Faculty Profile
Benjamin Edwards
Professor of Earth Sciences; Walter E. Beach Chair in Sustainability Studies (2002)
Contact Information
on sabbatical Fall 2018
Kaufman Building Room 142
717.254.8934
http://blogs.dickinson.edu/edwardsb/
Bio
His research foci are interactions between volcanoes and glaciers (glaciovolcanism), Arctic and Alpine climate change (including directing the Dickinson College Arctic and Alpine Climate Change Research Experience AACCRE), and the impacts of volcanic ash on plants. Volcano studies include the formation of pillow lava and cooling joints, large-scale lava-ice experiments at the Syracuse Lava Lab (http://lavaproject.syr.edu), petrological imaging of lithospheric stratigraphy (using xenoliths from Neogene to Recent volcanoes in the North American Cordillera), applications of theoretical models for understanding the formation of cooling fractures in lavas, and the formation of deposits during volcano-ice interactions. His other interests include soil-forming processes, mineralogy, environmental hazards, the history of science, the history of Arctic exploration, and the influence of plate tectonics on almost everything. His current research involves taking students to places like Alaska (Gates of the Arctic), Iceland (2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption), Greenland, the Canadian Arctic (Nunavut), British Columbia, Chile (2015 Villarrica eruption) and Peru to study volcanic stratigraphy, glaciers and climate change.
Education
- B.A., Carleton College, 1989
- M.S., University of Wyoming, 1993
- Ph.D., University of British Columbia, 1997
2017-2018 Academic Year
Fall 2017
ERSC 305 Earth Materials
Completion of both ERSC 305 and 309 fulfills the WID Requirement.
ERSC 500 Independent Study
ERSC 560 Stu/Faculty Collaborative Rsch
ERSC 560 Stu/Faculty Collaborative Rsch
Spring 2018
ERSC 141 Earth's Hazards
This course examines natural processes such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, mass wasting events, and floods that have the potential to produce disastrous consequences for humans. All of these processes result from interactions between the atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere and hydrosphere directly or indirectly, which is the realm of earth sciences. Increasing global populations and increasingly interdependent national economies mean that few disasters are now only ‘local’. This course will use examples such as case studies of recent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions to examine how natural processes can be hazardous, and whether or not humans can anticipate and mitigate these kinds of hazards to prevent future disasters. Laboratory work will include analog experiments, field trips, and video analysis of historic disasters. Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week.
ERSC 141 Earth's Hazards
This course examines natural processes such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, mass wasting events, and floods that have the potential to produce disastrous consequences for humans. All of these processes result from interactions between the atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere and hydrosphere directly or indirectly, which is the realm of earth sciences. Increasing global populations and increasingly interdependent national economies mean that few disasters are now only ‘local’. This course will use examples such as case studies of recent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions to examine how natural processes can be hazardous, and whether or not humans can anticipate and mitigate these kinds of hazards to prevent future disasters. Laboratory work will include analog experiments, field trips, and video analysis of historic disasters. Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week.
ERSC 311 Intro Arctic/Alpine Climate Ch
Permission of Instructor Required.
This course will prepare students to engage in discussions and data collection relevant to understanding how the Arctic and lower latitude alpine environments are responding to climate change. We will use a variety of remote sensing tools to examine changes in ice cover over the past two decades, as well as developing field-based skills related to GPS (global positioning systems), water chemistry, and soil characteristics. This is required for students selected for the 2018 DC Arctic and Alpine Climate Change Research Experience.
ERSC 500 Independent Study
ERSC 550 Independent Research
ERSC 560 Stu/Faculty Collaborative Rsch
ERSC 560 Stu/Faculty Collaborative Rsch
