Fall 2024

Instructor: Fred Longstaffe flongsta@uwo.ca

Stable isotopes (O,H,C,S,N) systematics in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, sedimentary and diagenetic systems, hydrothermal systems, fluid migration, ore-forming fluids, igneous rocks and meteorites. Environmental applications: groundwater, soil organic matter, climate fluctuation; global cycle modification. 

Course Outline: Stable Isotope

*Cross-listed with ES 4431A

Instructor: Alina Shchepetkina ashchep@uwo.ca

Offered: Nova Scotia and New Brunswick 

A ten-day field trip to study aspects of the Appalachian Orogen in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Students planning to take this course should have a reasonable grounding in igneous and sedimentray petrology, and in structural geology. Participation is at the discretion of the instructor. There will be a fee associated with this course.

 Course Outline: Regional Field Geology

*Cross-listed with ES 4450Y

*** Note: Students signed up for this course in early summer. Arrangements have been made and tickets have already been purchased. Please do not register for the course unless you have already been in contact with Alina Shchepetkina

Instructor: Sheri Molnar smolnar8@uwo.ca

Offered: Aug 25 - Sept 4 2024

The geophysics field techniques 11-day short course will occur from Sun. Aug 25^th to Wed. Sept 4^th 2024. Course delivery will be in person on campus with four field days just outside of London (day trips). Short course days are full days: 8:30am to 6-8pm each day.   

The course provides practical application of various geophysical techniques (gravity, magnetics, electrical, electro-magnetics, seismics, and ground-penetrating radar). Geophysical surveys are used to characterize subsurface ground conditions with industry applications to: natural hazard mitigation; anthropological, environmental and civil engineering studies; and resource exploration. After three days of instruction and equipment testing, students are assembled into competing "companies" to plan, acquire, process and interpret geophysical field surveys over four days at two field sites. Each student team gives an oral presentation of their company’s professional report. Individual student assessments consistent of a short oral exam and professional written reports on the two field sites.  

There is no additional registration cost for this field course. As this is a Fall term course, you will be able to register in late August with your other Fall term courses, noting the course occurs the 11-days prior to Fall term start.  

Course Outline: Geophysics Field School

*Cross-listed with the Earth Sciences 4451Z undergraduate course. 

Instructor: Rick Secco secco@uwo.ca 

An introduction to solid earth geophysics with emphasis on elasticity and thermal state. Physics and thermodynamics are applied to materials constituting the deep earth to derive information from available observable and laboratory data.

 Course Outline: 9572

*Crosslisted with ES 3321A

Instructor: Katsu Goda kgoda2@uwo.ca

This course will provide an overview of analytical/numerical approaches, i.e. catastrophe models, in modelling, assessing, and mitigating the impact of natural catastrophes. It covers four main elements of catastrophe models, namely, hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and risk. More specifically, students will be exposed to various hazard modelling techniques (event frequency, hazard intensity, footprint modelling, etc.), gathering of exposure information (databases from public sources, GIS-type data acquisition), vulnerability modelling (damage surveys, statistical modelling of structural fragility, and its use for damage assessment), and risk quantification and management (physical mitigation, financial protection, and risk communication). Financial/insurance implications and aspects of disaster risk policies will also be incorporated, as appropriate. The students are expected to develop a comprehensive understanding of the sequences and their connections that comprise natural catastrophe modelling and assessment. This will be facilitated through assignments, computer lab sessions, and research-oriented individual project. 

 Course Outline: Natural Catastrophes

*Crosslisted with HRR 9573

Instructor: 

Offered: Early September

This is an intensive 7-day short course for graduate students, researchers, industry and government employees on planetary science. This course is mandatory for all new planetary science graduate students at Western and should be taken during the first year. The focus of the course will be on the fundamental processes that have shaped the terrestrial planets and their moons, and asteroids. Particular emphasis will be placed on investigations of the Moon, Mars, and asteroids, which represent the highest priority targets for the Canadian planetary science community and the Canadian Space Agency. Some of the world’s leading experts on planetary science will present 1 day or half-day modules on selected topics. The course will be suitable for advanced undergraduate students, graduate students and for professionals from industry and government. The course will feature both overview lectures on background theory, smaller topical study groups as well as hands-on activities involving imagery returned from unmanned orbiters and landers as well as astromaterials in the form of meteorites and analogue materials. Recent and ongoing planetary missions will be highlighted. It is intended to provide the non-specialist with a working knowledge of the multidisciplinary fields within planetary science.

For more information: https://space.uwo.ca/training/graduate_students/index.html

 Course Outline: Intro to Planetary Science