Introduction
Low-temperature geochemistry enlists a wide range of traditional scientific disciplines (e.g. chemistry, biology, geology) to address questions involving Earth surface processes, modern climate studies, deep time, and many more. The following list of classes is an example curriculum for a student interested in Earth surface processes. Current or prospective students are invited to consult with a faculty member for further advice and to develop a course plan that best suits their needs.
Proposed Curriculum
- EPS 207 Geochemical Oceanography
- EPS 236 Environmental Modeling
- EPS 261 Sea Level Change
- EPS 282 Topics in Stratigraphy and Tectonics
- EPS 286 Topics in Biogeochemistry I
Faculty
Typical undergraduate backgrounds for students are listed in parenthesis.
- David Johnston: Isotope geochemistry and historical geobiology, re-animating ancient ecosystems and ocean chemistry using stable isotope systems, chemical speciation techniques, modern microbial experiments (for calibration) and theoretical considerations (biology, chemistry, geology/Earth sciences)
- Ann Pearson: Global organic carbon and nitrogen cycles, light stable isotope biogeochemistry, compound-specific d13C and D14C analysis of lipids and proteins, microbial metabolism in anoxic marine systems, sources of carbon to marine sediments, evolutionary history of lipid biosynthesis (biology, chemistry)
- Daniel Schrag: Geochemical oceanography, paleoclimatology, stable isotope geochemistry (chemistry, geology/Earth sciences, physics)