ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Vic Ricchezza
I study Geoscience Education Research - specifically quantitative literacy in undergraduate geology courses. Geologists study the earth, its materials, and its processes. I study how we train geologists and how we can align that training with the actual skills and competencies they need when they get out in the real world. I also study who we train as geologists and how that matches with who we are as a nation and a world - and how we can better bring those two together in a sustainable and healthy way.
I current work as an Assistant Professor of Geology at Georgia State University Perimeter College, a two-year college that is part of the larger GSU structure. I am based out of the Clarkston campus. I teach courses and labs in Physical Geology, Historical Geology, and Environmental Science. The majority of my job at GSUPC is to help most of my students meet their general education requirements for science areas, while introducing them to scientific and quantitative literacy concepts they may not see elsewhere. In the process I hope to meet and recruit a few geology students for the downtown GSU geoscience department.
Before GSUPC, I worked as an adjunct lecturer at the University of South Florida, my graduate alma mater. I taught Earth Science, Environmental Science, and Computational Geology to classes ranging in size from 7 to 255. Before I defended my dissertation I worked as a graduate teaching assistant, teaching, assisting, or grading for Computational Geology, Stratigraphy and Paleontology, Physical Geology Lab, and Wetland Environments. I taught Earth Systems, Environmental Science, Physical Science, AP Environmental Science, and 8th Grade Science in face to face and virtual settings, and wrote the high school Geology course for the Georgia Virtual School, all prior to entering graduate school.
I defended my dissertation - "Framing Geologic Numeracy for the Purpose of Geoscience Education: The Geoscience Quantitative Preparation Survey" - on April 30, 2019 and submitted the revised dissertation document on July 1, 2019. I earned a BA in Geological Sciences from the University of Florida in 1999, and defended an MS thesis at USF in June 2016. I worked as an environmental field geologist for Water & Air Research, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida and Airtek Environmental Corp. of Long Island City, NY from 2000 to 2009.
I went back for a PhD in geology because I love the subject and I love to teach, and I believe I can make a valuable contribution to the university and to the field, and help improve the quality of university undergraduate education. Most geology graduate students study rocks and Earth processes; I study geologists and how we train them. My goal is to help train better geologists by learning what skills and habits of mind they need to succeed in the workforce, especially those related to geologic numeracy. My research most specifically has focused on the ways we teach quantitative reasoning in undergraduate geology courses and how this impacts geologists after they graduate. I hope to find ways to continue this research in my new 2YC position.
I work here in hopes that the position I hold is the last one I'll ever need, save promotions in the same line. However, reality isn't often that simple. If it becomes necessary for me to seek a new position, I am obviously quite comfortable teaching any introductory level course. Additionally, since most geology professors are not hired to teach classes called "geoscience education research" (at least not at the undergraduate level), it certainly helps to be a teaching expert in other fields as well. I specialize in quantitative literacy/reasoning in geology (Quantitative or Computational Geology) and can teach a course in this; I envision myself teaching Quantitative/Computational Geology to undergraduates and Geoscience Education Research Methods to graduate students once employed. I also would be comfortable teaching undergraduate courses on science education or some upper level geology coursework, depending on the needs of the department that employs me. One addition item that is of extreme interest to me is preparing students for the demands of an ever-changing workforce. This is part of the nature of my work in QL-GER, but in addition to this, I'm interested in setting up and/or being involved in a course on what careers in geoscience are about.
I live just outside Atlanta with my wife, two kids, my cats, a bag of polyhedral dice, and three guitars that I'm trying to stop the dust from collecting on.
I study Geoscience Education Research - specifically quantitative literacy in undergraduate geology courses. Geologists study the earth, its materials, and its processes. I study how we train geologists and how we can align that training with the actual skills and competencies they need when they get out in the real world. I also study who we train as geologists and how that matches with who we are as a nation and a world - and how we can better bring those two together in a sustainable and healthy way.
I current work as an Assistant Professor of Geology at Georgia State University Perimeter College, a two-year college that is part of the larger GSU structure. I am based out of the Clarkston campus. I teach courses and labs in Physical Geology, Historical Geology, and Environmental Science. The majority of my job at GSUPC is to help most of my students meet their general education requirements for science areas, while introducing them to scientific and quantitative literacy concepts they may not see elsewhere. In the process I hope to meet and recruit a few geology students for the downtown GSU geoscience department.
Before GSUPC, I worked as an adjunct lecturer at the University of South Florida, my graduate alma mater. I taught Earth Science, Environmental Science, and Computational Geology to classes ranging in size from 7 to 255. Before I defended my dissertation I worked as a graduate teaching assistant, teaching, assisting, or grading for Computational Geology, Stratigraphy and Paleontology, Physical Geology Lab, and Wetland Environments. I taught Earth Systems, Environmental Science, Physical Science, AP Environmental Science, and 8th Grade Science in face to face and virtual settings, and wrote the high school Geology course for the Georgia Virtual School, all prior to entering graduate school.
I defended my dissertation - "Framing Geologic Numeracy for the Purpose of Geoscience Education: The Geoscience Quantitative Preparation Survey" - on April 30, 2019 and submitted the revised dissertation document on July 1, 2019. I earned a BA in Geological Sciences from the University of Florida in 1999, and defended an MS thesis at USF in June 2016. I worked as an environmental field geologist for Water & Air Research, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida and Airtek Environmental Corp. of Long Island City, NY from 2000 to 2009.
I went back for a PhD in geology because I love the subject and I love to teach, and I believe I can make a valuable contribution to the university and to the field, and help improve the quality of university undergraduate education. Most geology graduate students study rocks and Earth processes; I study geologists and how we train them. My goal is to help train better geologists by learning what skills and habits of mind they need to succeed in the workforce, especially those related to geologic numeracy. My research most specifically has focused on the ways we teach quantitative reasoning in undergraduate geology courses and how this impacts geologists after they graduate. I hope to find ways to continue this research in my new 2YC position.
I work here in hopes that the position I hold is the last one I'll ever need, save promotions in the same line. However, reality isn't often that simple. If it becomes necessary for me to seek a new position, I am obviously quite comfortable teaching any introductory level course. Additionally, since most geology professors are not hired to teach classes called "geoscience education research" (at least not at the undergraduate level), it certainly helps to be a teaching expert in other fields as well. I specialize in quantitative literacy/reasoning in geology (Quantitative or Computational Geology) and can teach a course in this; I envision myself teaching Quantitative/Computational Geology to undergraduates and Geoscience Education Research Methods to graduate students once employed. I also would be comfortable teaching undergraduate courses on science education or some upper level geology coursework, depending on the needs of the department that employs me. One addition item that is of extreme interest to me is preparing students for the demands of an ever-changing workforce. This is part of the nature of my work in QL-GER, but in addition to this, I'm interested in setting up and/or being involved in a course on what careers in geoscience are about.
I live just outside Atlanta with my wife, two kids, my cats, a bag of polyhedral dice, and three guitars that I'm trying to stop the dust from collecting on.