Daniel Gregory, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Arts & Science, has been recognized with an Early Career Teaching Award.
Gregory, who joined the Department of Earth Sciences at the St. George campus in 2018, specializes in economic geology and geochemistry — and his approach to teaching emphasizes bridging the gap between academic research and industry advancements.
Gregory uses a variety of methods to spark students’ curiosity. He uses a portable XRF, a common tool in the mining industry, to teach how hydrothermal fluids change rock chemistry through blind target exercises and offers students opportunities to teach what they have learned through flipped classroom techniques and the use of imperfect rock samples to identify gaps in learning and reasoning. During the past year, he developed an online field course that allowed students to complete a simulated field-based mapping excursion. He often includes industry-level competitions, such as open data challenges, to encourage students to think beyond classroom applications.
“I emphasize experiential learning approaches to let students immerse themselves into the problem solving process,” Gregory says, “Providing realistic opportunities — such as open data mining challenges — for students to 'show what they know' is a holistic approach to apply their knowledge to real world problems.
“In the near future, I will also work with a team of other professors to develop and use strategic board games to teach key concepts in mineral exploration.”