GEOL 397 - Seminar

Credits: 3

Prerequisite: Vary with topic. The title, term of meeting, and credits for seminars will be announced to all geology majors. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different.

Winter 2020, GEOL 397A-01: Topic: Regenerative Agriculture and Carbon Sequestration (3). Prerequisites: ENV 110 and either GEOL 100 or 101, or instructor consent. Student backgrounds and interest from science, history, anthropology, economics, and more are necessary and welcomed. Drawdown of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is necessary. Can regenerative agricultural practices, or “carbon farming” sequester carbon permanently in the soil? And how much? Students use the scientific literature and case studies to learn about soils and how they form and store carbon, examine agricultural practices historical and new, interact with the local farming community and discover potential side benefits to farm income and water quality.

Fall 2019, GEOL 397A-01: Seminar: Measure Earth through Geodesy (3). Prerequisite: Geology majors, or GEOL 100 or 101 with instructor consent. Geodesy is the science of accurately measuring the position, shape, mass, and orientation of geologic features ranging in size from a few millimeters to the entire Earth. This course explores modern geodesy in the context of societal issues. Topics include active tectonics, earthquake and volcano hazards, topography measurements, slope stability, water resources, ice mass loss, and sea level change. Through in-class activities and assignments, students gain experience with geodetic tools such as GPS positioning, satellite imaging, satellite gravity measurements, and terrestrial laser scanning (TLS). Students build entry-level computational skills throughout the term. Jay Seymour.

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