If you are an undergraduate interested in environmental geoscience, practical applications of physics, or teaching about the Earth, or if you just want to stay current with news about our planet, consider the geoscience and physics offerings in UW Tacoma’s Division of Science and Mathematics.
Physics
We offer a calculus-based introductory physics sequence (T PHYS 121/122/123) that satisfies pre-medical and many science graduate school requirements, as well as requirements for the Environmental Science and Biomedical Science degrees and several Institute of Technology majors.
Courses I often teach:
- T PHYS 121 – Introductory Physics I – Mechanics
- T PHYS 122 – Introductory Physics II – Electromagnetism
- T PHYS 123 – Introductory Physics III – Waves, Optics, and Thermodynamics
Geoscience
If you are interested in geoscience, you may want to consider the geoscience option in our Environmental Science major. The geoscience curriculum includes a lab course in physical geology, 200-level classes in oceanography, physical geography, meteorology, and Earth history, upper division courses that include environmental geology, sedimentology, Earth materials, and geomorphology, and field classes in geology, geophysics, oceanography, and limnology.
As part of the InTeGrate program, I collaborated with Dr. Rachel Teasdale and Dr. Laurel Goodell to develop, test, and publish data-rich curriculum materials for teaching about geological hazards and monitoring at active plate boundaries – Living on the Edge.
Courses I often teach:
- T GEOS 117 – Physical Geology
- T GEOS 227 – Earth History
- T GEOS 347 – Earth Materials
- T GEOS 417 – Field Geology
- T GEOS 419 – Field Geophysics
Posts about particular physics and geoscience courses are below.
Coming Autumn 2017: Earth Materials!
Are you curious about how volcanoes work, what’s inside a mountain belt, and what would happen if the oceans dried up? Earth Materials (T GEOS 347, SLN 22043) explores the rocks and minerals that make up our planet: how they form, what they mean, where they’re found, and how we analyze them. We will investigate […]
TESC 419: Environmental Geophysics
Have you ever been curious how geoscientists know what’s under their feet? In Environmental Field Geophysics (TESC 419), you will learn to use seismic, magnetic, and gravity surveys to investigate the shallow subsurface environment. The course is a project-based introduction to practical geophysical tools and data analysis, along with some of the physics that makes […]