Results for EARTHSCI

Primarily for freshmen and sophomores. An introduction to faculty and research areas in the School of Earth Sciences, including biogeochemistry, oceanography, paleobiology, geophysics, tectonics, geostatistics, soil science, hydrogeology, energy resources, earth surface processes, geochronology, volcanoes and earthquakes, and remote sensing. May be repeated for credit.

Service learning through the Geokids program. Eight weeks of supervised teaching to early elementary students about Earth sciences. Hands-on teaching strategies for science standards-based instruction.

For undergraduates planning to conduct research during the summer with faculty in the School of Earth Sciences. Readings, oral presentations, proposal development. May be repeated for credit.

Progression from volcanic processes through rock weathering and soil-ecosystem development to landscape evolution. The course starts with an investigation of volcanic processes, including the volcano structure, origin of magmas, physical-chemical factors of eruptions. Factors controlling rock weathering and soil development, including depth and nutrient levels impacting plant ecosystems, are explored next. Geomorphic processes of landscape evolution including erosion rates, tectonic/volcanic activity, and hillslope stability conclude the course. Methods for monitoring and predicting eruptions, defining spatial changes in landform, landform stability, soil production rates, and measuring biogeochemical processes are covered throughout the course. This course is restricted to students accepted into the Earth Systems of Hawaii Program.

Four- to seven-day field trips to locations of geologic and environmental interest. Includes trips offered during Thanksgiving and Spring breaks. May be repeated for credit. See http://pangea.stanford.edu/GES/undergraduates/courses/.

Multi-day field trip that combines exploration of regional geology, ecology, and environmental history with guided drawing exercises. We¿ll visit several sites of geologic and environmental interest, discuss their formation and significance, and use drawing as tool for close observation. Students will gain an understanding of the natural processes shaping California, acquire new skills and techniques for artistic expression, and gain an appreciation for how scientific and aesthetic perspectives complement and enhance one another in the study of nature. No previous scientific or artistic experience is required.

This seminar is designed for coterms and upperclassmen who are considering pursuing a PhD in earth science fields but want to know what that path really entails. Consisting of small-group discussions with current PhD students, this course will feature conversations on a range of PhD research topics and will also delve into the substance of the PhD experience itself. We will explore PhD students' programs and career paths: the milestones, processes, and issues that guide their decisions and shape their PhD experiences. Discussion themes will be determined partly in advance and partly based on the interests of participants and could include topics such as choosing a PhD program or research question, interdisciplinarity, community engagement, or work/life balance.

Basic usage of the Python and C/C++ programming languages are introduced and used to solve representative computational problems from various science and engineering disciplines. Software design principles including time and space complexity analysis, data structures, object-oriented design, decomposition, encapsulation, and modularity are emphasized. Usage of campus wide Linux compute resources: login, file system navigation, editing files, compiling and linking, file transfer, etc. Versioning and revision control, software build utilities, and the LaTeX typesetting software are introduced and used to help complete individual programming assignments and a final project. Prerequisite: Some previous experience with programming (does not need to be a formal course in programming).

Students learn to prepare for and conduct negotiations in a variety of arenas including getting a job, managing workplace conflict, negotiating transactions, and managing personal relationships. Interactive class. The internationally travelled instructor who has mediated cases in over 75 countries will require students to negotiate real life case studies and discuss their results in class. Application required before first day of class; see Coursework.

Required for incoming graduate students except coterms. Research questions, tools, and approaches of faculty members from all departments in the School of Earth Sciences. Goals are: to inform new graduate students about the school's range of scientific interests and expertise; and introduce them to each other across departments and research groups. Panel discussions or faculty member presentations at each meeting. May be repeated for credit.

Weekly lectures focusing on high-performance computing in geoscientific research by experts from academia, national laboratories, industry, and doctoral students. May be repeated for credit.

Independent research for graduate student projects.

Curricular Practical Training

For graduate students who wish to gain experience for careers in teaching and mentoring. May be repeated for credit

For graduate students working in collaboration with a faculty member to develop and improve activities for courses within the School of Earth Sciences. Weekly meetings to discuss pedagogical strategies and give feedback on activities. May be repeated for credit.

This course introduces software design and development in modern Fortran. Course covers the functional, object-oriented-, and parallel programming features introduced in the Fortran 95, 2003, and 2008 standards, respectively, in the context of numerical approximations to ordinary and partial differential equations; introduces object-oriented design and design schematics based on the Unified Modeling Language (UML) structure, behavior, and interaction diagrams; cover the basic use of several open-source tools for software building, testing, documentation generation, and revision control. Recommended: Familiarity with programming in Fortran 90, basic numerical analysis and linear algebra, or instructor approval

For undergraduates and graduate students interested in teaching science in local schools. Inquiry-based science teaching methods. How to communicate scientific knowledge and improve presentations. Six weeks of supervised teaching in a local school classroom. Prerequisite: course in introductory biology, geology, chemistry, or marine sciences.

Part exposition, part reflection, part synthesis, research-driven opinion writing can be found everywhere from the op-ed pages of daily newspapers, to the commentary sections of journals such as Nature and Science, to the sort of wide-ranging reviews found in the New York Review of Books. In this course, advanced doctoral students will study the form, and work with the instructors to develop a publication-quality opinion essay on an aspect of their own field. Admission is limited and by application only. Contact thayden@stanford.edu.

Workshop consisting of 8 lectures addressing topics necessary for high-performance computing research on the CEES cluster in the School of Earth Sciences. In addition to attending lectures students will be required to complete a short project related to high-performance computing.