at Pierce College Puyallup offers a wide variety of courses in geology, oceanography, environmental science, atmospheric science, and astronomy. Most of the offerings fulfill the General Education Requirement-Natural Science (GER-NS) requirement towards the Associates in Arts degree, as well as the Lab Science requirement, and are appropriate for non-science and science majors alike. All courses apply towards the General Elective (GE) requirement.

Education

Master of Science, Geology, Washington State University, 1983

Bachelor of Science, Geology, University of Washington, 1980

Teaching Experience

I have been teaching at Pierce College Puyallup since fall of 1992. I started as a full-time, tenure-track Earth Sciences Instructor and received tenure in the spring of 1995. Prior to that, I spent the 1991-92 academic year as a one-year temporary sabbatical-leave replacement instructor at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom. Prior to coming to Pierce College, I taught geology briefly in Montana.

Private Sector Experience

I continue to develop professionally by working outside of academics in minerals exploration and development. I have worked for several mining companies as an environmental geologist, exploration geologist, staff geologist and a petroleum company in Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. More recently, I have spent summers as a contract geologist at a gold mine in the Carlin Trend in Nevada

Research Interests

I am interested in advancing my knowledge in the areas of the geologic development of North America in general, with emphasis on western North America, including its tectonic and structural history, and how these relate to plutonic and volcanic belts, sedimentary cycles, metamorphic suites, and the generation of mineral resources. I am also interested in broadening my knowledge in the areas of geologic hazard analysis and mitigation; environmental geochemistry and water pollution; marine geology; and marine ecosystems.