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Richard Harwood
Professor
Phone: 309-796-5271 FAX: 309-792-3230 E-Mail: harwoodr@bhc.edu • Office and Class Schedule Black Hawk College 6600 34th Ave. Moline, IL 61265 |
I grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan and Wheaton, Illinois where I attended Wheaton North High School. I then attended Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs, Colorado, from 1982 to 1984. After two years in Colorado, I transferred to Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona, where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Geology in 1987. I remained at NAU where I completed a Master's of Science degree in Geology in 1989. My Master's Thesis is entitled, "Cinder Cone Breaching Events at Strawberry and O'Neill Craters, San Francisco Volcanic Field, Arizona."
After completing graduate work at NAU, I joined the U.S. Peace Corps and was assigned to serve for two years (1989-1991) in the Central American country of Honduras. I was assigned to work with the Geology Mapping Program in Honduras. This program is conducted under the combined direction of the Direccion General de Minas e Hidrocarburos (General Offices of Mines and Hydrocarbons) and the Instituto Geografico Nacional (National Geographic Institution). The overall project goal is to geologically map the country of Honduras. Mapping is conducted at a 1:50,000 scale. The host country agencies provided logistical and technical support while I conducted field mapping. I also provided geologic advice and training for agency personnel. The areas surrounding the towns of Ojojona and Yuscaran were geologically mapped during my service in the Peace Corps.
Upon my return to the U.S., I married Kristine Strenge. Kristine had also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras. In 1992, I attended Rutgers University in New Jersey and completed two additional years of graduate course work.
In 1994, I was hired by Black Hawk College to teach Geology, Geography and Astronomy. I am currently and actively involved in developing WWW resources for my courses and Internet-based courses at Black Hawk College. I regularly give presentations in the community for the Black Hawk College Speakers Bureau.
October 1999, Kristine and I adopted a collie-husky/malamute mix dog from the Milan Humane Society shelter. We named her Cinder. During my off time I like reading science fiction, working on the computer, home improvement and woodworking.
I am member of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, the National Geographic Society, and Sigma Nu Fraternity.
• Astronomy 101 - Descriptive Astronomy
• Geography 101 - Physical Geography
• Geography 102 - Physical Geography
• Geography 105 - World Regional Geography
• Geography 105 - World Regional Geography Online
• Geology 101 - Physical Geology
• Geology 102 - Historical Geology
Global Warming: Evidence and Causes
Is global warming a worldwide catastrophe that will destroy civilization and life as we know it? Global warming impacts us all, but it is not all gloom and doom. The world is getting warmer. The evidence is overwhelming. Find out what the evidence is that supports this conclusion, then learn about some of the multiple causes contributing to global warming. Some of these causes may surprise you. (Adults & high school, 1-hour)
Natural Hazards: Questions and Answers
We live on a dangerous planet. There are hazards all around us. Avalanches, floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, landslides, volcanic eruption and asteroid collisions can all have a devastating impact on human life and property. This presentation will briefly introduce the earth science of how each of these hazards operates, then address questions and concerns regarding these hazards from the members of the audience. Are we in danger of an earthquake here in the Quad Cities? Ask and find out! (Adults & high school, 1-hour)
Honduras: A Peace Corps Perspective
An overview of the country of Honduras from the perspective of a Peace Corps volunteer who lived there from 1989-91. The presentation also includes an explanation of the Peace Corps and its goals. (All ages, 1 hour minimum)
Australia: A Travelogue
Want to know what kangaroo, crocodile and emu taste like? Or, what it's like to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef? This presentation will share the sights and stories from trips to Australia in 1996 and 1998. (All ages, 1 hour)
Chile: Volcanoes, Deserts and Glaciers
The geology and geography of the South American country of Chile are described through the use of slides. The volcanoes and landforms of the Andes Mountains, the glaciers and fjords of Tierra del Fuego, and the Atacama Desert are included in this presentation. (Adults & high school, 1-hour minimum)
Geology of U.S. National Parks and Monuments
Planning a visit to a national park or monument? Want to learn more about what you have already seen in a recent visit? Select from a variety of geologically significant national parks or monuments. Each presentation is tailor-made to the group's interests by mixing and matching from the list below. Each presentation provides a general geologic history of the area and explanation of geologic features through the use of slides, graphics and maps. The National Parks and Monuments Geologic Overview presentation is designed to provide a quick survey of the major geologic features and major points of interest in all of the areas listed below.
• National Parks and Monuments Geologic Overview, 60 minutes
• Arches National Park, Utah, 40-60 minutes
• Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado, 20 minutes
• Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks National Park/Monument, Utah, 30 minutes
• Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, 30-40 minutes
• Capulin Volcano National Monument, New Mexico, 20 minutes
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Utah, 20-30 minutes
• Colorado National Monument, Colorado, 20 minutes
• Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, 40-60 minutes
• Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho, 30-40 minutes
• Death Valley National Park, California, 30-40 minutes
• Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming, 20 minutes
• Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, 60 minutes
• Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, 30-40 minutes
• Great Sand National Monument, Colorado, 20 minutes
• Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas, 20 minutes
• Mount St. Helens National Monument, Washington, 40-60 minutes
• Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah, 20 minutes
• Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, 30-40 minutes
• Sunset Crater National Monument, Arizona, 30-40 minutes
• White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, 20-30 minutes
• Yosemite National Park, California, 60 minutes
• Zion National Park, Utah, 30-40 minutes
For more information, or to request a presentation, go to the Black Hawk College Speakers Bureau web page.
• Museum Displays: Information on some of my materials that are being used in museums.
• Rock Island County Fair Awards: Information on some of my award winning entries in the local county fair.
• Southern Illinois - 2008
• Michigan and Wisconsin - 2007
• Mercury Transit - 2006
• Washington & Canada - 2006
• Idaho - 2005
• Venus Transit - 2004
• Minnesota - 2003
• Total Lunar Eclipse - 2003
• Arizona - 2002
• Chile - 2001
• Michigan-Canada - 2001
• Total Lunar Eclipse - 2000
• Washington DC - 2000
• Colorado - 1999
• Oregon - 1999
• Australia - 1998
• Australia - 1996
• Honduras - 1994
• Guatemala - 1993
• Nicaragua - 1991, 1992
• U.S. Peace Corps, Honduras - 1989-1991
• England - 1981
Click here to view a map showing the tectonic plates that I have visited and the sites on those plates.
Geologic sites and features in and around the Quad Cities Area.
• "Never under estimate the power of human stupidity" - Robert Heinlein
• "Hypocrisy is folly. It is much easier, safer and pleasanter to be the thing which a man appears, than to keep up the appearance of what he is not." - Richard Cecil
• ". . . the more technically developed a nation or race is, the more cruel, ruthless, predatory, and commercialized its systems tend to become . . . all because we continue to think like animals and have not learned how to think consistently like human beings." - A.E. van Vogt
• "Pay no attention to Caesar. Caesar doesn't have the slightest idea what's really going on." - Kurt Vonnegut
• "Beware the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and find himself no wiser than before." - Kurt Vonnegut
• "Is it not a pleasure to learn and to repeat or practice from time to time what has been learned." - Confucius 1:1
• "And so, my fellow Americans...ask not what your country can do for you...ask what you can do for your country." - John F. Kennedy
