Boswell A. Wing

Boz Wing Earth system processes leave behind a geochemical 'memory' of their operation. In order to constrain the presence and vigor of these processes in the recent and ancient past, my research exploits the persistence of this memory in solid Earth archives and the unique ability of stable isotope measurements to recover it. Current research projects fall under two broad questions: (1) how can we maximize the gain on the geochemical signal of biological evolution preserved in the geologic record; and (2) how can we quantify the geochemical processes that determine whether an ore deposit forms or not? The peculiarity of the Precambrian environment is the thread tying both these questions together. This research is, at its root, hypothesis-based. Once a stimulating hypothesis is identified (often at one of our many group get-togethers), we design new field studies, analytical techniques, and laboratory experiments to test it. You can get a good sampling of the kinds of projects we work on by checking out the grads and post-docs in the group. Much of our current work relies on the awesome geochemical resolution provided high-precision S isotope geochemistry, on timescales from billions of years to generational.

Classes

  • Earth System Processes (ESYS 200). Winter, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
  • Earth System Applications (ESYS 500). Fall, 2006, 2008, 2010
  • Earth and Planetary Inference (EPSC 340). Winter, 2010; Fall, 2011
  • Isotope Geology (EPSC 519). Fall, 2006, 2008, 2010
  • Field School II - Extreme Events in Earth History (EPSC 331). Summer, 2008 (w/ Jeff McKenzie)

Students and Postdocs

  • Dr. Clint Scott (PDF - 2010 to 2012)
  • André Pellerin (PhD - 2009 to present)
  • Mélanie Cousineau (UOttawa PhD - 2009 to present, primary advisor: Danielle Fortin)
  • Thi Hao Bui (PhD - 2010 to present)
  • Matthew Hryciuk (MSc - 2010 to 2012)
  • Gregor Lucic (MSc - 2010 to present, primary advisor: John Stix)
  • Kristyn Rodzinyak (MSc - 2010 to 2012)
  • Emma Bertran (MSc - 2011 to present)

Escapees