Combining the best of online learning with the best of classroom discussion,
our Scholars series explores a topic, in-depth, over the course of several weeks.
Monday Scholars | Wonders of the National Parks: A Geology of North America
On Zoom only:
Mondays from 1:00 - 2:30 PM
September 28 - November 23*
*No meeting Oct. 12
ZOOM LINK: Click here at 1 PM on Mondays beginning September 28
Monday Scholars combines the best of online learning and engaging discussion!
Join us for the full 8 weeks or drop in to explore your favorite topics. Each week, we will watch two video lectures together and then engage in lively conversation afterwards. The conversation will be facilitated by OWL's Caroline Wilcox.
ABOUT THE COURSE:
Explore the remarkable forces that shaped North America through its extraordinary national parks. Geologist, journalist, and National Geographic programming director Ford Cochran takes you beyond the familiar sights, revealing the geology, history, and little-known stories behind these treasured landscapes.
Discover how tectonic collisions built mountains, volcanoes transformed the land, glaciers carved the terrain, oceans reshaped coastlines, and rivers and earthquakes continue to shape the continent. Cochran explores national parks across the United States, along with exceptional parks, monuments, and preserves in Canada, Mexico, and beyond, while also touching on botany, zoology, and atmospheric science.
No scientific background is necessary—just curiosity and a sense of wonder. These fascinating lectures will deepen your appreciation of some of the most spectacular landscapes on Earth and enrich any future visit to them.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Geologist, journalist, and educator
Ford Cochran (1962–2019) was Director of Programming for National Geographic Expeditions, where he selected and managed the scholars, writers, photographers, explorers, and staff who accompanied travelers on expeditions around the world.
Cochran studied English literature at the College of William & Mary and earned a Master of Philosophy in Geology from Yale University, where his research focused on volcanoes, biogeochemistry, and climate change. He received competitive NASA and Department of Energy fellowships, as well as Yale’s Philip M. Orville Prize for outstanding research in the earth sciences and the William Ebenezer Ford Prize for excellence in mineralogy.
Before joining National Geographic, Cochran was an Assistant Professor of Geology and Environmental Science at the University of Kentucky. He taught at several universities, presented his research internationally, and was a keynote speaker at the Geochemical Society’s Goldschmidt Conference.
COURSE SCHEDULE:
Sep. 28 Yellowstone: Microcosm of the National Parks | The Yellowstone’s Cataclysmic Origins and Future
Oct. 5 Grand Teton and Jackson Hole | Hawaii Volcanoes: Earth’s Largest Mountains
Oct. 19 The Hawaiian Islands and Maui’s Haleakala | Mount Saint Helens, Lassen Volcanic, Rainier
Oct. 26 Crater Lake, Olympia, North Cascades | Volcanoes of Alaska: Katmai and Lake Clark
Nov. 2 Alaska’s Glacier Bay and Kenai Fjords | Yosemite: Nature’s Cathedral
Nov. 9 Redwoods, Sequoias and the Sierra Nevada | Pinnacles to Joshua Tree: The San Andreas
Nov. 16 Denali to Gates of the Arctic | Death Valley and Great Basin: The Rift Zone
Nov. 23 Shenandoah: The Collision of Old Continents | The Great Smoky Mountains and Hot Springs