Michael McWilliams in Finland

Professor Michael McWilliams is a physicist whose interest in understanding how the Earth works led him to pursue graduate degrees in geophysics. He joined Stanford in 1977 and has taught undergraduate and graduate classes in geology, geochemistry and geophysics. His favorite teaching experiences have been leading the very popular introductory geology class for undergraduates, leading Sophomore Seminars on the Origin of the Universe, and teaching students about Earth history in Stanford’s Continuing Studies Program.

Professor McWilliams and his colleagues measure tiny amounts of radioactive isotopes in minerals to determine the age of rocks. In addition, they study variations of the earth’s magnetic field as recorded by the same rocks throughout geological time. They use this information to better understand Earth’s evolution, the rates of geological processes, and the history of important earth events such as climate change, volcanism, earthquakes, mass extinctions, and the origin of life.

Apart from teaching and research, he has served in a variety of international science leadership roles, including as Chief Executive of GNS Science [the New Zealand geological survey], Chief of CSIRO’s Division of Earth Science and Resource Engineering [Australia], and Director of the DeLaeter Centre of Isotope Science [Australia].

While in Finland, Professor McWilliams will speak about the origin and behavior of Earth’s magnetic field and how it interacts with the solar ‘wind’ to produce beautiful and majestic aurorae in both boreal and austral settings. He will also discuss how future variations of the geomagnetic field can be both beneficial and detrimental to life on our home planet.