Author Archives: tobyault

Guest Post By Toby R. Ault, Assoc. Prof., Cornell University Suppose you find some mysterious-looking seeds in the garage of your grandparent’s house. You bring a few of them home and plant them just outside your window. As you lie awake that night, your mind starts racing with curiosity. Will they sprout overnight? How highContinue reading “I am a scientist (and so are you)”

My son Toby told me a story the other day that I thought was a perfect metaphor for how geologic reasoning works. Some friends of his had recently cleaned out the heating vents in their house, and they were horrified to find the layers of crayons, toys, legos, chess pieces, and lost marbles interspersed withContinue reading “Geologic thinking in the time of COVID”

If I learned anything from Kip as a young teacher, it was to teach children from where they are—conceptually, emotionally, and physically. Right now, where we are is in the middle of a pandemic, a national reckoning with racial injustice, and the impacts of climate change. Some of us are learning and teaching from home.Continue reading “2020 Vision”