Teaching Professor Terry Swanson has taught more than 50,000 students, a truly staggering number, through ESS 101: Introduction to Geology and Societal Impacts.

Professor Swanson arrived at UW in the autumn of 1988 as a Ph.D. student, working with Professor Stephen Porter, a leading expert in Pleistocene glaciation and then-director of the UW Quaternary Research Center.

During his first three years as a graduate student, Terry was a teaching assistant for Geology 101 for nine consecutive quarters. In his fourth year, one of the ESS 101 lecturers left suddenly, leaving an urgent need for an instructor for winter of 1992. As the graduate student with the most teaching experience for the course, Terry was asked if he’d like to take it on as a pre-doctoral lecturer.

“I believe that moment was one of those times when serendipity steers you toward the path you were meant to follow,” he said.

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We interviewed Terry and asked him to share his reflections on 30+ years of teaching and consider the impact he has had on all the students who have taken ESS 101.

What first sparked your interest in geology, and how did that interest lead you to a career in teaching and research?

Terry Swanson: I was fascinated by science from a very young age. My dad worked for Aerojet in Sacramento in the 1960s, which manufactured the second-stage rocket for the Gemini program, and I was captivated by the space program the way a lot of American kids were then — I wanted to be an astronaut. My parents introduced my siblings and me to science books early, which fed our natural curiosity.

My dad passed away when I was seven, and my mom moved my brother, sister and me back to her hometown in Kelowna, British Columbia, where I spent most of my childhood. After my dad’s death, my fascination with the Apollo program deepened, and I was captivated by the moon landings. Science “ruled” our culture in the ’60s and ’70s, and I loved watching shows like The Nature of Things and Nova. My first formal introduction to geology came in fifth grade, when my teacher taught us to grow mineral crystals — I remember growing bright blue copper sulfate crystals on a string in a supersaturated solution. Classroom safety wasn’t always front of mind back then — I still tell my ESS 101 students about making topographic profiles of the continents and building my first science fair volcano out of asbestos powder before it was phased out of classrooms in the late 1970s. We even got to handle liquid mercury in class! I had wonderful science teachers throughout grade school in Canada who nurtured that love of science.

What experiences, mentors or pivotal moments have most influenced the way you approach teaching today?

TS: There isn’t one mentor or single pivotal moment — my teaching has evolved through a lifetime of experiences and relationships. My mom gave me the excitability and enthusiasm I try to bring into the classroom; she was a constant burst of energy who shared that life-force with everyone around her. I also had many teachers who shared their passion for teaching with me — good teaching is contagious, and that includes my fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Kerr, and my longtime colleague and mentor, Stan Chernicoff. And from my wife, Fawn, I learned that teaching requires patience, adaptability and the kind of continual dedication that comes from shared parenting. Good parenting is good teaching.

Several life experiences shaped this too. From age 16 on, I worked with children in many capacities — teaching gymnastics, basketball and soccer at community centers in Kelowna and Vancouver, and running summer day camps for a diverse group of kids, including those with special needs. As an undergraduate at UBC, I worked as a research assistant for a clinical psychologist using systematic desensitization to treat agoraphobia, working directly with patients to reduce anxiety around things like public transit and bridges. When I moved to California for graduate school, I continued in counseling roles, working with disadvantaged youth in north Sacramento. Those counseling experiences gave me real skills for teaching people with diverse learning needs and taught me empathy and patience.

Over 38 years teaching at UW, first as a TA and then as faculty, every class and every interaction has added something new — and that cumulative effect shapes how I teach today. Effective teaching evolves over a lifetime, and many of the qualities that make someone a good teacher are the same ones that make them a good counselor, coach or parent. All of it shaped how I approach teaching today.

Reaching 50,000 students is an extraordinary milestone. What was your reaction when you realized just how many students have passed through ESS 101 over the years?

TS: I was moved by the sheer weight of the number. It’s greater than the population of the small town I grew up in. I’m deeply grateful that 52,836 students, as of summer quarter 2026, have let me play a small role in their education at UW, and that we’ve formed a kind of shared bond through that experience. Every quarter I learn something new from my students that I didn’t know before meeting them. Thirty-eight years in, I’m a better teacher because of that shared experience with them.

ESS 101 is often the only geology course many students will ever take. What do you hope every student walks away with after spending an academic quarter in your classroom?

TS: I want my students to be informed citizens who understand how the Earth works, and how the different Earth systems connect and interact. I want them to be critical, flexible thinkers who can challenge conventional ideas and let their opinions evolve as new, credible information comes in. I want them to leave with an appreciation for the intrinsic beauty of our natural landscapes and a hunger to keep learning — so that when they’re traveling, they pick up a “roadside geology” book to understand the world around them a little more deeply. I want them to be citizens who make decisions that benefit not just their own lives, but the lives of others, including the non-human species that share their ecosystem. And ultimately, I want them to carry that passion for the Earth home to their families and friends.

You’ve taught generations of students over more than three decades. What are some of the most memorable changes you’ve seen in your students? What has remained consistent over the years?

TS: Over 38 years, I’ve seen the student population grow more diverse, which has enriched the classroom experience for everyone, myself included. I love the range of perspectives — the exchanges between students who grew up in Washington or elsewhere in the U.S., and international students or recent immigrants sharing their own cultural experiences. I often tell my students, early in the quarter, that just as we need an intimate understanding of a landscape to appreciate its real value, we need those same intimate relationships with classmates and colleagues to see the “whole person” and break down the stereotypes that can build up in a more closed, homogeneous environment.

On a lighter note, the excuses have gotten a lot more honest over the years. In the ’90s and 2000s, a missed exam usually came with a long email about a fender bender or some other unforeseen crisis. Lately I’ve heard excuses like drinking too much coffee, or a student simply telling me my exam schedule didn’t match their own. I know a rare student takes advantage of that trust, but overall, that mutual trust is what creates a positive learning environment — one that’s both productive and genuinely enjoyable.

Geology can seem intimidating to students who don’t have a science background. How do you make Earth’s stories accessible and exciting for everyone?

TS: I think the biggest factor is my willingness to humanize myself and share my everyday life with my students. They know me — they know my family, my pets, my life experiences. That makes them feel comfortable enough to ask questions without fear of judgment, and they know I genuinely want to see them succeed. That combination creates an environment where students are willing to step outside their comfort zone.

I also recognize I’m teaching students with very different backgrounds — from non-science majors with limited math or science experience to STEM seniors and graduate students — and I build my lectures with that in mind, breaking complex processes into pieces students can build on.

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After teaching ESS 101 for so many years, what continues to inspire and energize you every time you walk into the classroom?

TS: My students are what continue to inspire and energize me. I love my students, and they know it. There’s a kind of symbiotic relationship in the room — their thirst for knowledge feeds my thirst for teaching. I always open the first lecture of the quarter by telling my class, sincerely, that being in the room with them inspires me, and every day after that I thank them for showing up, whether in person or watching the recorded lecture, and remind them that their presence and their questions benefit the whole class.

TS: One student stands out: Graycie Viscon, who took my class online in winter 2023. Her emails meant a lot to me because, for years, I resisted online teaching — I saw myself as something of a holdout who thought it was a lesser substitute for the classroom. I only started teaching online because of the pandemic. As I mentioned earlier, I believe serendipity and fate often steer you somewhere new, and that was certainly true of Covid and how it changed me as a teacher. I still believe students get the most out of being physically in the classroom and lab, but I’ve come to believe online teaching can be a genuinely effective way to learn, too.

Graycie’s two emails capture a lot of what I’ve tried to say throughout this interview about what I hope students take from my teaching, and they’re the strongest testimonial I’ve ever received about the effectiveness of my online teaching. I’m deeply grateful to her for that.

Graycie emailed Terry at the end of winter 2023, expressing her gratitude for the course. Despite taking the course online, she felt completely engaged as if she were in the lecture hall. “People might think someone who had been teaching the same class for 31 years wouldn’t have anything new to say, but somehow you find a way to connect to current events and present the material with so much enthusiasm,” she wrote.

Graycie used to love science up until sixth grade, when it wasn’t taught in a way that felt enjoyable anymore. “What I’m trying to say is, thank you for making science fun again,” she said.

When you think about the thousands of students you’ve taught, what do you hope your legacy will be, both as an educator and as an ambassador for the Earth sciences?

TS: I hope my teaching helped them see the Earth in a more intimate way, and that they take an active role, big or small, in protecting the ecosystems we all depend on. I’ve reminded my students for 34 years that the Earth itself will be fine without us — it has been for 4.5 billion years. “Save the Earth” is a bit of a misconception you see on bumper stickers; what we actually need to save are the ecosystems that we and our fellow plants and creatures depend on for survival.

I also hope my enthusiasm and care for their education left them with a genuine, lasting fondness for their time in geology or ESS 101. It moves me every time a former student comes up and reminds me what year they took my class and how much it meant to them — I’ve run into former students in Italy, on the Space Needle renovation project, on airplanes, all over the country. My students feel like one big extended family to me. It means the most when I meet students whose parents took my class in an earlier decade. I joke that I’ll retire when I get a third generation in my classroom and meet my first ESS 101 “grandchild” and honestly, after this long, that’s not out of the question.