Teaching and Outreach

I am committed to effective teaching at all levels including public outreach and at the university non-science first year students, upper division general science majors, specialist majors / honors students and graduate students. These audiences present different opportunities and challenges. At UBC I continued my professional development in education through active participation in the Carl Weiman Science Education Initiative (CWSEI, http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca) and through trainings offered for adapting courses to remote teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some theory to go with observations at the beach. Short course, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, South Africa.
Old-school ‘lecturing’…
Public talk at UBC to celebrate theInSight landing on Mars. I worked with students from the French International School, North Vancouver and they gave part of the talk.
Second year MATLAB course: Midterm 2-stage exam – group portion.

Formal Teaching: I have developed and taught

  • large enrollment Earth and planetary science courses, at the 1st year and 3rd year level (~60-180 students) for undergraduate non-scientists and general science majors,
  • 2nd year computing class (~100 students) and labs primarily aimed at Earth Science / Environmental Science students,
  • specialized third and fourth year undergraduate courses in geodynamics, remote sensing and planetary physics (~10-15 students) and
  • graduate courses in planetary science, mathematics and inverse theory for geophysics, space physics.

Media Interviews:  CBC’s Quirks and Quarks (2011, 2012, 2015, 2018), Discovery Channel, New Scientist, Australian Broadcasting Company, Science News, Forbes, Globe and Mail, New York Times, LA Times, C-FAX Radio, CTV News, Sky & Telescope (2012, 2015, 2018), Vancouver ScienceWorld “Future Science Leaders” Grade 10 program (2012). Consultant for Discovery Channel (2004), Science Museum Minnesota and Red Hill Studios, Sausalito (2001), and WNET, Public Television (1998).

Recent Public Talks: The Vancouver Institute (2020), UBC Extended Learning (2019), Pacific Museum of Earth, UBC (2018), Macdonald Space Center, Vancouver (2018), Nerd Night, Vancouver (2016), Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Vancouver and Sunshine Coast Chapters (2016).

Specific Courses Taught: University of British Columbia

  • EOSC 340:  Global Climate Change (3rd yr), Spring 2018.
  • EOSC 211:  Computer Methods in Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (2nd yr), Fall 2022 and previous yrs.
  • EOSC 448:  Introduction to Global Geophysics (3rd yr), Fall 2017 and 2016. 
  • EOSC 450:  Potential Fields (4th yr), Fall 2021 and previous yrs.
  • EOSC 595:  Mars Interior and Climate History (graduate), Spring 2014.
  • EOSC 355:  The Planets (3rd yr), Fall 2013 and previous yrs.
  • EOSC 552:  Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (graduate), Spring 2012.

Short Courses

  • Geophysics module for Canada-wide graduate 1-week short course in planetary science at University Western Ontario, London, Ontario.  Sept. 2010 – 2015.
  • One module in Mathematical Modeling of Geophysical Fluids, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cape Town, South Africa.  May 2013. 

University of California, San Diego

  • ERTH 01: The Planets (1st yr, general ed), 2005, 2004, 2003.
  • ERTH 135: Remote Sensing (3rd / 4th yr), 2005.
  • ERTH 130: Geodynamics of the Terrestrial Planets (3rd/4th yr), 2004, 2002, 2001.
  • SIO 239: Mathematical Methods in Geophysics (graduate), 2003.
  • SIO 249: Geophysics of Inner Solar System Bodies (graduate), 2002.
InSight Mission public talk, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Sunshine Coast Chapter, 2016