Maloof Home

Adam Maloof
Assistant Professor of Geosciences (Geology)

Department of Geosciences
213 Guyot Hall
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08544

Phone: (609) 258-2844
E-Mail: maloof@princeton.edu

STUDENT EVALUATIONS FROM THE STUDENT COURSE GUIDE

3.00 (Content: 4.00 , Workload: A lot more , Overall: 3.00)
SPRING 2006
Professor Adam C. Maloof
GEO 450: Earth Surface Processes
Reviewer's Home Department: GEO

It's hard to assign GEO 450 a grade. On one hand, it's a comprehensive survey of sedimentation, glaciation, stratigraphy, hydrology, erosion, tides and miscellaneous rapid-fire planetary knowledge from the turbocharged brain Prof. Adam Maloof that never bores and is often "fascinating" (one of Maloof's choice epithets). On the other hand, this course ate a three month period of my life like a total eclipse at sygyzy. Caveat emptor. The most obvious hook of GEO 450 is the 10-day Bahamas expedition, the crown jewel in an ambitious fieldwork schedule. Prospective students must understand this is not Saved by the Bell: Andros Vacation, but a working research trip on an open question in sedimentology that involves 12-hour workdays and wilderness camping. If (and only if) you love the outdoors, this week will be one of the highlights of your time at Princeton. The fieldwork component is tightly integrated into the curriculum, so be prepared to take notes and ask questions. If it happened on Earth within the past 4 billion years, chances are excellent Maloof has encyclopedic knowledge of the dynamical processes involved, not to mention a strong and/or contrarian opinion on the issue. This overwhelming enthusiasm for the subject material extends to lectures, which are generally well-organized, fast-paced and supplemented by numerous visuals. While a background in differential calculus (or MATLAB) is helpful, it is not necessary as Maloof thankfully takes care to simplify the occasional derivation.

The weaknesses of the class are a question of scope, not content. I would classify the workload of the course as excessive: both mid-term and final exams, four monster problem sets, a "publication-quality" group term paper stemming from fieldwork, a 30-minute presentation of this research, all on top of 19 days on the road. It would have been exhausting even if 450 was the only class I was taking. Problem sets took 15-20 hours to complete and could be frustratingly open-ended, though on the plus side this will result in your classmates becoming your second family sometime around 4 AM. Maloof has little sympathy for outside commitments, and even a group plea for extra time on one particularly nettlesome deadline was denied.

Still, GEO 450 is an adventure in the classical sense: a true voyage of discovery, packed with heartbreak and triumph. It's easily the most epic class at Princeton, which makes up for a lot. I would enthusiastically recommend it for any experienced student of the physical sciences, so long as you understand the blood, sweat, tears and time involved. Only schedule this class if you are willing to make it a priority.

4.00 (Content: 4.00 , Workload: A little more , Overall: 4.00)
SPRING 2006
Professor Adam C. Maloof
GEO 450: Earth Surface Processes
Reviewer's Home Department: PHY

My favourite course at Princeton so far. Otherwise known as "Maloof's course" as it was impossible for us to separate the course from the professor.

The course is very (read: Very) comprehensive, covers a lot of ground and does not focus too much on any single subject. It does a good job presenting all the issues from a fundamental level upwards, and you can come into this course having no previous experience in geology whatsoever. At the end of the course you will have a broad image of topics such as surface processes, geology, earth's geological history, the drug history of the Bahamas, to name just a few.

A big part of the course is centered around the week-long field trip to the Bahamas. Warning: It is not a tourist trip, and in fact it goes to probably the one island in the Bahamas that has almost zero tourism and no palm trees. It does however give you a good introduction into authentic/original field work, with everything that implies:
- unlike a regular class field trip, no one can tell you wether your assumptions about a particular geological processes are correct.
- (a.k.a.)you will be doing original research, collecting original data, analyizing and drawing your own conclusions.
- hauling large and expensive equipment that will sometimes break down; wading through kneed deep mud; sleeping in tents (through which it might or might not rain), working sunrise to sunset. -You will either hate or love this trip. Probably love it by the end.

The course load is significant, however bear in mind it is a 400 level course. The workload is comparable to a 300 or 400 level physics course, but not more then that. (I know I've spent many more all-nighters on E&M and the Physics Death-Lab then GEO 450). It is probably more work and at a more physically and mathematicall rigurous level then most other courses in the Geo Department.

Word for the wise: The assingments are over periods of two weeks. Treat them as such.

The only place where the course does seem to come tumbling down upon you is at the end of the semester when you have a final exam, a final paper consisting of original research, an oral presentation, and another small paper or two.

Because of its broad scope, more similar to an intro course in geology, and the level at which the material is presented, worthy of a 400 level course, GEO 450 has the feeling of an introductory grad course.

Take it if you are serious about and want a good and scientifically rigurous introduction to Earth processes.

3.00 (Content: 4.00 , Workload: A lot more , Overall: 3.00)
SPRING 2006
Professor Adam C. Maloof
GEO 450: Earth Surface Processes
Reviewer's Home Department: GEO

Both Adam and the course material asks for a lot of effort, motivation, and drive for knowledge from the student, so if you lack any of these qualities, think twice about taking the course. If you do not put the effort forward, not only will you fall short in the course expectations, but you and your classmates will be disappointed to miss the opportunity to explore cutting edge research on the geomorphological earth processes. As stated in another review, do not take this course if you are looking for a free trip to the Bahamas - take it because you are excited about the subject matter, the field work, and the opportunity to do research.

This course demanded a lot of the students, but provided them with a unique experience and even bonded them in a way that you rarely see in Princeton courses. If you are looking for a course that can teach you research skills, allows you to work hands on in the field, is scientific and technical, and prepares you for advanced study in the sciences, this course may just be for you. It is one, if not the only course, that I can walk away from knowing that despite receiving some lower grades on problem sets and tests, I worked extremely hard and was challenged, and at the end of the day, am really proud of what the class had accomplished together. If you do decide to take this course, set aside a lengthy amount of time for this course every week. It deserves a large amount of attention, so try not to pack your schedule with other extremely demanding courses as well. Be sure to start problem sets early because even if they look simple, they will take a long time. Use Adam as a resource. He knows a lot about a lot so don't hesitate to use his office hours/meet with him.

3.30 (Content: 4.00 , Workload: A lot more , Overall: 3.30)
SPRING 2006
Professor Adam C. Maloof
GEO 450: Earth Surface Processes
Reviewer's Home Department: CEE

Don't take this course just because you want to go to The Bahamas. There are several other courses in the GEO department that will give you the chance to travel without too much academic headache. Take this course because you are interested in the subject matter, which is fascinating. More than any other GEO course, "Earth Surface Processes" provides a comprehensive introduction to the world of geophysical processes and the cutting edge methods being used to research these processes. This course is time-consuming and challenging, though I'm guessing that expectations for workload will probably become a bit more reasonable based on the complaints of students in the inaugural year. The problem sets are very long and often somewhat repetitive. The tests require a lot of preparation but are actually quite fun, requiring quite a bit of critical thinking and application of just about everything you've learned. The central focus of the class is the Bahamas trip, and you will be doing real research, including the mundane aspects of data analysis and the frustrations of learning to use computer software such as GIS. Andros Island in the Bahamas is a wonderful place, and the research site is ideal for studying geomorphological processes. Overall, this course is a great preparation if you are considering graduate study in geology or related fields, as it provides you with great research experience backed by wide-ranging knowledge. If you're serious about geology then you must take this course. Just be prepared to work hard!

This course provided me with a unique and essential perspective on geophysical processes that I had not found in other GEO department courses. The lectures and the reading really got at the fundamental physical, biological, and chemical processes behind geomorphology and the study of earth history. Unlike most professors who specialize in great depth on one subject, Adam Maloof is a generalist who can speak on just about any subject, and he has the rare ability to integrate knowledge from just about any scientific discipline or subdiscipline. This is extremely valuable when studying a subject such as "Earth Surface Processes" which is inherently multidisciplinary.

NARRATIVE COURSE EVALUATION REPORT