Contact Information
Earth Sciences Program, Campus Box 100,
University of Northern Colorado,
Greeley, CO 80639
Office: 3235 Ross Hall
Phone: 970-351-2491
EMAIL:
lucinda.shellito-at- unco.edu
Affiliations
College of Natural and Health Sciences
University of Northern Colorado
Paleoclimate and Climate Change Research Group - UCSC
Useful Links
Science Education Resource Center
Page Last Updated
May 25, 2007
Paleoclimatology Students: Click here!
Education
PhD, Earth Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz (2004)
MS, Atmospheric Science, University of California, Davis (1998)
BS, Atmospheric Science, University of California, Davis (1993)
Research Interests
Paleoclimatology, Climate Change, Geoscience Education
My primary areas of specialization include paleoclimate modeling and science education. Modeling interests focus on the role of greenhouse gases in rapid climate transitions, dynamical mechanisms responsible for maintaining warm climates in Earth’s history, and dynamic and radiative feedbacks between climate and vegetation. Educational interests involve research on using numerical and conceptual models to facilitate inquiry and learning among students in the classroom.
Teaching Philosophy
Discovery is a very active process that involves gaining an understanding and appreciation of the world around you, and applying new ideas to old ones. To use “discover” in an educational context, implies that you must construct for yourself a picture of this world, and your place in it through an active, on-going inquiry. This is also at the heart of what it means to be a scientist. The ultimate educational experiences require immersing yourself in discovery. In a single class, we have the opportunity to discover the knowledge accumulated over many lifetimes.
My hope in my teaching is that my students will learn to look at the world through the eyes of a scientist, and throughout the term, they will find themselves participating in activities that foster inquiry and require them to analyze new data, employ new skills in computation, engage with other students to share ideas, or use a variety of formats to present what they have learned. By using a wide variety of teaching techniques in the classroom I can address the needs of students with diverse learning styles. Understanding evolves through acquiring the ability to think critically and creatively about the ideas one is exposed to, rather than simply accumulating facts and details into a personal knowledge library. In an age when we have limitless information at our fingertips, it becomes increasingly important for us to learn how to determine what is worth remembering, and how to connect new information to what we already know.
Courses
MET 110 The Violent Atmosphere (S05,S06)
MET 205 General Meteorology (F05,F06)
MET 260 Mesoscale Meteorology (F05)
MET 421/521 Climatology (F05,F06)
MET 422/522 Paleoclimatology (S05,S06,S07)
MET 495/595 Earth Sciences in Popular Fiction (S06)
ESCI 599 Earth Sciences Seminar (Coordinator F05,F06)
Educational Activities
Please contact me by email if you would like information about our 'Eocene Crocodile Activity'.