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Mia T Tuccillo

Lecturer

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Bio

Education: BA (2020) Biogeochemistry, Wellesley College.
 

Personal Statement

As a paleoclimatologist, I use Earth's natural archives to explore climate history and make predictions about future climate change. My work uses lake sediment core records from Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) spanning 10,000 years to explain the responses of ecosystems to environmental stressors. I am particularly interested in measuring pigments, colorful chemical compounds produced by algae and cyanobacteria, to assess the likelihood of future toxic "bloom" events that pose risks to water supplies in the Arctic.

My courses explore what makes modern climate change unique by studying the history of our planet at critical times of imbalance, abrupt change, or disaster. Understanding our future requires understanding our past— and the climate history of Earth is an epic saga!

My teaching philosophy prioritizes scientific literacy to help students realize the utility of science in their personal engagement with the communities around them. To me, the relationship between Western science and art, storytelling, historically undermined worldviews, and Indigenous knowledge systems is just as important as the science itself.

Courses

Title Department Catalog Term

Description

Since 1970, global temperatures have risen more than a degree Fahrenheit, yet, despite dire warnings from climate scientists, humanity continues to emit climate-warming greenhouse gases at record pace. In the past two decades we have seen the increasing effects of devastating sea level rise, stronger and more powerful storms, longer droughts, deadly heat waves, destructive wildfires, accelerating loss of the world?s rainforests, growing species extinction rates, and changing water availability. In this course, we will explore the scientific explanation of contemporary climate change as well as the economic origins of our fossil fuel addiction. We will discuss future projections of climate change, the underpinnings of modern ?climate change denial?, and whether we can avoid what scientists call ?catastrophic climate change? in this century.

We will consider current news articles, and articles in the scientific literature. We will address relevant policy solutions/responses, and screen relevant documentaries/news clips. Class work will involve group work, critical thinking, quantitative practice, relevant scientific readings, qualitative homework, quizzes, an exam and a final project.

Class Number

2358

Credits

3