Steven Roof
Professor of Earth and Environmental Science
Steve Roof, professor of earth and environmental science, received his B.S. from the University of California at Santa Cruz, his M.S. from Syracuse University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Professor Roof's teaching and research focus on environmental issues such as climate change, pollution, and land conservation. He and his students travel frequently to Death Valley and the southwest for climate change field research. Professor Roof also coordinates a climate change research program in the High Arctic for undergraduate students called the "Svalbard REU." He consciously integrates the scientific, political, and social aspects of environmental problems in his classes and projects. He teaches and supervises projects in geology, climate change, resource conservation, land use planning, geographic information systems, environmental chemistry, and the evolution of scientific thought.
Recent and Upcoming Courses
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How should we act on our responsibilities in the face of the changing climate? The dire impacts of current and future climate change are well known. The good news is that the actions we must take to limit the worst case scenarios are clear: we must stop burning fossil fuels, greatly ramp up renewable energy supplies, and preserve Earth's ecosystems. Students in this course will learn about global, national, state, and local level actions that are addressing these imperatives to tackle climate change. We will search worldwide for the best policies, incentives, and actions. Applying a "think globally, act locally" mindset, we will focus on the solutions and actions that can be implemented in our local communities. Keywords:Climate change, Environmental science, Environmental policy, Sustainability
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Humans are recent tenants on an ancient Earth. Understanding Earth's remarkable history is enlightening yet humbling. Earth's history provides a critical lens for evaluating the environmental processes occurring in our modern world. In this course, we will travel through time to study the evolution of Earth from its fiery beginning over 4.5 billion years ago to the present day. We will explore the physical and biological evolution of Earth and gain an appreciation for Earth as a series of complex systems that interact dynamically and holistically. We will also learn how geologists reconstruct Earth history as well as predict the future. This course will be valuable for anyone who is curious about geology, life, and evolution and is concerned about the future of Earth and its tenants. Keywords:Geology, Environmental science, evolution, sustainability
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Modern civilization was built on fossil fuels, but will global warming and other consequences of fossil fuel use bring the end of this civilization? In this class we will explore how humans make and use energy, its benefits, and its consequences. We will examine all forms of energy but focus on renewable electrical energy. On the global scale, we will explore the history, current practices, and future potential of renewable energy, including technological, political, equitable, and environmental. On a local scale, we will examine renewable energy projects including Hampshire's PV arrays, New England wind turbines, and farmers producing electricity from cow poop. Students will be evaluated on enthusiasm, a series of short research papers, a final project, and group participation. Keywords: photovoltaic, sustainability, electricity, green, energy
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No description available
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In this course we will investigate how the natural world operates and examine how societyinteracts with Earth. Class discussions and weekly projects will introduce the major concepts and techniques of earthscience, environmental sciences, and resource management, providing grounding in the geosciences and forming a basisfor the interdisciplinary study of environmental topics. This course will emphasize a hands-on, field- and lab-orientedapproach to earth and environmental science in which students will learn to observe, pose questions, build hypotheses, anddevelop answers. Through local field trips, we will explore the history of our planet, and earth-shaping processes such ascontinental drift, glaciations, and river erosion. By learning how our planet evolves, we can then evaluate the current state of Earth and solutions to environmental ills. Keywords: environment, geology, earth science, sustainability