Peter H. Townsend
Professor of Environmental Science and Geology

B. A., Williams College; M.S., University of Vermont.

 

Scholarly Interests

Peter is an Earth Scientist with primary interests in applying geology to environmental problems. Most of his professional work is in service to local governments and citizen environmental groups. He studies groundwater contamination and related environmental problems.

Teaching Focus

In Peter’s courses, he emphasizes the acquisition of transferable skills such as written and oral communication, problem solving, synthesis and analysis of information, and analytical reasoning as applied to environmental analysis. In upperlevel courses, Peter challenges students to integrate material from the entire science curriculum to analyze and solve complex environmental and geologic problems.