Keith Sverdrup

Directorate for STEM Education

Geosciences, Undergraduate Education

National Science Foundation

I received my B.S. in Geophysics from the University of Minnesota and my PhD in Earth Science (seismology/tectonics) from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.  I was on the faulty of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for 36 years and then went to the Division of Undergraduate Education at the National Science Foundation as its Geoscience Program Officer.

Workshop Participant, Website Contributor

Website Content Contributions

Activity (1)

Estimating Exchange Rates of Water in Embayments using Simple Budget Equations. part of Quantitative Skills:Activity Collection
Simple budgets may be used to estimate the exchange of water in embayments that capitalize on the concept of steady state and conservation principals. This is especially true for bays that experience a significant exchange of freshwater. This exchange of freshwater may reduce the average salt concentration in the bay compared to seawater if it involves addition of freshwater from rivers, R, and/or precipitation, P. Alternatively, it may increase the average salt concentration in the bay compared to seawater if there is relatively little river input and high evaporation, E. Since freshwater input changes the salt concentration in the bay, and salt is a conservative material, it is possible to combine two steady state budgets for a bay, one for salt and one for water, to solve for the magnitude of the water flows that enter and exit the bay mouth. Students will make actual calculations for the inflow and outflow of water to Puget Sound, Washington and the Mediterranean Sea and compare them to actual measured values.

On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Collection This activity is part of the On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Teaching Activities collection.
Learn more about this review process.

Other Contribution (1)

Strategies for Writing a Strong NSF Proposal part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2017:Program:Roundtable Discussions
This round table will discuss top ten recommendations for what PIs should think about to make their proposal more competitive in the review process as well as top ten recommendations for things to avoid. Slides ...