Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President

Faculty Spotlight

Philip van Beynen

College of Arts and Sciences, Geography-Environmental Science and Policy Program Department

Undergraduate Degree

B.A. Geography, 1992, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Graduate Degree

M.A. Geography, 1993, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Doctoral Degree

Ph.D., Geography, 1998 , McMaster University, Canada

Previous Post(s)

2000-2003, Asst. Professor, Central Connecticut State University

Selected Published Works

Five most recent published works:

• Polk, J.S., van Beynen, P.E., and Reeder, P.P., (in press). Late Holocene environmental reconstruction using cave sediments from Belize. Quaternary Research.
• van Beynen. P.E., Soto, L., and Pace-Graczyk, K., (in press). Paleoclimate reconstruction derived from speleothem strontium and ?13C in Central Florida. Quaternary International.
• van Beynen, P.E., Soto, L., and Polk, J. (accepted) Variable calcite deposition rates as proxy for paleo-precipitation determination as derived from speleothems in Central Florida. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, 2006.
• van Beynen, P.E., Feliciano, N., North, L. and Townsend, K. (2006*) Application of a Karst Disturbance Index in Hillsborough County, Florida. Environmental Management 39, 261-277. *Published online November 2006, in print Feb 2007.
• van Beynen, P.E. and Febberollio, P.J. (2006) Stable isotope record of precipitation and cave water for Indian Oven Cave, NY. Hydrological Processes 20, 1793-1803.

Area of Specialization / Research

Long-term climate change in Florida and Central America, Human impact on karst environments

Current Course Offerings

• Undergrad: Introduction to Environmental Science, Karst Environments, Climate Change
• Graduate: Capstone Seminar in Environmental Science and Policy, Paleoclimatology

How and when did you first become interested in your field of study?

In 1991 my future Master’s supervisor showed a picture of a glowing stalagmite that he claimed told him about New Zealand’s past climate for the last 200,000 years.

What made you decide to pursue a career in higher education?

I had always been interested in science and teaching, and by the end of my first year of a M.A., I decided I wanted to do this type of work for the rest of working life. I never tire of the thrill of being the first person in the world to see data for the first time and try to figure out what it is telling us.

Why did you choose to be a part of the academic community at USF?

I love the flexibility and variety of being an academic, and USF has the right mix of teaching and research. I enjoy enacting with the students and involving them in my research. USF had a vibrancy and energy to it that I felt was exciting.

What do you enjoy about teaching the students of USF?

I enjoy the range of backgrounds and abilities of our students, those from Tampa and across the nation. Stoking the interest of certain students in areas of life they have never thought of before is rewarding.

What do you like about the university community?

I get a great sense of “community” from the faculty and see a desire to make USF a better and stronger institution. The junior faculty of my year all felt that USF was going places.