My name is Phillip Larson (Phil) and I'm a geo-dad, earth/geo- scientist, outdoors fanatic, mac and cheese/pizza enthusiast, miserable and tortured Minnesota sports fan (+ San Diego Padres), comic and sci-fi nerd, and public lands enthusiast. I love to camp, hike, fish, and explore - and now I do that with my family. I prefer outdoors to indoors unless it is horribly humid. My favorite places include: the Colorado Plateau (e.g. Zion, Grand Canyon, Arches, Paria Canyon, Flagstaff area), Iceland, Lake Superior basin, Hawai'i, and the Pacific Northwest USA.
I am a Full Professor and founder and Co-Director of the AGES (Archeology, Geography, Earth Science)(now EARTH Systems Laboratory) at Minnesota State University in Mankato, MN. In addition, I am a graduate faculty member at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Co-Faculty leader of the MNiMORPH research group with my friend and colleague, Dr. Andy Wickert. If you would like to work with me, we have a M.S. program at Minnesota State and M.S. and Ph.D. program at the University of Minnesota in Earth and Environmental Sciences. If you're interested in working with me as a graduate student, please send me an email (phillip.larson@mnsu.edu)!
My professional life revolves around taking part in scientific research with incredible earth/geo- scientists. My goals as a scientist and professor are to explore and investigate the landscapes of our planet with an inquisitive eye aimed at understanding process, form, and rates of change on the earth's surface. Understanding how natural processes and phenomenon interact with anthropogenic factors is crucial to this endeavor - thus, I am an environmental scientist and am beginning to work in geoarcheology, too. My primary work focuses on understanding "landscape evolution" primarily through investigating geomorphic processes (fluvial, aeolian, weathering, mass wasting, glacial, etc.) and using the landforms and sedimentary deposits left behind as markers of dynamic processes that shape the surface of our planet. Not only do I look at these processes through the geologic past, but also how they operate in the present. Understanding these processes today and comparing them to the past is crucial to understand how humanity is impacted by and influences the behavior of these natural systems. Thus, my work commonly dovetails with research threads in climate change, land-use, and natural hazards. I also do a lot of work and have interest in surface water, drainage basins, and river systems. Ultimately, it boils down to a passion for understanding the natural world and our place in it. That passion leads me to want to educate and share my excitement about our planet. For years to come, I hope to teach and learn from a multitude of students as they become the new scientists that shape our understanding of the world.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Phillip
H. Larson, PhD
Professor
Co-Director,
EARTH
Systems Laboratory
Minnesota
State University, Mankato
Graduate
Faculty
University
of Minnesota, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Email:
phillip.larson@mnsu.edu
Office:
5073892617
Website
(Personal): https://www.philliphlarson.com
Website
(Research Group): https://mnimorph.science/
(Colorado River,
northeast Utah; Victoria Glacier, Alberta)
“The problem with ... Iceland is that you’re basically confronted by a new soul-enriching, breath-taking, life-affirming natural sight every five goddamn minutes. It’s totally exhausting.” - S. Markley