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Professor Profile: Teacher schools mother, daughter in class


Photo
Lisa Rich/Arizona Daily Wildcat
Aledia Gehrels, a lecture assistant; her granddaughter, music and viola performance sophomore Aleida Gehrels; and her son George Gehrels, professor of geosciences, are three generations of Gehrels in one oceanography class.
By Andrew O'Neill
Arizona Daily Wildcat
August 31, 2005
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Some professors just can't seem to get enough of their families.

This semester, George Gehrels has two family members in his Introduction to Oceanography class, where his daughter is a student and his mother is a lecture assistant.

Gehrels said he teaches the course, GEOS 212, every semester, but this is the first time it has become a family affair.

"I'm a little anxious about doing a good job in the classroom because they're there," Gehrels said.

Gehrels said his class is a popular choice for students who need to fulfill science requirements that regularly enrolls about 400 students each semester.

"I love teaching it," Gehrels said. "It's my favorite class."

He said he enjoys teaching non-science majors about the ins and outs of oceanography and tries to give them the necessary tools to understand the world around them.

His daughter is such a student.

"It's an interesting class," said Aleida Gehrels, a music and viola performance sophomore, who is also interested in marine biology.

She said she decided to sign up for the class after hearing so many students talk about what a great professor her father is.

Gehrels, however, said he has a slightly different take on why his daughter enrolled.

"She thought it would be an easy 'A,'" he joked.

Gehrels said the class is so huge that the teaching assistants actually do most of the grading, so his daughter won't be receiving any special treatment.

Gehrels said his passion for geosciences started when he was about his daughter's age. He took his first geology course as a junior at the UA.

"I fell in love with the material," he said.

Gehrels said he hopes his class will help students figure out what they want to study - whether it's geosciences or another subject.

One of the well-known aspects of his class is the extra-credit field trip he leads each semester to Cholla Bay in Sonora, Mexico.

Over the course of 2 1/2 days, he said the trip provides students with a more tangible experience of oceanography by having them observe the motion of water as well as the sedimentary deposits on the beach.

He said students spend time on the shore picking up objects and asking questions about them.

"I want students to understand the beauty and significance of oceans and how important human activities are on oceans and ocean life," he said.

Gehrels' colleagues said they are impressed with the enthusiasm and scholarly reputation he brings to the classroom and the department of geosciences.

"He's one of those people who seems to have more than 24 hours in a day," said Susan Beck, professor and head of the department of geosciences.

In addition to his oceanography class, Gehrels is also a world-famous scholar in the field of tectonics, Beck said.

"He's so dedicated to making the university better," Beck said.

Kristina Callan, a marketing junior, said she is also impressed with Gehrels' passion for geosciences, and she is impressed by his family's presence in the classroom.

"It shows a lot of good character that his mom and daughter want to be a part of what he's doing," Callan said

She said she heard about Gehrels' reputation by word of mouth and is looking forward to the rest of this semester in his oceanography class.

Gehrels' highest compliments, however, come from his mother.

"He is a fantastic teacher," said his mother, Aleida Gehrels - who has the same name as his daughter.

She said she marvels at how much time he puts into preparing for such a large lecture class.

Mrs. Gehrels said she and her son have always gotten along, and she enjoys being in the classroom with him and a bunch of youthful students.

"It's a joy to be among young people," she said.

In addition to his mother and daughter, Gehrels has another connection to the UA: His father, Tom Gehrels, is a professor in the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory.

Gehrels said he also has two younger children who would like to attend the university, so perhaps he will see them in his classroom someday.

"This might happen again," Gehrels said. "Who knows?"



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