VITAE
Patrick
T. Pringle (born 1950)
Assoc. Professor of Earth
Science
[last updated
October 18, 2010]
See
a shorter "bio-note" for Pat Pringle
CONTENTS
ACADEMIC AND MENTORING EXPERIENCE AND RESEARCH
AFFILIATIONS
PUBLICATIONS
(LEAVES THIS WEB PAGE)
EDUCATION
·
B.S. Natural
Science Geology, The University of
·
M.S. Earth
Science, The
·
Graduate
Fellowship with R.V. Fisher, The
Misc. Post-graduate work:
·
Vegetation
Analysis: Introduction to Dendrochronology; Three credit hour graduate field
course, University of Colorado, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research,
Mountain Research Station, Nederland Colorado. , May 16-27, 1988.
·
Statistics and
Hydrology: University of Washington: One credit hour, 1992.
·
Dendroecology Field Week: Andrews Experimental
Training
at Washington Department of Natural Resources
includes: ArcInfo,
Arc Commands, ArcEdit, Arcview,
Advanced Arcview, Arcview
Spatial Analyst, Arcgis, Adobe Illustrator, Incident
Command System (Intermediate)
EMPLOYMENT
1. Centralia College
Science Department
ppringle ‘at’
centralia.edu
360-736-9391 x550
http://www.centralia.edu/
http://www.centralia.edu/academics/earthscience/index.htmll web
search: Earth Sciences at
Assoc. Professor of Earth
Science
August 2005 to present
Classes (credit hours in parentheses): Volcanoes* (1); Geology 101 (5), Weather and climate (5), Introduction to Oceanography (5), Physical Geography (5); Natural Hazards and Catastrophes (5), Geology of the Pacific Northwest (5), Geology for Engineering and Environmental Science (3), Environmental Science 120: Fire and Ice, Rain and Rocks: Shaping the Chehalis River (1), Environmental Science (5).
Committees: STEM, Budget Committee (Chair, 2008-9), External
Scholarships Committee, Honors Council, Science Club faculty advisor (2005–2008),
Campus facilitator of Focus the Nation climate science activities with
Evergreen, St. Martins, and South Puget Sound CC (2007–2008).
Research and Grants: Puget Sound Energy Grant (2010); M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Partners in Science
Grant with Centralia High School Science Teacher Jo Martens, 2005 to present.
Miscellaneous activities: Students in my Fall Quarter 2005 “Weather and Climate
Class” helped assemble, program, test, and install a new weather station at the
college. The station was activated on October 31, 2005. I have developed two
new classes, Natural Hazards and
Catastrophes and Geology of the
Pacific Northwest. Working with the WA Dept. of Natural Resources I
completed a book, Geology
of Mount Rainier National Park,
in 2008. The book won the
Geoscience Information Society's "Best
Guidebook Award" for 2009. in 2010 I authored or coauthored three
peer reviewed papers. I also continue research on buried and submerged forests,
the Bonneville landslide, the volcanic history of Mounts Rainier and Hood, and a
large postglacial flood that deposited coarse sediments in the Puget Lowland. I
began a website for Earth Sciences at the college. .
Outreach and professional activities:
[See more professional
activities at recent
presentations]
Presentations on Earth’s
climate history at Evergreen State College Faculty Institute (9/2007) and at
Centralia College Lyceum (1/2008)
Presentation on the geologic
history of the
Presentations on the geologic
history and hazards of
Presentation on buried
forests and recent geologic history at Timberland Library for AAUW (2/2006), NW
Geological Society (5/2007), University of Washington (5/2007), at Centralia
College Lyceum (5/2006), for the Jamestown Society (3/2005)
Referee for a science paper
on recent eruptions of Mount Rainier for Bulletin
of Volcanology (12/2007); presentations on geologic history of the
Nisqually River for Nisqually Stream Stewards (6/2005–7)
2. Washington Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geology and Earth Resources
A) Conducted investigations, analysis, and assessment of geologic hazards and Holocene geologic and environmental history (chiefly volcanic history and hazards; as well as that of landslides) with a major emphasis on the nature, history, and scope of impacts by lahars (far-flowing volcanic debris flows) and other volcanic mass wasting or eruptive processes. My investigations yielded major discoveries about the past extent and frequency of volcanic flowage deposits from Mount Rainier volcanom allowed correlation of the most recent eruptions of Mount Hood with the observations of Lewis and Clark, and allowed dating of several prehistoric events at Mount Rainier including the Electron Mudflow, which inundated the town of Orting, WA about AD 1503.
My studies of buried and submerged forests using radiocarbon and dendrochronology have helped reconstruct and evaluate paleoseismic history and have been cited in numerous published reports. This work includes an inventory and analysis of landslides and landslide-dammed lakes, many of which likely record large ancient earthquakes. My work has allowed or contributed to major discoveries including dating of more than 25 probable seismogenic landslide deposits in Washington State and dating of the Bonneville landslide in the Columbia River Gorge.
C) Evaluated and mapped
Quaternary geologic deposits. I found evidence for a major postglacial
flood in the Puget Lowland, a sort of “mini Missoula Flood” as well as
evidence for a “glacial
D) Evaluated subsurface
information and surficial deposits for liquefaction susceptibility
maps—includes mapping of landslides, and liquefaction features.
E) Communicated pro-actively
with the public, government officials, and media about geologic hazards issues
and topics and conducting many public meetings. This work has included
organizing-, and speaking at public meetings, training emergency preparedness
officials regarding volcanic history and hazards, coauthoring pioneering
response plans, and briefing government officials including the Governor,
County and State executives and government leaders, and many representatives of
schools as well as the general public and media. I devised and implimented new methods of framing geological hazards
discussions that emphasize positive and constructive responses to hazardous
geologic processes, not “doom and gloom” (See Pringle, 2000, in Oregon
Geology, v. 62, no. 3, p. 64).
F) Landslide hazard zonation
project (2003-2005). Inventoried historic and prehistoric landslides in
watershed units using aerial photographs, maps and GIS imagery, statistical
analysis, and field inspections.
Evaluated critical geologic, terrain, and land use factors in landslide
formation in combination with GIS analysis and delineated landslide hazard
zones accordingly on maps I created using ESRI Arcgis
software.
G) I served as advising
geologist on the Type 2 Incident Command Team that was assembled in response to
the eruption of
Misc: I served with Steve Malone of The Univ. of Washington as co-coordinator of the Mount Rainier Decade Volcano demonstration project of the United Nations' International Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction. In concert with this effort, I contributed to the compilation of a research strategy for Mount Rainier that was published by the National Research Council (1994) and authored a report on progress of the Decade Volcano Demonstration Project at Mount Rainier. My many public lectures and media interviews on these topics have included appearances on the Learning and Discovery Channels and Oregon Public Broadcasting, National Public Radio, and interviews with National Geographic, Smithsonian, Geotimes, and Earth magazines; the San Francisco Chronicle, Christian Science Monitor, and other media. I have been an active participant in the volcanic hazards working groups that have recently completed response plans and educational activities on the subject of volcanic hazards at Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, and Glacier Peak volcanoes. Please see listing of interviews and publications at the end of this addendum. John Krakauer was awarded the Perlman Award for Science Journalism by the American Geophysical Union because of his Smithsonian article mentioned above.
My major written products
(found in an accompanying complete list of publications) include Roadside geology of
3. Geologist— Volcanic hazards program at US
Geological Survey—Cascades Volcano Observatory (August, 1982 to January 19,
1990); Public Information Officer during Sept. 1986 to Sept. 1987
·
Studies of stratigraphy, and Holocene geologic history of Mount Rainier,
Washington and Mount Hood, Oregon as part of a volcanic and hydrologic hazards
assessment of these volcanoes; and investigations of lahar flow processes and
deposits at Mount St. Helens. Published papers in Geologic Society of America
Bulletin, Northwest Science, and USGS Professional Papers.
·
Studies of geomorphology of Mount St. Helens 1980 deposits and
post-1980 processes.
·
During 1986, I conducted stratigraphic studies of ancient and modern
debris flows in Grand Canyon National Park. This project, in cooperation with
the Bureau of Reclamation, was part of a sediment budget and environmental
history study of the Colorado River and has resulted in three publications,
including U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1492 and a paper in Geology.
·
September 1986 to September 1987: I served as Public Information Officer at USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory in
addition to carrying on my research duties in the volcanic hazards program.
ACADEMIC AND MENTORING
EXPERIENCE AND RESEARCH AFFILIATIONS
Research Partner, The
Affiliate: Mount St. Helens
Institute: http://www.mountsthelensinstitute.org/
Field Classes:
Beginning about 1988, I taught annual summer field geology classes at Mount
Hood, Mount St. Helens, or
Adjunct faculty: South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia, WA. Instructor
for Geology 101 spring, 2004.
Adjunct faculty: Clark College,
Adjunct Faculty: Volcano Process and Hazards,
University of Washington Engineering Dept.
Contributing lecturer on
volcanic processes and hazards for engineering geology classes coordinated by
Dr. Derek Booth and Kathy Troost.
Colloquia
I have given many presentations at The Evergreen State College (TESC). There I worked with Carolyn Dobbs, Ken Tabbutt, and Paul Butler on a special long-term project devoted to Mount Rainier, during which I led a day-long field trip, gave a 3-hour lecture, and later worked with several student groups conducting research for this class. I have given many other presentations at TESC, WWU, UPS, PLU, UW, WSU Pullman, Green River Community College, Highline CC, Clark College, University of Oregon, Centralia CC, Pierce College, and South Puget Sound Community College (1987).
Students in the Watershed teachers workshops
I taught geology modules in
“Students in the Watershed” teachers’ workshops during three successive years
through the Department of Natural Resources and received 2 awards for my
efforts from former Lands Commissioner Jennifer Belcher.
Misc. workshops for teachers
I had
a lead role in conducting two multi-day workshops for teachers. One, “Volcanoes
for Earth Science Teachers” (1997), was a five-day geology field seminar for
some 20 teachers at Mount St. Helens, Washington. This seminar was offered via
a grant from the National Science Foundation. Russ Weaver of Heritage High
School in Vancouver, WA organized and supervised this workshop (360.604.3400).
I
have conducted numerous field trips for teachers’ organizations, including two
for regional meetings of the National Association of Geology Teachers (1996,
2001), and two for National Association of Science Teachers, one of those being
a field trip to Mount St. Helens for an annual meeting of the National Assoc.
of Science Teachers (NAST) in 1989. (See additional notes under “field trips”
below).
Graduate fellowship and teaching
assistantships, University of California, Santa Barbara
Graduate Fellowship with
R.V. Fisher, 1984-85. Completed 43 quarter hrs in Ph. D. program, focusing on volcanology.
Teaching assistantships: Stratigraphy, Physical
Processes and the Environment, and Oceanography at UCSB 1984-1985.
Mentoring:
I am proud to have mentored
many students, some in Junior High; most doing capstone projects as seniors.
During 2002, I mentored two students from NOVA School for the Science Olympiad.
Two high school students, Rosalee Lamm
and Candice Marburger, are now enrolled in graduate
programs in geology, at MIT and The University of Arizona respectively. See
also description of the Murdock Trust Grant below:
Honors and Miscellany
·
2009 Natural Areas Conference Keynote speaker
·
·
Exceptional Faculty Award, Centralia College 2009 http://www.centralia.edu/news/faculty.html
·
2005 Spring Quarter
·
2002 and 2003: I received an M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Partners
in Science Grant with Russ Weaver (
·
Commissioner of Public Lands Award of Appreciation for contributions
during the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake: I briefed Governor Gary Locke during this
emergency and served at the Emergency Operations Center.
·
Commissioner of Public Lands Leadership Award, 2000
·
Invited Speaker, National Risk and Insurance Mgmt. Assoc., Annual Mtg.
1998, Seattle WA
·
1998 MacFarlen Lecturer, University of
Kentucky, Lexington
·
1995, Keynote lecturer, Saskatchewan Geological Survey Annual
Open-House, Saskatoon
·
Northwest Technical Writing Association award 1993 for IC-88.
·
U.S. Geological Survey Special Achievement Award for publications on
the eruption and debris-flow history of Mount Hood, Oregon, 1987.
·
Graduate Fellowship—Department of Geologic Sciences, U.C. Santa
Barbara, 1984-85.
Field Trips
(leader or co-leader)
·
2005 Field trip to Mount St. Helens for Centralia
College class on volcanoes, August 13, http://www.olywa.net/radu/valerie/AugustatMSH.html (Valerie Smiths’s web page on the field
trip)
·
2005 Field trip to
·
2005 Field trip for National Assoc. of
Geoscience Teachers Cutting Edge workshop on Ocean Systems, co-leader with
Kathy Troost,
·
2005 Field trip to
·
2004 Field trip to Kelso landslide and
·
2003 Mount St. Helens field trip for
National Association of State Foresters
·
2003 Mount Rainier field trip for Audubon
Society annual meeting (Washington Chapters).
·
2003 Assisted as co-leader of American
Association of Earth Science Editors Mount Rainier Field Trip for the
Geological Society of America (GSA) National Meeting
·
2002 GSA Cordilleran meeting, Field trip
to the Columbia Gorge.
·
Field trip to the Columbia Gorge for the National Academy of Science
Landslide Committee, March 16, 2002
·
National Assoc. of Geology Teachers, NW Section Annual Meeting: Field
trip to Mount Rainier, June 2001.
·
Northwest Geological Society Field trip to Mount Rainier (2 days), 2000
·
National Highway Geology Symposium, 2000, field trip to Mount Rainier
·
Friends of the Pleistocene, 1999, Geoarchaeology of the Portland basin
and Columbia River Gorge
·
Ecological Society of America, Mount St. Helens Field trip, August 6
& 7, 1999
·
1999 Northwest Geological Society Spring Field Trip, Quaternary geology
of the Tacoma area
·
Inter. Assoc. of Engineering Geologists Field trip to Cascade Range
Volcanoes, 1998
·
American Assoc. of Engineering Geologists National Meeting, field trip
to Mount St. Helens, 1997.
·
National Natural Areas Conference, Field Trip to Mount St. Helens,
1997, co leader.
·
VEST: Volcanoes For Earth Science Teachers, NSF: Instructor and field
trip co leader for the weeklong program, 1996.
·
International Assoc. of Soil Scientists, Field trip to Mima Mounds and
Mount St. Helens, 1994.
·
Leader: Geologic Society of America 1994 Annual Meeting, field trip to
Mount Rainier, Decade Volcano
·
National Highway Geology Symposium—1994 Field trip to Mount St. Helens
·
1992 combined Northwest Geological Society—Washington Association of
Engineering Geologists field trip to Mount St. Helens, Sept. 25-26.
·
Instructor, 1992 NSF-sponsored teachers workshop, “The gorge, the
river, the valley, and the ocean” coordinated by Clark County Washington,
Educational Service District 112.
·
August 1989 field trip for the national Girl Scouts of America Science
Workshop at Mount St. Helens.