Adjunct Professor Annia Fayon in First Cohort of UHP Fellows
Adjunct Professor, and Field Course Coordinator, Annia Fayon, has become one of the first University Honors Program Fellows. This new program, by UHP, has provided “a way for faculty from across the University to come “live” with UHP for a semester or year”. The program is available for all faculty across the university to apply to–tenure-track and non-tenure track teaching professors–but was only awarded to six faculty members this year. “As part of their fellowship, faculty will teach an honors seminar, lead NEXUS and NEXUS One sections, be active in the administrative life of the program, and engage with honors students outside of the classroom,” according to UHP.
Annia has been a deeply important leader and organizer of our Field Courses, which are an integral part of our undergraduate curriculum. On top of leading the courses themselves, she has served on the department’s field committee, which is charged with ensuring safe learning environments for all participants when working off campus. Her work is and presence is irreplaceable. The department is extremely proud of Annia for receiving this honor!
Fayon is excited to teach an Honors seminar in the spring with UHP. She explains “This honors seminar will explore the balance among climate change, environmental protection, and the need for critical metals in making the shift to cleaner energy sources, using mining in Northern Minnesota as a case study.”
Professor Fayon provided the following statement to UHP on her fellowship:
“Hello, everyone! My name is Annia (pronounced Anya) Fayon, and I am excited to be a part of the Honors Faculty Fellow cohort for the Spring 2024 semester. I have held various roles at the University of Minnesota since 1998; currently, I am an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. I teach introductory and field geology courses and conduct research on evaluating rates of geologic processes.
Specifically, I apply various dating techniques to constrain the time at which rocks are exhumed from the deep crust. This information allows us to understand how mountains evolve through time and infer connections between deep crustal and surface processes.
For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by Earth processes and the interconnectedness of all things. When the opportunity to study geology presented itself, there was no hesitation. I am extremely eager to share my passion and knowledge with all of you and am genuinely excited to meet each and every one of you. I look forward to learning from your diverse perspectives and I know your enthusiasm will undoubtedly enrich our class discussions and learning experience.”