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“I was working at the University of Leicester in England which is a major research institution, and I enjoyed my career there. But, as an American, I wanted to return home, and I wanted to work at a liberal arts institution as it is the educational model that I think best serves undergraduates. Eastern had a job opening in my field and I was hired in 2012, and I have loved working here ever since.”
“I started EES’s Global Field Courses soon after I arrived and enjoy leading/co-leading our field excursions because environmental earth science comes to life in the field and our learning journeys are always unforgettably fun geo-adventures! I also love teaching structural geology/tectonics because understanding how the crust deforms and how mountains are constructed is a lifelong passion of mine that I want to share with my students.”
“I am an active researcher and have published about 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and have carried out field projects all over the world from Mongolia and China to the eastern European Alps to the Patagonian Andes and Antarctica to the western United States and Connecticut. My research primarily involves the architecture of the crust, active fault systems and earthquake hazards, mountain building processes and intraplate tectonics. I have worked in remote regions of Central Asia (Mongolia, China) during 21 field seasons and previously have had research funding from NSF, NERC, European Union, UK Royal Society and the National Geographic Society.”
“I especially like the small class sizes which ensure that I get to know all my students each semester and can provide individual support to each student, as needed. I also am fortunate to work in a great department with friendly, hard-working colleagues, and we have created a very close faculty-student community in EES.”
I remind my students of the value of a liberal arts education that embeds the soft skills that employers consistently state matter the most in the rapidly evolving 21st-Century workplace.
“I want to inspire curiosity in my students and help them develop a love of learning. I also want to help them recognize their individual strengths and passions to help lead them towards enriching careers and lives. I encourage each student to think individually and to be wary of pseudoscience and disinformation. I remind my students of the value of a liberal arts education that embeds the soft skills that employers consistently state matter the most in the rapidly evolving 21st-Century workplace.”
“My most memorable moments revolve around the joys and excitement of our EES global field courses, especially our Iceland and Idaho-Wyoming trips. Other memorable moments include EES’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, running our honor society game show nights every semester, and the regular positivism, collegiality and kindness expressed by all members of our community, every day, every semester.”
“I teach the EES Career Preparation course, so all our majors get a lot of career advice. I encourage strong preparation, regular introspection, perseverance, and life planning, not just career planning. I also want my students to develop a “language of employability” so they can clearly articulate their skills and experience.”
“Students evolve a lot in their twenties, and their first job is almost never their last. I believe that independent travel, if one has the resources, can be very educational and life changing. Thus, I encourage my students to explore the world while they are still young and free and listen to their hearts as to what matters most to them. For today’s students, the retirement age may someday be 70 or even older, thus they have a lot of time ahead to work. While they are young and independent, they may want to explore various ways to live their lives and pursue their interests, before settling down.”