Joe Elkins, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Earth Science Education

EDUCATION:

Ph.D. in Geology, University of Georgia

M.Ed. in Secondary Education, University of West Georgia

B.S. in Geology, University of West Georgia

Dr. Joe Elkins comes to UNC in January of 2008 as an assistant professor with 5 1/2 years of teaching experience in the Geology Department at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. As the creator and director of the field-based GeoJourney program, Dr. Elkins has been active in researching how students acquire conceptual geoscience knowledge, particularly as influenced by field training. Joe's classes have participated in the development of the national Geosciences Concept Inventory, and his students' gains on that instrument provide several fertile research questions to investigate. For his work, Dr. Elkins has been given the 2007 Geological Society of America’s Biggs Award. Joe also continues to investigate soil characteristics as recorded in cave stalactites and stalagmites, which was the topic of his Ph.D. dissertation. He is a certified wilderness first responder for the Wilderness Medical Association, a handy skill for the heavy field orientation of our programs!