Introduction
Professional Interests:
I love to work with a range of data sets to solve complex puzzles, from continental deformation to interdisciplinary environmental science problems. My main area of research focuses on sedimentary basins and the structural evolution of continental extension. My students and I work in the central Basin and Range, east of Las Vegas, and use a variety of tools to examine the tectonic and geomorphic evolution of the area. I currently have an EDMAP grant to support this work, and am working with the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology as well as the United States Geological Survey on this Lake Mead project. I also work with local community partners, such as the City of Woodbury and The Nature Conservancy, to explore vegetation changes, stormwater management issues, and stream restoration. These hands-on projects give students in Environmental Science courses the chance to collect and analyze real data, learn about environmental issues and effective solutions, explore career options, and advance the Common Good, a key part of our mission at St. Thomas. I also led a project for the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization as part of our Environmental Science capstone class.
I love to engage undergraduate students in research and give them the opportunity to present their work at regional and national conferences. I also love to help students with designing and realizing their careers, how to get ‘paid to play’!
Courses
- ESCI 132: Introduction to Environmental Science
- GEOL 115: Environmental Geology
- GEOL 130: Earth History
- GEOL 211: Earth Materials
- GEOL 260: Regional Geology and Geological Field Methods
- GEOL 340 and 360: Fundamentals of the Lithosphere I and II (Petrology, Tectonics and Structural Geology)
- GEOL 460: Advanced Geological Field Methods
- ESCI 430: Environmental Science Capstone.