Earth and Planetary SciencesInvertebrate PaleontologyExplore the history of invertebrate life, from the “weird wonders” of the Cambrian Explosion to our modern fauna, in the context of evolutionary theory, fossil preservation, ecology, and major events shaping the trajectory of life on Earth.
MacroevolutionA graduate-level seminar surveying classic papers in the history of macroevolutionary theory. In class discussions and written reports focus on critical analysis of major concepts, their application, utility and limitations.
Mass Extinctions - geochemical and biological recordsExplore mass extinction events using geochemical, biological, and stratigraphic records to unravel their causes, and the consequences to macroevolution and the Earth system.
Topics in PaleobiologyThis is a graduate-level seminar series with themes that vary each semester. To date, we have dug into topics such as: estimating biodiversity in the modern and fossil records, abiotic/biotic drivers of macroevolution, basic principles in taphonomy, ecological niche modeling, and more!
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Environmental ScienceThe Blue PlanetAn introduction to Earth System Science, serving as an overview of natural sciences, as well as the primer to the Environmental Science major. Explore the four major Earth reservoirs: Geosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere, and Biosphere, including interactions, feedbacks, and cycles between them. Earth’s changing environmental system relating to anthropogenic use and feedbacks is also discussed.
Life in the Earth SystemInvestigate interactions between the Earth and life, and the consequences of those interactions on biodiversity, evolution, ecology, and biogeochemical cycles. Earth-life interactions are explored at different scales of space and time, and principles learned are applied to better understand current and future global changes in environment and biodiversity.
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