Education
PhD (1990) Geology and Geochemistry, MIT
SB (1984) Geology, MIT
Research Interests
Larry McKenna is Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Science at Framingham State University, where he is currently Chair of the Department of Environment, Society & Sustainability. McKenna trained as a geologist and geochemist at MIT, earning his Ph. D. in 1990 (when average surface temperatures were a full 1.2° Fahrenheit cooler than today!), and has been at FSU since 2008. He is currently finishing his climate change textbook, Conversations with the Earth, as an Open Educational Resource, part of FSUs NSF-funded ROTEL program. His current research interests center on the intersection between climate change, policy, and “agency,” the ability to affect one’s future. He notes, to his surprise, that when he first started working on climate change, the primary challenge was convincing people it was caused by human actions; now the primary challenge is convincing people it’s a problem that can be solved. When asked if there is one thing he wishes he could impart to everyone about climate change, he said, “Yes-there’s positive news here. We still have the power to stop the worst consequences of climate change. We have agency. And we can do it-we must do it-in our lifetimes.” McKenna and his wife live in Jamaica Plain, MA and have two smart, wonderful and mathematically inclined daughters.
Courses Taught
ASTR 128/218 Solar System Astronomy
EASC 101/201 Climate Change is Now: An Introduction to Earth Systems
EASC 118/228 Our Blue Planet: An Introduction to Oceanography
EASC 450 Seminar in Earth System Science
ENVS 202 Data Analysis for Scientists
ENVS 451/452 Senior Thesis in Environmental Science I/II
ENVS 333 Digital Field Work; Drones, Data and AI
GEOL 108/208 Physical Geology
GEOL 233 Environmental Geology
PHSC 109 Introduction to Physical Science
PHYS 201 Physics for Earth and Life Scientists
PHYS 211 Principles of Physics I
PHYS 212 Principles of Physics II
PHYS 272 Modern Physics
