lord Kelvin, and radioactive decay

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Thermochronic

I’ll admit I am behind on Cosmos. I’ve watched some of the originals on Netflix, and plan on binge watching the Neil deGrasse Tyson version soon. Tyson is one of the best ambassadors of science we’ve heard from in a long time, … Continue reading →

Posted in earth science, geochronology, Great Contributions, teaching, Things I Wish I'd Thought of, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

For the Love of Field Trips

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Thermochronic

Years ago I was asked to fill out a survey that dealt with the recruitment and retention of geology majors. Specifically, many schools have introduced environmental science majors which have siphoned off potential geologists**, generally draining students from the more … Continue reading →

Posted in earth science, pictures, teaching, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Great M&M Experiment

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Thermochronic

Teaching about radioactive decay and geochronology has its challenges. I think it is important to include in introductory courses, and I’ve tried a variety of exercises and techniques to try to convey some of the more important aspects. My goals are … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, geochronology, Primers, teaching, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

I’m almost worth a burrito!

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Thermochronic

It appears that the typical position of the adjunct instructor is starting to get a little more attention. There is a recently-released documentary on the subject, a congressional report, there have been numerous op-eds, and of course the well publicized … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Rants, teaching | 3 Comments

Adjuncts and STEM education

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Thermochronic

I am now employed, almost full time. I have been for about a year and a half now. The job is great, the pay is OK, and the location is wonderful. This has been a huge relief to me, finding … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Rants, science and society, teaching | Leave a comment

Teaching Climate Change – part 3, online resources

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Thermochronic

This is part 3 of a multi-post series on my experience teaching about climate change. To read part 1 which deals with my overall course philosophy, click here. To read part 2, which deals with the external readings and discussions … Continue reading →

Posted in earth hazards, earth science, science and society, teaching, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Teaching Climate Change – part 2, readings and discussions

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Thermochronic

To read part 1 of my teaching climate change series, which deals with my overall philosophy and course outline click here. To read part 3, which deals with the online resources I used for the class, click here. The original climate … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, popular science books, science and society, teaching, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Teaching Climate Change – part 1

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Thermochronic

I have a long list of topics I’d like to turn into posts, some better formed than others. Near the top of that list is to write about my experience teaching climate change, both as a standalone course and as … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, science and society, teaching, Uncategorized | Leave a comment