Roger Olson

Assoc. Prof. of Mathematics and Environmental Science

Contact Dr. Olson

Doc O with Fr. Stang (background) on a 1996 fossil dig in NE Illinois

    Dr. Olson has a B.S. in Geology with graduate degrees in Mathematics.  He considers himself a "generalist", one who is interested in a broad range of knowledge areas.  He is very interested in environmental issues, especially in resource conservation. For example, he is a strong advocate of efficient public transportation, especially electric rail systems, which at their point of use are virtually pollution free (see "Favorite Links" below).   Doc O enjoys the beauty of nature, and is especially fond of his former home in the Appalachian Plateau of Upstate New York. Here is an example of one of those ideal days from his youth - taking a break from a long walk by resting among the beautiful wildflowers on a perfect summer day.

    I split my time among the math department, the core program, and the environmental science area.  Every winter term I teach ESS 128, Introduction to Environmental Studies.  I have also taught Environmental Geology (ESS 111) and Geography of Economic Resources (ESS 132.)

 

Among the mathematics courses I teach on a regular basis are Modern Algebra I and II (MTH 431 & 432) and Statistics (MTH 342).


Information for the courses Doc O teaches in Fall 2006:

 

  • Modern Algebra I (MTH 431)

·        Syllabus and Online Course Info

  • Environmental Geology (ESS 111)

·  Humanity in the Universe I (a.k.a. Core 5)

Some of my favorite links:

 

Friends and Family

Doc O's personal homepage

My Son Mike’s Page

Doctor Bob Brodman's personal homepage

Adam Gaha's Reflection Writings

My Brother Bob's Amazing Model Train Layout (temporarily broken link)</

 

Saint Joe miscellany


Official SJC 2006 Science Olympiad Page

Photo of the Hale-Bopp comet taken by Shay McGuire, SJC Env. Sci. graduate


Environmental conservation interest

The Coming Oil Crisis – observations by petroleum geophysicist Glenn Morton

Lightrail.com - a great source of info about electric rail systems

The Future of Fuel Cells in Automobiles

American Wind Energy Association

Windpower.org

General Science


Orders of Magnitude in the Size of the Universe

Exploring the Creation/Evolution Controversy – Talk.Origins

The Evidence for Human Evolution

Early Human Phylogeny


On Science and Christian Faith

The American Scientific Affiliation

My essay on the relationship of Mathematics to Faith and Reason – an excellent cure for insomnia

Statement on Creation and Evolution by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America(temporarily broken link)

The Science-Theology Interface – Homepage of Dr. George Murphy

Why I left Young-Earth Creationism – Glenn Morton's Story

Burgy's Web Site – Homepage of John Burgeson

Toward a Christian View of a Scientific World: Fifteen Topics for Study

Isaac Newton's Natural Philosophy

Powerpoint Presentation on Creationism, by Christopher Sharp, University of Arizona

A Student Paper on Creation/Evolution Found on the Internet

Scientific Cosmology and Christianity -- 2003 conference at Wheaton College

Anthology of Readings for Summer Workshop on Creation & Evolution, Summer 2006

My PowerPoint presentation on Earth History for Summer Workshop on Creation & Evolution, Summer 2006

 

 

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