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Faculty Profiles

Eric Alan Oches
roches@bentley.edu
JEN 126
781/891-2937
Associate Professor of Natural & Applied Sciences
Associate Professor of Geology & Environmental Sciences

PhD, Univ of Massachusetts-Amherst, 1994

MS, Univ of Massachusetts-Amherst, 1990

BS, Purdue Univ/West Lafayette, 1986

Research Interests:

Reconstructing Earth's climate history

Environmental response to climate change

Human - environment interactions

Earth surface processes

Geoarchaeology

Earth & Environmental Sciences Education

Practice/Consulting Interests:

Environmental Sustainability planning

Teaching Interests:

Global climate change

Science of environmental sustainability

Earth Resources - extraction, consumption, disposal, and environmental impacts

Earth systems science

Surficial geology

Eric Alan Oches
Selected Publications and presentations:

Journal articles
Grimley, D.A, Larsen, D, Kaplan, S.W, Yansa, C.H, Curry, B.B, Oches, E.A. "A multi-proxy paleoecological and paleoclimatic record within full glacial lacustrine deposits, western Tennessee, USA," Journal of Quaternary Science, 2009.

Novothny, A, Frechen, M, Horvath, E, Bradak, B, Oches, E. A, McCoy, W. D. "Luminescence and amino acid racemization chronology of the loess-paleosol sequence at Süttő, Hungary," Quaternary International, vol. 198, no. 1-2, 62-76, 2009.

Machalett, B, Oches, E. A, Frechen, M, et al. "Aeolian dust dynamics in Central Asia during the Pleistocene: Driven by the long-term migration, seasonality, and permanency of the Asiatic polar front," Geochemistry, Geophysics & Geosystems, vol. 9, no. Q08Q09, 1-22, 2008.

Markovic, S. B, Bokhorst, M. P, Vandenberghe, J, McCoy, W. D, Oches, E. A, Hambach, U. "Late Pleistocene loess-paleosol sequences in the Vojvodina region, North Serbia," Journal of Quaternary Science, vol. 23, 73-84, 2008.

Marković, S. B, Oches, E. A, McCoy, W. D, Frechen, M, Gaudenyi, T, Jovanovic, M. "Malacological and sedimentological evidence for "warm" glacial climate from the Irig loess sequence, Vojvodina, Serbia," Geochemistry Geophysics & Geosystems, vol. 8, no. Q09008, 2007.

Rao, G. S, Appel, E, Gautam, P, Oches, E. A, Wehland, F. "The lacustrine section at Lukondol, Kathmandu Basin, Nepal: dating and magnetic fabric aspects," Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, vol. 30, 73-81, 2007.

Carter-Stiglitz, B, Banerjee, S. K, Gourlan, A, Oches, E. A. "A multi-proxy study of Argentine loess: marine oxygen isotope stage 4 and 5 environmental record from pedogenic hematite," Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, vol. 239, 45-62, 2006.

Markovic, S. B, Oches, E. A, Sumegi, P, Jovanovic, M, Gaudenyi, T. "An introduction to the Middle and Upper Pleistocene loess-paleosol sequence at Ruma Brickyard, Vojvodina, Yugoslavia," Quaternary International, vol. 149, 80-86, 2006.

Machalett, B, Frechen, M, Hambach, U, Oches, E. A, Zöller, L, Markovic, S. B. "The loess sequence from Remisowka (Northern Boundary of the Tien Shan Mountains, Kazakhstan), Part I: Luminescence dating," Quaternary International, vol. 152-153, 192-201, 2006.

Markovic, S. B, McCoy, W. D, Oches, E. A, et al. "Paleoclimate record in the late Pleistocene loess-paleosol sequence at Petrovaradin Brickyard (Vojvodina, Serbia)," Geologica Carpathica, vol. 56, no. 6, 545-552, 2005.

Markovic, S. B, Kostic, N. S, Oches, E. A. "Fossil soils in the Ruma loess section, Vojvodina, Yugoslavia," Revista mexicana de Ciencias Geologicas, vol. 21, 79-87, 2004.

Markovic, S. B, Oches, E. A, Gaudenyi, T, Jovanovic, M, Hambach, U, Zoeller, L. "Paleoclimate record in the late Pleistocene loess-paleosol sequence at Miseluk (Vojvodina, Serbia)," Quaternaire, vol. 15, no. 4, 361-364, 2004.

Frechen, M, Oches, E. A, Kohfeld, K. E. "Loess in Europe - Mass accumulation rates during OIS 2," Quaternary Science Reviews, vol. 22, 1835-1857, 2003.

McCorriston, J, Oches, E. A, Walter, D. E, Cole, K. "Holocene Paleoecology and Prehistory in Highland Southern Arabia," Paleorient, vol. 28, no. 1, 61-88, 2002.

Harrower, M. J, McCorriston, J, Oches, E. A. "Mapping the Roots of Agriculture in Southern Arabia: The application of satellite remote sensing, global positioning system (GPS) and geographic information system (GIS) technologies," Archaeological Prospection, vol. 9, 35-42, 2002.

Oches, E. A, McCoy, W. D. "Historical developments and recent advances in Amino Acid Geochronology applied to Loess Research," Earth-Science Reviews, vol. 54, 173-192, 2001.

McCorriston, J, Oches, E. A. "Two early Holocene check dams from southern Arabia," Antiquity, vol. 75, 675-676, 2001.

Book chapters
Oches, Eric A. "Quaternary History," in Earth System: History and Natural Variability. Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), EOLSS Publishers - UNESCO, Oxford, UK, 2009

Oches, Eric A, McCoy, William D, Gnieser, Dagmar. "Aminostratigraphic correlation of loess-paleosol sequences across Europe," in Perspectives in Amino Acid and Protein Geochemistry, pages 331-348, Oxford University Press, New Tirj, 2000

Conference papers
Wehmiller, J. F, Oches, E. A, Portell, R, Karrow, P, Sanford, P, et al. "Aminostratigraphy of the Marine Plio-Pleistocene of Florida: History and Progress Report," in Southeastern Section, Geological Society of America, March 2009.

Oches, Eric A, Little, Mathew, Harries, Peter J. "Geochronology of Late-Holocene Mangrove Island Sedimentation in Florida Bay," in Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, 639, October 2009.

McKnight, J, Oches, E. A, Herbert, G, Harries, P. "Is it all in the looks? taphonomic grades, time averaging, and age estimates from Chione (Bivalvia), West Florida Shelf," in Southeastern Section, Geological Society of America, March 2009.

Harries, P. J, Oches, E. A, Herbert, G. M, Portell, R. "Sea Level and Stratigraphy: Implications for Florida's Plio-Pleistocene record," in Southeastern Section, Geological Society of America, March 2009.

Oches, E. A, Machalett, B, Markovic, S. B, McCoy, W. D, Stevens, T. "Amino acid geochronology as an independent test of numerical dating methods applied to loess deposits in southeastern Europe and central Asia," in American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, December 2008.

Markley, C, Machalett, B, Hambach, U, Oches, E. A. "Glacial-interglacial climate variability in the Black Sea region since MIS 15: record of highly resolved particle-size dynamics from the loess sequence Mircea Voda, Romania," in American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, December 2008.

Machalett, B, Oches, E. A, Markovic, S. B, et al. "Inter-hemispheric linkages and teleconnections of past atmospheric circulation and aeolian dust dynamics recorded in loess sequences across Eurasia," in American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, December 2008.

McKnight, J, Oches, E. A, Herbert, G, Harries, P. "Is it modern on the surface? Time-averaging estimates from the west Florida shelf using amino acid racemization in Chione (Bivalvia)," in Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, October 2008.

Sliko, Jennifer, Oches, Eric, Lambert, Jeanne. "Middle to Late Holocene evolution of Weedon Island and NW tampa Bay, Florida," in Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, October 2008.

Professional Memberships:
Geological Society of America
American Geophysical Union
American Quaternary Association
National Association of Geoscience Teachers
Sigma Xi - The Scientific Research Society

Honors and Awards:
2009, Bentley University - Valente Center Student Research Assistantship in support of research ($1200; Spring '09)

2008, Bentley University Faculty Development Grant: Evolution and Sustainability Potential of Mangrove Islands in Florida Bay $2,000 (9/08-5/09)

2007, University of South Florida Innovative Teaching Grant: Geology and Environments of South Florida & the Florida Keys: Integrating Original Research into the Undergraduate Curriculum $4,000

2004, NSF Research Grant EAR-0354002 (co-P.I. with Peter Harries, USF-Geology) REU Site: Interpreting Paleoenvironments – A Multidisciplinary Field and Laboratory Study of Florida’s Late Neogene Record. $348,828 (12/04 - 11/08)

2002, NSF Research Grant BCS-0211490 (Archaeology Program): Collaborative Research: Roots of Agriculture in Southern Arabia and Mid-Holocene Environmental Changes” $80,825 (8/02 – 8/06) + $4,000 REU Supplement 3/05

2001, NSF Research Grant ATM-0081754 (Earth System History program): “Reconstructing Late Quaternary Paleotemperatures Across the European Loess Belt”. $257,046 (1/01 – 12/05)

2001, U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Grant: “Salt marsh dynamics in Tampa Bay: Measuring the surface response to tidal fluctuations and short term sea-level changes”. $10,075 (2/01 – 6/02)

1999, University of South Florida Presidential Young Faculty Award for project titled “Global Dust Storms and Ice-Age Climate: Reading the Terrestrial Record of Past Climate Change”. $10,000 (7/99 – 11/00)

1997, University of South Florida Research and Creative Scholarship Grant “Amino acid racemization in bioclastic sediments: Clues to deciphering past sea-level changes, San Salvador Island, Bahamas”. $7500

1995, NSF Research Grant EAR-9526827 (co-P.I. with S. Banerjee) for project titled “Late Pleistocene Continental Climate Reconstruction: Magnetic, Sedimentological, and Geochemical Proxies from Ice-Sheet-Margin Sediments”. $125,174 (1996 - 1999).

1994, NSF-NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship. (NSF-9452940) Fellowship for collaborative research at the Geological Institute, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, CR.

Scholarly Work in Progress:
Aminostratigraphy of Pleistocene high sea-level deposits in Florida.
Manuscript under development for submission to the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (Authors: Sanford, P., Oches, E. A., Harries, P., Portell, R.)

Anthropogenic burning strategies in highland southern Arabia: Pastoral territories, Middle Holocene climate change, and resource intensification.
Manuscript under development for submission to Geoarchaeology (authors: McCorriston, J., and Oches, E. A.)

Cattle Cults of the Arabian Neolithic and Early Territorial Societies.
Authors: McCorriston, J., Harrower, M., Martin, L., and Oches, E. Manuscript submitted to American Anthropologist.

Geochronology of Late Holocene Mangrove Island Sedimentation in Florida Bay.
Manuscript for submission to Marine Geology.

Other Activities:
Co-Convener of special session at American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting: "Loess 2.0 - Milestones and Recent Advances in the Study of Loess, Dust, and Other Aeolian Sediment Archives". December, 2009.

Co-Convener for "Loess 2.0 - Renaissance in the Study of the Terrestrial Dust Record". American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting, December, 2008.

Geomorphology textbook proposal reviewer for W.H. Freeman Publishers.

Interviewed by author for Discovery Online and Tree Hugger Online - two sustainability science media outlets.

Manuscript reviewer for academic disciplinary journals: Quaternary Science Reviews; Quaternary International; Journal of Quaternary Science

Research Grant Proposal reviewer for National Science Foundation

Section Vice Chair & Annual Meeting Technical Program Chair, Southeastern Section, Geological Society of America

Invited Lecture: Holocene Paleohydrology and Geoarchaeology in Wadi Sana, Southern Yemen. Invited presentation to the Climate System Research Center, Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, 17 May, 2007.

Invited Keynote Presentation: Aminostratigraphic correlation of loess-paleosol sequences from Europe to Central Asia. Invited Keynote presentation, INTAS Project – Pleistocene Environments in Eurasia, Geozentrum (GGA Institute), Hanover, Germany, November, 2006.

Climate Change – Past, Present and Future. Presentation and panel discussion on Global Warming for the Global Explorations Program, University of Tampa, October, 2005.

NSF - Earth Systems History Program proposal review panel, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

Invited Presentation: Middle Holocene Climate Change and Human – Landscape Interactions in Southern Arabia. Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of South Florida.

Invited Lecture: Middle Holocene Climate Change and Human – Landscape Interactions in Southern Arabia. Department of Earth Sciences, Florida International University, January, 2001.

Invited Keynote Presentation: Historical Developments and Recent Advances in Amino Acid Geochronology applied to Loess Research. Keynote Lecture at “Loessfest ’99 – A conference to mark the 175th anniversary of Von Leonhard’s description of the Rhineland Loess”. Bonn, Germany, March, 1999.

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The teaching and research interests of Eric (Rick) Oches have focused on Earth's recent climate history and human and environmental response to climate changes in the past, present, and future. Field research has taken Rick to diverse localities across Western, Central and Eastern Europe, Argentina, Alaska, midcontinent United States, and Yemen. Presently, Rick's academic interests increasingly center on environmental sustainability and the analysis of public policy to foster a more sustainable future in the context of population growth, increasing natural resource consumption, environmental degradation, and global climate change. View Rick's CV.