Prior to retirement in May 2018, my primary teaching interests were physical geology, landscape evolution, petrology, economic ore deposits, and environmental geology. I am also interested in the geology of Virginia and the tectonic evolution of the state and mid-Atlantic region, as well as the geology and ecology of US National Parks. At the present time, my on-going research includes bedrock and surficial geologic mapping of the Massanutten Mountains and adjacent Shenandoah Valley and bedrock and surficial mapping of the Charlottesville areas in Virginia with the Virginia Division of Geology and Mineral Resources. Both research projects are an important aspect of land management efforts, hazards assessment, and resource evaluation in the state. Previous research included studies of the effects of fire frequency on soil nutrient concentrations and distributions, plant diversity, and isotopic signatures in the semiarid grasslands of southeastern Arizona.
