Geography & Earth Science

William Selby at the Golden Gate BridgeThis web site is designed to serve my students, colleagues and others who are interested in an introduction to Geography, Earth, Atmospheric, and Environmental Science. You will find some information about me and example syllabi that will illustrate the general nature of my courses. You may also look through a list of interesting Internet resources for current satellite, map and other data sets.

In 2009, we were in the Yucatan studying geography and anthropology with 32 students during the winter. I was fortunate to work on my research projects during spring. Summer 2009 began with a memorable learning experience with my colleagues in Turkey, followed by continued research in California that included separate trips to the Sierra Nevada and northeastern parts of the state. In addition to my regular geography courses during the 2009 fall semester, we returned to Channel Islands National Park with Susan Teel and the National Park Service at the UC Research Station to study rare birds and other island ecology that make Santa Cruz Island unique. We also returned to our field work in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Explorations
Besides our regular geography courses, we always offer some exceptional field learning opportunities for our students. This spring 2010 we will again explore the Santa Monica Mountains with National Park Service Ranger Susan Teel and we will spend one weekend learning in Joshua Tree National Park. In addition to our geography and environmental studies courses, students have been invited to participate in some special learning projects and field trips that have included cultural L.A., various national parks with the National Park Service (thank you Susan Teel) and Morro Bay with the Life Science Department. Our students also produced two excellent films documenting our discoveries. Click Geog 35 above for my most recent field course here.  (Read More).