About Profiles
Hide
Alec Aitken
University of Saskatchewan
I have served as a faculty member in the department of Geography and Planning, University of Saskatchewan, for 33 years and hold the rank of Professor. I am honoured to be a recipient of the U of S Distinguished eacher Award and recognized as an Indigenous ally. I completed degrees in Biology (B.Sc.), Geography (M.Sc.), and Geology (Ph.D.). Before my university appointment, I worked as a soil surveyor with Environment Canada and as a fisheries biologist with Fisheries and Ocean Canada. My research is focused on northern environments and includes projects in Quaternary geology, marine geology, and marine biology. I have also contributed to research projects in geoarchaeology in the Province of Saskatchewan with colleagues in the department of Anthropology. My teaching is focused at the undergraduate level and includes courses in introductory earth sciences, field techniques, geohazards, geomorphology, and northern studies. I am actively engaged in land-based learning and am a champion of undergraduate research. I enjoy working with undergraduate student research assistants on projects that explore the natural environment of the Canadian Prairies and Arctic.
Outside of my work as a faculty member, I am engaged with my wife in the stewardship of 40 acres of woodlands and horse pastures near the City of Saskatoon in central Saskatchewan. We enjoy our time with the animals we share this space with; our horse, 2 large dogs, and 2 cats, as well as the wildlife that includes whitetail deer, song birds, grouse, coyotes, and the occasional red fox and moose.
Website Content Contributions
Activities (2)
Stream Morphometry, Stream Flow, Stream Competence part of Sedimentary Geology:Sedimentology, Geomorphology, and Paleontology 2014:Activities
This exercise combines field activities (i.e., topographic survey of a point bar; sediment sampling with a soil auger), laboratory analysis (i.e., particle size analysis of fluvial sediments), topographic map ...
Aeolian Processes part of Sedimentary Geology:Sedimentology, Geomorphology, and Paleontology 2014:Activities
This activity explores the environmental variables that influence wind erosion. Key words: aeolian, fluid threshold, impact threshold,sedeiment entrainment and transport, particle size analysis
Conference Presentations (2)
The Challenge of Incorporating Authentic Assessment into a Hybrid Field Methods Course in Physical Geography part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2022:Program:Oral Sessions:Thursday Oral Session B
We examine the challenge of supporting students' learning experience through authentic assessment in a second-year physical geography field course. The course, titled "Field Methods and Laboratory ...
Undergraduate Research in Environmental Science: Using FYRE to Ignite Student Curiosity and Discovery part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2019:Program:Oral Sessions:Thursday A
Undergraduate student engagement in scholarly and applied research is foundational to the student experience; it unleashes curiosity and through discovery students develop skills such as critical thinking and ...
Other Contributions (3)
Process Geomorphology part of Sedimentary Geology:Sedimentology, Geomorphology, and Paleontology 2014:Courses
The description and objective classification of landforms and the principles and processes involved in their origin and distribution. The role of weathering, mass movement, fluvial, glacial, aeolian and coastal ...
Thursday B: Teaching Online part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2022:Program:Oral Sessions:Thursday Oral Session B
Oral session page from the 2022 Earth Educators' Rendezvous featuring presentations on online geoscience education, including virtual storm chasing, remote petrography labs, digital rock databases, hybrid field courses, and NGSS-aligned teacher training programs.
Thursday A: Supporting Student Learning part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2019:Program:Oral Sessions:Thursday A
Event page for the 2019 Earth Educators' Rendezvous Thursday A oral session, covering teaching strategies like photogrammetry, classroom response systems, perpetual courses, scientific method instruction, student research, and career pathway mapping in geoscience education.
Communities
North Central Section, Geoscience Education Research Division
80 activities reviewed
July 2022 Earth Educators Rendezvous 2021
July 2021 Earth Educators Rendezvous 2020
July 2020 Earth Educators Rendezvous 2019
July 2019 Integrate/GETSI 2023 Survey
JGE Associate Editors
NAGT All
Teaching in the Field Interest Group
TIDeS Interest
EER 2021 Activity Reviewers
EER 2022 Activity Reviewers
Map Your Hazards Interest Group
NAGT Webinar Series Interest
Earth Educators' Rendezvous Interest Group
Teaching Geoscience Online
Teaching with Augmented and Virtual Reality Interest