People

I grew up in southern NJ and later in CT; I was always interested in `natural history', in part due to many family camping and canoeing vacation trips around the US. I went to Carleton College (MN) intending to major in Biology; however I did not like the pre-med emphasis. I `discovered' geology almost by accident, and really liked it, so I decided to major in it even though I had no idea what I would do with it. Partly as a way of delaying that decision I went to grad school at UCLA, where my research involved lab experiments on the behavior of rocks at high temperatures and pressures, to discover how they could `flow' in the solid state. I came to Brown after my PhD, and started as a research professor; after some years I switched to the `regular' professor track. I have always enjoyed undergraduate teaching as well as research, and Geo 22 is an especially fun course to teach because it deals with all of the geologic phenomena that first attracted me to the field. Outside of work I still enjoy hiking and nature study, especially birding.

Karen Fischer

I'm originally from Cambridge, MA, and went to college at Yale, first majoring in music but then switching to geology and geophysics. Music, and the concepts from math and physics that I apply to understanding Earth processes in my research, are similar in their underlying order and beauty. I obtained my PhD in geophysics from MIT, and after a post-doc at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (Columbia) arrived at Brown in 1990. My research focuses on using earthquake waves to image the structure of the Earth's deep interior. I work with a great group of graduate and undergraduate students on projects that range from field experiments to computer modeling of seismic data. I really enjoy co-teaching GE 22. The topics we cover are fascinating, and the way that the lectures, labs, and field trips all provide different angles on the material is a lot of fun.

I grew up in Litchfield, ME, a small town about an hour north of Portland. I graduated from Yale in 2005, where I majored in Geology & Geophysics. My family spent lots of time in the outdoors while I was growing up, often going on canoeing and hiking trips (no small feat with four young kids). Probably as a result of spending so much time outside while growing up, I went to college knowing that I wanted to study how the Earth worked and also to pick a field that would let me be outside. This naturally led me to a major in geology. I am starting my fifth year as a graduate student at Brown, and my research is centered on studying the geology of the Moon. I use both lunar samples and remote sensing to study the mineralogy of the Moon\rquote s surface and near-surface. My research doesn't let me get out in the field as much as I'd like, so I'm really looking forward to the field trips for Ge 22. Outside of research, I enjoy reading, running, hiking, and ultimate frisbee. I'm really excited to be a TA for GE 22, and I'm looking forward to working with all of you!}

	I am a Geo-Chemistry concentrator from Durham, NH. I have always enjoyed the sciences, and after taking Geo 220 as a freshman, I realized that geology was a great combination of all the sciences to study the Earth. I especially love the interactions and hands-on experiences in lab and on field trips. For my senior thesis with Professor Yongsong Huang, I am investigating how a class of organic compounds, which are produced during combustion, serve as a biomarker for natural fires in the paleorecord. Some of my other interests include playing tennis and backpacking; this picture is from a trip in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. I look forward to working with you, and can't wait to see what we discover. }

I am a Geo-Chemistry concentrator from Durham, NH. I have always enjoyed the sciences, and after taking Geo 220 as a freshman, I realized that geology was a great combination of all the sciences to study the Earth. I especially love the interactions and hands-on experiences in lab and on field trips. For my senior thesis with Professor Yongsong Huang, I am investigating how a class of organic compounds, which are produced during combustion, serve as a biomarker for natural fires in the paleorecord. Some of my other interests include playing tennis and backpacking; this picture is from a trip in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. I look forward to working with you, and can't wait to see what we discover. }

I grew up near Burlington, Vermont and am a proud Vermonter. I spent a lot of my childhood in the woods and on water, and quickly became interested in the natural sciences. During my freshman year I enjoyed both geology and biology courses, and so decided to be a Geology-Biology concentrator, which enables me to continue pursuing both interests. More recently, I have developed a passion for Arctic Science, and I spent last semester studying Arctic geology on Svalbard, an island archipelago between Norway and the North Pole.
This year I'll be working on a thesis based on sediment cores taken from a Svalbard fjord, and I hope to continue working in Arctic geology in the future. Outside of classes, I spend my time playing the cello in the Brown University Orchestra, working as a Writing Fellow, and dreaming about the winter.

I am a senior Geology-Physics/Mathematics concentrator from Saratoga, CA. Growing up in proximity to several major active faults has jarred my interests towards earthquake rupture mechanics. My research focuses on dynamic weakening of fault materials during earthquake slip using high-velocity friction studies that simulate seismic slip events (M < -2) on shallow fault phases including serpentinite and talc - which are observed in seismogenic zones along the active San Andreas Fault. I look forward to working with GEOL0220 students exploring the widely observable beauty of dynamic Earth processes}

I am a senior Geological Sciences and Literary Arts concentrator from New York. I am currently doing geochemical research on basaltic glasses from the East Pacific Rise (you'll all know what that means in a few weeks). I started my Geo career seriously in GEOL0220, and look forward to getting to know everyone and helping with any questions about the class or anything Geology related.

As a middle school student growing up south of Rochester in western New York State, reading that the seemingly mundane hills around my house were in fact glacially-sculpted, twelve-thousand-year-old drumlins impressed upon me, for the first time, that the world we live in is not nearly as static as it might seem. My double concentration in geological sciences and history at Brown has allowed me to continue investigating the processes by which our environment - both physical and human - is constantly remade. Moreover, having never traveled outside of the northeast US before my time at college, the study of geology has also vastly broadened my horizons; coupled with my evolving career interest in education, the skills I have gained here at Brown over the past three years have led me to work with the Petrology Division at the Smithsonian and the education department at Rocky Mountain National Park in north-central Colorado. Don't hesitate to ask questions: as an aspiring educator, I am thrilled to work with you this semester. While I keep busy outside of class working in the Ratty's bakery, editing for the Brown Journal of History, and playing violin in the orchestra, Jan, Karen, my fellow TAs and I are exceedingly excited to share the geologists' dynamic understanding of our planet with you.}


Jan Tullis	Caitlin Chazen
Karen Fischer	Peter Isaacson
	Elizabeth Denis
	Ruth Heindel
	Arjun Kohli
	Harry Lisabeth
	Tyler Lucero

Jan Tullis

Karen Fischer