Faculty

Cinzia Cervato

Professor
Earth Systems Science Education, Geoarchaeology, Biostratigraphy, Stable Isotope Geochemistry, Data Management

224 Science I
Dept. of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011
Phone: (515) 294-7583
Email: cinzia@iastate.edu

Education
M.S. (Dr. Geology, Summa Cum Laude) University of Padua, Italy, 1984
Ph.D. (Dr. Sc. Nat. with Distinction) in Geology, ETH - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, 1990
P.D. (Privatdozent) in Stratigraphy, ETH - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, 1999
 
Research Interests
My research interests lie in Earth Systems Science education, data management, geoarcheology, the evolution of marine plankton, stable isotope geochemistry, geochronology, biostratigraphy and carbonate sedimentology.

My Earth Systems Science education research focuses on learning and on the application of modern multimedia technology to enhance learning in large introductory classes. My primary goal is to investigate better means by which to educate students to become familiar with science and its fundamental role in our society. I have worked on the implementation and development of virtual reality and web-based learning activities with funding from the National Science Foundation.

I have applied my interest in computers, logic and organization to the design of relational databases for the storage, retrieval and correlation of large amount of data. The two main databases that I worked on are Neptune and NORGES. Between 2003 and 2008 I served as the Executive Director of the multi-institutional research project CHRONOS (www.chronos.org), funded by the National Science Foundation.

I have worked in the Alps, Himalayas, Philippines, and with deep-sea cores from most oceans. I am interested in how environmental changes have affected the evolution of organisms and in the interaction of humans with the environment in past and present times. I have worked on the reconstruction of climate patterns in the Mediterranean at the time when humans first adopted sedentary farming practices (around 11,000 years ago). My collaborators for this project are Dr. Ofer Bar-Yosef (Harvard University and Dr. William B.F. Ryan (Columbia University).

During my brief career in the oil industry, I worked in Norway on hydrocarbon reservoirs in the North Sea and Norwegian Sea as well as carbonate reservoirs in Libya and Iran.

Teaching Program
Geology 100
The Earth
Two sections, fall semester. What is the earth made of, and how does it work? Emphasis on observations and hypotheses used by geologists to determine the earth's structure and to understand how geologic features change with time. Notes and web-based assignments are available on the course home page on Blackboard, accessible only to students enrolled in the class.

Meteorology 206(also listed as Agronomy 206)
Introduction to Meteorology
This is a computer-based course that emphasizes weather forecasting and group activities. The grading in this class has been weighted to reflect my perceptions of the most important outcomes in this course: group activities (in class and as homework) count for more than 70% of the grade and include computer simulations unique to this course and daily weather forecasting. Students learn to think like a meteorologist and have the opportunity to do what meteorologists do. This includes collecting and interpreting data and forecasting. Students are given opportunities to learn how to solve problems and to gain a better understanding of our physical world. The problems we use are realistic and students find out that they may have more than one right answer. This approach is intended to serve them in many life situations. Notes and assignments are available on Blackboard only to students enrolled in the class.

Geology 106(crosslisted as Astronomy 106)
Earth and Space Science for Elementary Education Majors
This course is an introduction to Earth and space science designed for pre-service elementary education teachers. The goal of the course is to provide students with a solid foundation of the Earth and space science through investigations and inquiry. Through this course, students will develop the content knowledge that is required for a teaching accreditation in Iowa as well as a model of inquiry-based learning that they can adopt in their own classrooms. Major topics include Earth materials, plate tectonics, geologic hazards, water cycle, weather and climate, and the solar system.

Meteorology 112 (also listed as Geology 112)
Orientation course for the Earth, Wind and Fire Learning Community.
This fall semester course provides an introduction to Iowa State University and our program for students enrolled in the department's learning community. Activities include academic and social activities, talks and presentations on academic success, resume writing, and study abroad as well as research talks by faculty members.

Recent Selected Refereed Publications

Parham, T., Cervato, C., Gallus, W., Larsen, M., Hobbs, J., and Greenbowe, T. (2011). Are movies and popular media driving students’ poor understanding of volcanic processes? Journal of College Science Teaching, 41(1), 14-19.

Cervato, C. (2011). Killer waves on the airwaves: new media, traditional media, and students’ conceptualization of tsunamis. GSA Today, 21 (11), 36-38.

Sadler, P. and Cervato, C. (2011). Data and Tools for Geologic Timelines and Timescales. In: Keller, G.R. and Baru, C. (Eds.) 'Geoinformatics', Cambridge University Press, 145-165.

Cervato, C., and Frodeman, R. (2011). The significance of geologic time: cultural, educational, and economic frameworks. GSA Special Volume, in press.

Parham, T., Cervato, C., Gallus, W., Larsen, M., Stelling, P., Hobbs, J., Greenbowe, T., *Gupta, T., Knox, J., Gill, T. (2010). The InVEST Volcanic Concept Survey: Exploring Student Understanding about Volcanoes. Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 58, 213-223.

Brooks, B. and Cervato, C. (2010). Habitat and tectonic controls of marine biogeography. Palaeontologia Electronica, 13/3. abstract

Kastens, K., Manduca, C., Cervato, C., Frodeman, R., Goodwin, C., Liben, L., Mogk, D., Spangler, T., Stillings, N., and Titus, S. (2009). How Geoscientists think and learn. EOS, 90 (31), 265-266.

Rudd, J., Wang, V.Z., Cervato, C., and Ridky, R. (2009). Calibrated Peer Review for the geosciences. Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 57, 328-334.

Cervato, C., Gallus, W., Boysen, P., and Larsen, M. (2009). Today’s forecast: higher thinking with a chance of conceptual growth. EOS, 90 (20), 175-176.

Fils, D., Cervato, C., and Diver, P. (2009). CHRONOS Architecture: Experiences with an Open Source Services Oriented Architecture for Geoinformatics. Computers & Geosciences, 35, 774-782 .

Cervato, C., Ridky, R., and Jach, J. (2009). News media databases for content selection and relevance in introductory geoscience courses. Journal of College Science Teaching, 38(7), 34-37.

Cervato, C., Rudd, J. and Wang, V.Z. (2007). Diagnostic testing of Introductory Geology students. Journal of Geoscience Education, 55 (5), 357-363.

Gallus, W.A., Cervato, C., Cruz-Neira, C., and Faidley, G. (2006). A virtual tornadic thunderstorm enabling students to construct knowledge about storm dynamics through data collection and analysis. Advances in Geosciences, 8, 27-32.

Graduate Students
Joan Jach (MS Geology and Education: 2004)
Bjorn G. Brooks (PhD Geology: 2009)
Joshua Reed (MS, Human Computer Interaction: 2007)
Cammy Bright (PhD candidate, Geology)
Thomas Parham (MS, Geology: 2009; PhD candidate, Geology)
Collin Reichert (MS candidate, Geology)
Elizabeth Boal (MS candidate, Geology)
Christopher Kohlhaas(PhD candidate, Geology)