Brandon E. Schwab

Associate Professor

Department of Geology

Humboldt State University

Arcata, CA 95521

707-826-3950 (office)

707-826-5241 (fax)

E-mail: schwab@humboldt.edu

Web: http://www.humboldt.edu/~bes21

EDUCATION

Ph.D., Geological Sciences, 2000, University of Oregon
B.S., Geology, 1994, University of North Carolina at Wilmington

AREAS OF INTEREST AND EXPERIENCE

• Experimental Igneous Petrology: 1 atm and high pressure & temperature studies
• Mineralogy
• Electron beam instrumentation
• Metamorphic Petrology

POSITIONS HELD

• Associate Professor, Humboldt State University, 2006-present
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 2007
• Meierjurgen Scholar, University of Oregon, 2006-2007
• Courtesy Professor, University of Oregon, 2006-present
• Assistant Professor, Humboldt State University, 2001-2006
• Instructor , Humboldt State University, 2000-2001
• Graduate Research Assistant , University of Oregon, 1997-1998, 1999-2000
• Graduate Teaching Fellow , University of Oregon, 1995-1997, 1998-2000
• Graduate Teaching Assistant , U. of North Carolina - Wilmington, 1994-1995
• Research Assistant , UNC - Wilmington, Summer 1994
• Teaching Assistant , Summer Ventures Program , UNC - Wilmington, 1993-1995
• Rock Preparation Laboratory Technician , UNC - Wilmington, 1992-1994

COURSES TAUGHT

HSU : Advanced Instrumental Methods in Geology; Earth Resources; Earthquake Country; Environmental Geology; Field Camp; Field Methods; General Geology; Igneous & Metamorphic Petrology; Mineralogy & Optical Crystallography; Petrography; Senior Seminar ; Quaternary Field Trip; Readings in Geochemistry; Rocks & Minerals; Western US Field Excursion

UO : Electron Beam Analysis in Mineralogy and Petrology; Field Camp; Thermodynamic Geochemistry;

UNCW : Summer Ventures Program, 1993-1995; Field Methods;

UNIVERSITY, COMMUNITY, AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

• HSU Geology Temporary Faculty Search Committee, Chair (2005-2006)
• HSU-CNRS Environmental Science Curriculum Reform Working Group (2005-present)
• Session co-Chair, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting (2004)
• HSU Academic Senate (2002-2005)
• HSU Geology Department Secretary Search Committee (2002)
• HSU Student Grievance Committee (2001-2004) (Chair, 2003-2004)
• HSU Geology: Instructional Support Assistant Search Committee, Chair (2001)
• HSU Geology: Library Liaison (2000-present)
• Volunteer: Arcata MainStreet Association, Arcata, CA (2000-present)
• Volunteer: In Harmony on Behalf of Our Nation's Children, Corvallis, OR (2000)
• Volunteer: Camp Fire Boys and Girls, Wilani Council, Eugene, OR (1999)
• Volunteer: Corvallis Folklife Festival, Corvallis, OR (1999)
• Volunteer: Maude Kern's Art Center, Eugene, OR (1998)
• Graduate Student Representative to Faculty: Dept. of Geological Sciences, University of Oregon (1997-1998)
• Volunteer: Willamette Science and Technology Center, Eugene, OR (1995-1997)
• Instructor: UNCW Division for Public Service, University Children's Academy (1995)

W ORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES

• NAGT DLESE 'On the Cutting Edge' website focus group, 2004
• NAGT DLESE Course Development Workshop, 2002
• NSF Regional Grants Conference, 2001
• NAGT Workshop for Early Career Geoscientists, 2001

AWARDS AND GRANTS

• McCrone Promising Faculty Scholars Award, 2006
• Meierjurgen Scholarship, University of Oregon, 2006-2007
• HSU Sponsored Programs Foundation Small Grant Award, 2005
• HSU Faculty Development Grant, 2001
• HSU Research Scholarship & Creative Activities Grant, 2001 , 2003, 2005
• HSU Office of Research and Graduate Studies, 2001
• HSU CNRS Faculty Development Mini-Grant, 2001
• HSU Alumni Association Small Grants Award, 2000
• Lloyd Staples Fellowship, University of Oregon, 1996, 2000
• Dept. of Geological Sciences Good Citizen Award, University of Oregon, 1999

EXTERNAL GRANT PROPOSALS

Smithsonian Institution Postdoctoral Fellowship - "Magma mixing of the 1915 Lassen Peak eruption" January - August 2007, ($29,500 awarded)

National Science Foundation Research in Undergraduate Institutions grant – “RUI: Polybaric partial melting of peridotite" August 1, 2005-July 31, 2009, ($194,485 awarded)

United States Geological Survey - "Desert Ecosystems" co-PI with Bud Burke September 2004 - December 2006 ($59,800 awarded)

Kleinfelder, Inc. – XRD analysis of clay minerals, 2003 ($500 awarded)

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Current Research – 

• Near-solidus partial melting of peridotite at high pressure
• Experimental determination of magma mixing in Lassen Peak magmas
• Investigation of trace elements in experimental run products (in collaboration with Dana Johnston)
• High-pressure phase equilibria study of the Gingko Basalts of the Columbia River Basalt Group

Doctoral Research in experimental petrology - University of Oregon (1995-2000)

Experimental investigation of the melting systematics of modally variable, compositionally intermediate peridotites; Electrical conductivity of partially-molten peridotites at high pressure and temperature; The effect of variable pressure on the melting systematics of compositionally fertile peridotites; Operation of 1 atm Deltec gas-mixing furnaces and piston-cylinder apparatus and supporting equipment

Instrument Operation

CAMECA SX-50 and SX-100 electron microprobes
JEOL JSM-6300XV scanning electron microscope
PHILIPS X'Pert powder x-ray diffractometer
Rigaku RIX3000 x-ray spectrometer

American Geophysical Union, (1996-present)
Geological Society of America, (1995-present)
Mineralogical Society of America, (1996-present)
National Association of Geoscience Teachers, (2000-present)

Articles and Manuscripts :

Pritchard, C. and Schwab, B. E., in prep, Geochemistry and eruption stratigraphy of basalt flows from Belknap Crater, Central Oregon Cascades.

Schwab, B. E., 2004, Working with electron microprobe data from a high pressure experiment – calculating mineral formulas, unit cell content, and geothermometry, Teaching Petrology Workbook, NAGT-DELESE, ONLINE: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/petrology/teaching_examples/2294.html (11 May 2005).

Johnston, A. D., and Schwab, B. E., 2004, Constraints on clinopyroxene/melt partitioning of REE, Rb, Sr, Ti, Cr, Zr, and Nb during mantle melting: first insights from direct peridotite melting experiments at 1.0 GPa. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 68: 4949-4962.

Schwab, B. E . and Johnston, A. D., 2001 , Melting systematics of modally variable, compositionally intermediate peridotites and the effects of mineral fertility. Journal of Petrology 42 :1789-1811.

Pickering, J. M., Schwab, B. E ., and Johnston, A. D., 1998, Off-center hot spots: Double thermocouple determination of the thermal gradient in a 1.27 cm (1/2 in.) CaF2 piston-cylinder furnace assembly. American Mineralogist 83: 228-235.

Abstracts :

Schwab, B. E. and Hemphill-Haley, M. A., 2005 , Assessment of multiple-choice cooperative exams in “Earthquake Country,” a large introductory earth science class, Geol. Soc. Amer. Abstract with Programs , Vol. 37, No, 7, p.0, GSA Annual Meeting Salt Lake City

Schwab, B. E., 2004, Preliminary experiments and determination of the thermal gradient in a 12.7 mm CaF2 furnace assembly - Humboldt State University piston-cylinder lab. Eos Trans. Amer. Geophy. Union 85(47), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract V41C-1404.

Johnston, A. D., Schwab, B. E. , and Mercer, C., 2004, Partitioning of selected trace elements between clinopyroxene and peridotitic partial melts: Implications for the mechanism(s) by which piston-cylinder partial melting experiments equilibrate. Eos Trans. Amer. Geophy. Union, 85(47) Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract V41C-1398.

Johnston, A. D., and Schwab, B. E. , 2003, Trace element equilibration during laboratory melting of the mantle: Diffusion versus dissolution/reprecipitation. ( Abst.) Geological Association of Canada-Mineralogical Association of Canada Joint Annual Meeting 28: 211

Johnston, A. D., Schwab, B. E. , and Pickering-Witter, J. M., 2002, The behavior of rare earth and other trace elements during laboratory melting of the mantle at 1.0 GPa. ( Abst.) EOS Trans. Amer. Geophy. Union 83 (47):V72B-1313.

Schwab, B. E. , 2002, Integrating experimental mineralogy and petrology research into the undergraduate curriculum (Abst.) Proceedings of setting priorities in solid earth sciences , Denver 

Schwab, B. E. and Johnston, A. D., 2000, Contrasting pyroxene phase relations during partial melting of compositionally variable peridotites. ( Abst.) EOS Trans. Amer. Geophy. Union 81 :1299

Schwab, B. E. and Johnston, A. D., 2000, 10 kilobar melting systematics of modally variable intermediate composition peridotites. ( Abst.) Proceedings of the Oregon Academy of Science XXXVI :39-40

Pickering-Witter, J. M., Schwab, B. E. , and Johnston, A. D., 1999, Melting systematics at 1.0 GPa of modally variable peridotites with a focus on near-solidus pyroxene compositions. ( Abst.) EOS Trans. Amer. Geophy. Union. 80 :1112

Schwab, B. E . and Johnston, A. D., 1997, The effect of mineral fertility on mantle melting reactions, ( Abst.) EOS Trans. Amer. Geophy. Union. 78: 835

Schwab, B. E ., Waff, H. S., and Johnston A. D., 1997, Configuration and preliminary results of piston- cylinder experiments designed to measure the electrical conductivity of partially-molten peridotites, ( Abst.) presented at: Ridge Conference on Mantle Flow and Melt Generation Beneath Mid-Ocean Ridges: Constraints from MELT and Other Experiments, Brown University

Schwab, B. E., Pickering, J. M., and Johnston, A. D., 1996, Off-center hotspots: Double thermocouple measurements of the thermal gradient in 1/2" piston-cylinder assemblies, ( Abst.) EOS Trans. Amer. Geophy. Union. 77: 772

Schwab, B. E ., Landis, T. W., and Blake, D. E., 1995, Lithostratigraphic control on the development of structures along the Roanoke Rapids Tailrace, Halifax County, North Carolina, ( Abst.) Annual Meeting of Southeastern Section of Geol. Soc. Amer., Abstracts with Programs 27 :85-86

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