Natural Hazards

Catalog description

This Scientific Literacy and Inquiry course explores the solid Earth and ways that ongoing, natural processes act to harm people and property. The course aims to put geological hazards in a broader context by examining the latest science at the micro (e.g., minerals), human (e.g., why tsunamis are such efficient and massive killers) and global (e.g., global effects of asteroid impacts or super volcano eruptions) scales. We will examine the history of scientific discovery and thought about natural hazards and global catastrophes on both human and geologic timescales. We will use case studies and debates to clarify science vs. pseudo-science, current controversies, and how natural (as well as some human-induced) hazards affect us in Western New York. Completing all three courses, ERT 101LEC, ERT 102 and ERT 105 , would fulfill the Scientific Inquiry and Literacy Requirement as well as the Natural Sciences General Education requirement.