• Contact Info

Lester, Alan P

Instructor

Positions

Research Areas research areas

Research

research overview

  • Primary research activities were graduate school and post-PhD, 1990-2005. After 2005, focus has been education and outreach, with some work on the history and philosophy of science. See public vita for papers presented on education (emphasis on evaluating online education) and history of science/geology (with an emphasis on understanding geologic time in a cultural and historical framework).

Teaching

courses taught

  • GEOL 1010 - Exploring Earth
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2018 / Summer 2018 / Fall 2018 / Spring 2019 / Summer 2019 / Fall 2019 / Spring 2020 / Summer 2020 / Fall 2020 / Spring 2021 / Summer 2021 / Fall 2021 / Spring 2022 / Summer 2022 / Fall 2022 / Spring 2023 / Summer 2023 / Fall 2023 / Spring 2024
    Introductory geology for majors and non-majors. Studies Earth, its materials, its characteristics, its dynamic processes, and how it relates to people. Separate lab (GEOL 1030) is recommended. Degree credit not granted for both GEOL 1010 and GEOL 1012.
  • GEOL 1020 - Dodos, Dinos, and Deinococcus: The History of a Habitable Planet
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2018 / Summer 2018 / Fall 2018 / Spring 2019 / Summer 2019 / Fall 2019 / Spring 2020 / Summer 2020 / Fall 2020 / Spring 2021 / Summer 2021 / Fall 2021 / Spring 2022 / Summer 2022 / Fall 2022 / Spring 2023 / Summer 2023 / Fall 2023 / Spring 2024
    Examines how the solid, fluid, and living Earth interact, how changes in the oceans, atmosphere and life reflect that interaction over the immensity of geologic time, and how the rock record is analyzed to reconstruct the co-evolution of Earth and life.

Background