Teaching
My teaching is based on experiential learning techniques, as one can see by my teaching philosophy and teaching portfolio. The courses I teach have a central theme of understanding plate tectonics. There is a emphasis on the physical concepts behind geohazards like earthquakes and tsunamis that are concentrated near plate boundaries, particularly in subduction zones.
Illustration of a subduction zone
Research
My research program contributes to our understanding of the Earth's structure and composition as well as how the Earth deforms. A long-term focus is to investigate processes related to subduction, a fundamental feature of the plate tectonic engine that drives the evolution of the Earth. By constructing innovative field and laboratory experiments with high-resolution seismic and geodetic techniques, I seek to place new and important constraints on unresolved problems like seismogenesis, mantle convection, and the evolution of plates.
Schematic of subudcted plates beneath Fiji
Field Deployments
An important part of my research and teaching is done through field deployments of portable broadband seismic equipment. The Miami University Seismic Network is currently operating in southern Mexico between Acapulco and Oaxaca, listenting for signals that can reveal the types of deformation occurring in this subduction zone. Workshop courses at Miami University offer students a hands-on opportunity to learn how and why seismic data is collected to study plate tectonics.
Seismic deployment in Oaxaca, Mexico
Service
My service activities are a result of my mentoring and outreach efforts. I enjoy being involved in developing student skills in research and teaching, so that students are not just doing the learning. I also find myself working in a variety of outreach activities, some focused on geoscience through my work and some focused on medicine through my wife's work.
