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Faculty Profile: Al Werner

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Quick Links: Education Personal Statement Teaching  Research  Publications Links

Al Werner
Professor of Geology

Office: Room 321 Clapp Laboratory
Email: awerner@mtholyoke.edu
Phone: 413.538.2134
Fax: 413.538.2239

Education

Ph.D. University of Colorado at Boulder, Geology, 1988
M. S. Southern Illinois University, Geology, 1982
B. S. Grand Valley State University, Geology, 1979

Personal Statement

Growing up along the shore of Lake Michigan, I spent a lot of time outdoors and I always enjoyed learning about nature. I was not a particularly strong student in high school and never really had serious thoughts about going to college. Indeed, I went to college, in part, because my friends were giving it a try (and it sounded better than working two undesirable jobs). As fate would have it, during my first semester, I found myself in a beginning geology class and I soon realized that I was pretty good at understanding geologic concepts and what's more I loved it! For me geology explained so much about the natural world that I had observed but not understood. Learning that Lake Michigan was gouged out by a 2 mile high ice sheet, that there are (understandable) reasons why mountains, volcanoes and faults occur where they do, and that in the scope of geologic time, mountains can form (and be worn-down) rivers can erode canyons and life has plenty of time to change, only solidified my interests. As I got more involved in geology I found myself drawn to all the math and cognate science courses that I had previously avoided and dreaded. Quite simply, I wanted to learn those thing because they would make me a better geologist. Years passed, I earned a masters degree, worked in the oil industry for a few years and then returned to school for my Ph.D. I've been at Mount Holyoke College since 1988 and can honestly say that there is nothing else that I would rather be doing with my life. I still consider myself a student of geology, granted I know a little more than I did as an undergraduate, but the thrills of questioning and figuring things out remain as exciting. As an undergraduate I remember fondly understanding things for the first time and making the mental connections associated with figuring things out. Every time a current student says "ohhhh, I get it" or "that's soooo cool," I am taken back to my early experiences and discoveries. Mount Holyoke is a great place, located in a wonderful part of the country for geology, and I feel fortunate to be a professor here!

Teaching

The more I teach the more I realize that people learn best by doing. My courses include numerous field trips, field work, class projects and lab investigations. All my courses deal with the geology of the Earth's surface and the relatively recent geologic past. In Environmental geology we study how humans are affected by various geological processes (e.g. earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, coastal erosion, river flooding) and how human activity is now impacting the environment (e.g. ground water contamination, acid rain, global warming, ozone depletion). In my 200-level course we study geologic processes operating at the surface of the earth - how rivers work, features of glaciers, processes in arid lands, and cave formation (to name a few). I also teach a course dealing with ground water geology and a seminar course dealing with climate change through Earth history. The Connecticut Valley has a very rich assortment of geology; caves are two hours away in New York State, the coast is about two hours away and New Hampshire and Vermont are less than an hour away. Few locations offer such a diverse assortment of geologic environments and features.

Research

Research is an important part of the educational experience. Not only is it rewarding to learn about things but it is also a great feeling to understand things that were not previously understood. For me, research is a "whodunnit" investigation - you typically have some information, you collect bits and pieces of additional information and you use your insights and wits to figure things out. Ever since I learned that Michigan (and indeed much of North America) was covered by glacial ice, I couldn't stop asking, "how do they know that," "what is the evidence for this," "how could this happen," and "what changed to allow this profound event to transpire?" My interest in the Ice Ages has not waned, in fact it has intensified, and I've had the good fortune of working in some truly spectacular places, including the Norwegian Arctic, the Canadian Arctic, Alaska and locally in New England. My dissertation work (on Spitsbergen, Norway) was aimed at providing a better understanding of climate change during the last 10,000 years. Since then I worked for two summers (with students) on Baffin Island and then four summers in Alaska attempting to shed more light on the details of the last glaciation. My primary research involves taking sediment cores from lakes in Arctic areas and analyzing them to interpret records of environmental change. My work has been supported by a number of research grants and has involved numerous students, both in the field and in the lab. I had the opportunity to conduct field work in Alaska as an undergraduate and it changed my life. My goal is to offer similar opportunities to students at Mount Holyoke.

Publications

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