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I use Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) to quantify spatial relationships among hillslope and river forms spanning from channel bars to mountain ranges and canyons. This topographic analysis is explored with a framework of examining the real world, comparing that to synthetic landscapes generated by numerical models, and comparing the two in GIS programs. Testing any of these models and hypotheses is then carried out with various GIS-based tools (including the development of GIS tools), empirical rates and dates of landscape evolution with cosmogenic isotopes, and synthesis of relevant geologic history underpinning landscape form.
I started my research career as a native of western Colorado, where I learned to love geology and adventure outdoors. In this space, fascinating and critical intellectual pursuits can meld with nature's meditative peace. I strive to bring my passion for the landscapes and geology of the Colorado Plateau and the Rocky Mountains to my students in the field and the classroom. My teaching practices are guided by a deep connection to viewing the world with maps paired with a life lived outside as often as possible. I also work in geoscience education research and publish research exploring students’ conceptions of deep time and quantitative reasoning as defined in mathematics education, usually conducted with clinical interviews or assessment instruments. I am very excited to have returned to western Colorado and to work with students at the Fort!
View Dr. Andrew Darling's CV