Spring Break
Geoscience professor gets students psyched for conservation
Steve Cook teaches popular GEO 300 class, gives students community projects, not exams
Gail Cole
Issue date: 5/27/08 Section: News
And Cook practices what he teaches to students. He says that his home uses relatively little energy because of the use of a wood pellet stove, non-incandescent lights and solar collectors that help heat water.
"I think if you talk about it, you're going to have a whole lot more credibility if you do it," Cook said.
An interest in learning more about the topics he teaches is what brought Cook into the field.
"I'm a curious person," he said. "Geography seems to be the field to be in for curious people."
Over the course of the 11 years Cook has taught GEO 300, much of the material covered has remained the same, yet he adds new topics to lectures as they gain importance in society, such as the use of synthetic chemicals.
The impression Cook makes on his students becomes clear as he relays a story about a former engineering student who switched his career aspirations from designing weapons systems to designing renewable energy systems after being inspired by the class.
"The impact that I'm having makes a difference in the world," Cook said.
Gail Cole, staff writer
news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231
"I think if you talk about it, you're going to have a whole lot more credibility if you do it," Cook said.
An interest in learning more about the topics he teaches is what brought Cook into the field.
"I'm a curious person," he said. "Geography seems to be the field to be in for curious people."
Over the course of the 11 years Cook has taught GEO 300, much of the material covered has remained the same, yet he adds new topics to lectures as they gain importance in society, such as the use of synthetic chemicals.
The impression Cook makes on his students becomes clear as he relays a story about a former engineering student who switched his career aspirations from designing weapons systems to designing renewable energy systems after being inspired by the class.
"The impact that I'm having makes a difference in the world," Cook said.
Gail Cole, staff writer
news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231
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