BRENDA BOWEN

I have two goals as an educator at the University of Utah. The first is to empower developing earth science scholars with the broadly applicable problem-solving tools and critical thinking skills needed to contribute to the process of scientific discovery. The second goal is to help students from all disciplines to become effective and informed consumers and advocates of science and leaders for positive change in society. As an earth scientist and a sustainability scholar, I work to share my perspective of both long-term geologic and biophysical processes that shape the planet, as well as the shorter-term human actions and decisions that interface with these geologic and biophysical systems. I appreciate the privilege to teach at multiple levels at the University of Utah.  I have had the opportunity to regularly teach “The Oceans”, a large undergraduate course that explores all aspects of the ocean including origins, geology, climate, currents, circulation, waves, ecology, coastal process, and human interactions. One highlight of this class is a field trip to kayak and explore our local ocean analog, the Great Salt Lake. I also enjoy teaching upper-level undergraduate courses in Geology and Geophysics that focus on developing field-based earth science observation and interpretation skills. This year I am teaching an intensive summer 2-week capstone course on the “Geology and Hydrology of the Colorado Plateau” that will take place at the UU Bonderman field station at Rio Mesa. For the last 12 years, I have also regularly taught interdisciplinary graduate courses focused on global change and sustainability.