EVGE 5820: Geomorphology
What shapes Earth’s landscapes? This advanced undergraduate and graduate course tackles this question through lectures, laboratory assignments focusing on geospatial analysis and numerical modeling, and field trips to dynamic landscapes in Virginia. We dig into mechanistic models and quantitative observations to understand rivers, hillslopes, and whole landscapes. Students also design independent projects based on original topographic analysis. Next offered: Spring 2025.
ASTR 3880/3881, EVSC 4890/4891, EVGE 7559: Planetary Astronomy and Geology (with optional Laboratory)
In this advanced undergraduate/graduate class, we set out for the cosmos in search of what makes planets tick. Using a combination of astrophysics and geoscience, we seek out new worlds, consider life in the universe, peer into planetary interiors, and search foreign planetary surfaces for clues to their geologic history. Students in the laboratory section learn to work with planetary datasets for Mars, the Moon and beyond. This class is cross-listed in the Department of Astronomy and the Department of Environmental Sciences. Next offered: Spring 2026.
EVSC 2800/2801: Fundamentals of Geology (with optional Laboratory)
This is the introductory class for geosciences and a core class for all majors in Environmental Sciences. We study the composition, structure, and internal processes of earth; the organizing framework of plate tectonics; the perspective of deep time and geologic reasoning; and intersections between the solid Earth and society through natural resources and hazards. Next offered: Fall 2025 (and every semester with rotating instructors).
EVSC 4572 / EVGE 7542: Topics in Landscape Evolution
Next offered: Spring 2025. The Appalachians. In this seminar, we will dive into classic papers on the formation and evolution of the Appalachian Mountains, topics that played a major role in framing for landscape evolution theory.
Spring 2021 (as EVSC 4559/7559): Geomorphology and Ecology of Debris Flows in Virginia. This seminar focused on the geomorphic and ecological legacy of debris flows in central Virginia. Discussions of scientific literature covered geologic context, the mechanics of debris flows, and historic debris flow events in the region; Hurricane Camille, which triggered intense flooding and debris flows in 1969; ecological responses to hillslope disturbance; and the human impacts of flood and debris flow hazards in the region.