I am currently Professor of Geology and Oceanography at De Anza College.  I earned my B.A. and M.S. degrees in Geology from San Jose State University and a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from the University of California, Santa Cruz. I recently moved to De Anza from Foothill College, where I was on the faculty since 1990.   In addition to my work at the college I continue to conduct research on tectonic systems like the one that generated the Sumatra Andaman earthquake and tsunami in 2004.  My most recent work includes research on fault systems on the margin of Pacific Northwest that threaten coastal Oregon and Washington.  I have worked as a researcher at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at U.C. Santa Cruz and as a research fellow at NASA Ames Research Center, in Mountain View.  I have also been involved with numerous national projects to advance undergraduate Geoscience education and improve the preparation of pre-service K-12 teachers in the sciences.

I live in San Jose, California with my wife Kerry, our three children, Michael, Annalisa and Matthew, and two German Shepherds Gabriel and Jordan.