Terry Plank

Terry is one of the greatest lecturers I've ever had. She's so smart and engaging it's awesome!! and you get to do an analytical project at Lamont near the end of the course which is super fun. Quizzes at the start of every class, but the grading is super generous and it helps you stay on topic.

I learned about how volcanoes impact climate, from many different perspectives, depending on the presentation for that week. It was super interesting to do a deep dive into the different ways that volcanoes have affected things like temperature, precipitation, carbon storage in the ocean, and more. I learned a lot both through being a presenter, and attending other student's presentations and participating in the class discussions.

it is extremely difficult and the exams are nothing like the practice problems or problem sets but I think the content is interesting 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Fall 2021 Course: EESCUN3101_001_2021_3-GEOCHEMFORAHABITABLEPLANET : EESCUN3101_001_2021_3 - GEOCHEM FOR A HABITABLE PLANET Instructor: Terry Plank

Loved this class! Terry's passion is infectious and made me fall in love with geochemistry. The class is fast-paced and covers a lot of content, but Terry is happy to re-explain things or answer any questions. She takes complex concepts and can break them down into simple ideas. I found the content incredibly interesting and I feel like I learned a ton about earth science. I'd recommend the class to any earth/environmental science major, or to anyone outside the major willing to put a little work into this class.

This seminar focused on topics relating to volcano-climate interactions. We covered the history of the science, as well as emerging results questions.

I loved this class. Terry Plank is incredibly helpful, cool, and is actually fantastic at teaching. Take this class if you are at all interested in earth science, chemistry, or space. Terry's lectures were extremely engaging and everything in the homeworks and exams were in her lectures, so come to class and take good notes! Unlike a normal intro to geochemistry class, Terry teaches everything as a chronological story, tracing atoms from the bang bang to star/planet formation and then through the geological history of Earth. I hadn't studied earth science since middle school, but the material was fascinating! I can't recommend this class enough. You should take it, even just to get to know Terry and hear all about her research adventures. Her excitement for the material is contagious, and you will leave class knowing and caring way more about earth science than you ever thought you would.

Interaction between climate and volcanism

Terry Plank is an amazing professor. Anyone vaguely interested in earth sciences and geochemistry should take her class! Her class is divided up into three sections roughly, planetary synthesis and the early solar system, the formation and differentiation of the solid earth, and the effect of life systems on the earth. It's really cool how you can understand the conditions that make up our Earth at the end of the class! She is an excellent lecturer and is often very patient with anyone who has questions. Plus she's a MacArthur Genius Grant Winner! So she's brilliant. You don't need to be hardcore earth science major to take this class although previous experience definitely does help. There are four problem sets and 2 in class exams. Though a great lecturer and a very nice lady, her assignments should not be taken lightly. Definitely dedicate a reasonable amount of time to her class. Often times she brings vegetables to give to her class from her farm share. So just really providing in more ways than 1.

Terry Plank is my hero. This woman is the reason I chose my major. Her lectures are honestly inspiring and so brilliant. She's hilarious and super down to earth (even though she's literally a MacArthur genius). Her Geochemistry for a Habitable Planet course is the highlight of my week. The problem sets are definitely difficult but extremely rewarding. Her lectures are very engaging and provide all of the material necessary to do well on the tests/psets. She definitely values being able to apply knowledge more than rote memorization, so it's worth it to go to office hours and work through the concepts. On the whole would 10/10 recommend this class to anyone interested in chemistry or earth science.

If you like Earth Science, TAKE. THIS. CLASS. One question on the final was "trace an atom of Iron from the big bang to your body. And you can do it by the end of the class! How cool is that? Terry is an incredible lecturer. I don't think her TedTalk is up on YouTube yet, but she practiced it on us and it was only slightly more inspiring and engaging than her typical lecture format. She does a great job presenting science as a story: a chronological story of where molecules came from and how they came together to make the Earth and Solar System as we know it (starting with the Big Bang and ending with how copper mines work), and a story of trial and error by scientists. It's really a joy to have her as a professor, whether you have an intense academic interest in the material or just have a layman's fascination. I took Solid Earth before this class and Climate concurrently. I think this is a great way to do things. From the very start, Terry throws around names of minerals and rocks and geological time periods without always explaining what they are. While you don’t need to know much about them to get what she’s saying, the Geochemistry material will be a lot more meaningful if you have a working familiarity with the geology and everything will be easier to remember if you aren’t learning the mineralogy/petrology vocabulary at the same time. We don’t cover climate topics until…