Course description
Course Description:
The course examines the interactions of life and Earth environments over geological time. Earth’s size, position and longevity in a habitable zone about a G-type star have permitted carbon-based life to evolve. Life’s subsequent direction has been shaped by Earth’s unique environmental history, which turn has been profoundly affected by the presence of living organisms. The course comprehensively examines these fundamental relationships, drawing on geological and present-day information.
First six months (Taught Courses): Geobiology Residential Field Course, Biogeochemical Cycles, Geomicrobiology, Marine and Terrestrial Biospheres Past and Present, Climate Change, Geobiology Frontiers, Transferable Skills.
Second six months (Dissertation): MSc research project. Subject to the agreement of the Course Director, this may cover any topic within the field of Geobiology and may be field or laboratory based. Projects will be supervised by one or more members of the Geobiology Teaching Team, and will be submitted as a dissertation in September.
Special Features:
* Holistic approach to a rapidly developed interdisciplinary field at the interface of Earth, Life and Environmental Sciences
* Large Teaching Team with in-depth knowledge and expertise across this interdisciplinary field
* Emphasis on research-based dissertation designed to advance knowledge in the field