Department of Marine and Coastal Environmental Science

Charles H. Coleman Jr.

Instructional Assistant Professor
Department of Marine and Coastal Environmental Science

"You cannot wake a person who is pretending to be asleep."

-Navajo Proverb

Learn more about Charles H. Coleman Jr.

What in your life drew you to your current field of study?

As a child I saw the world through a naturalists’ point of view. I was always drawn to how the different parts of our world are so interconnected. I Followed every stream in my home town to its source of origin and from an early age was excited that little streams formed bigger streams that formed rivers which fed the oceans. There was inspiration in that no matter what scale you viewed the world through everything seemed connected and that I was part of that. I couldn’t get enough of camping, hiking and just general exploring. I loved going to a forest where I had never been taking off in random directions to see where my instincts would lead me. In school the sciences seemed like the right language to try to speak. College leanings were toward Biology and Geology. Then I discovered in Oceanography you could study everything at once, as a whole. From there I was drawn into the unique flavor of coastal geology and got hooked. I was lucky and the right teachers and mentors popped up at the right times.

What do you hope your students gain from studying or working with you?

That knowledge in and of itself is fundamental to their lives. I hope seeing how all the many sub-disciplines intertwine and interrelate will broaden their intellectual perspective allowing them to make sense of what can be to a young student in college a dizzying maze of possibilities. We often learn more from getting something wrong and then figuring out how to get it right. Learning how to learn from our mistakes is a process that is applicable to our lives. Make a plan. A plan is not a list it is a stream looking for an ocean.

What are you passionate about in your personal life?

Family is most important and I must confess I am nothing without them. I have found a very patient and understanding soul mate. My wife and I have been primary caregivers for her mom in her 90’s who’s lived with us for a decade or so. Being there for family and friends is something society could use a little more of. In the younger version of myself sport passions ran the gamut: tennis, ping pong, windsurfing, biking and swimming. Even considered myself a singer song writer for a while, but couldn’t quit convince the rest of the world.

Publications

Baskaran, M., Coleman, C. H., and Santschi, P. H., 1992. Atmospheric depositional fluxes of 7Be and 210Pb at Galveston and College Station, Texas. (Journal of Geophysical Research in press as of November, 1993).

Benoit, G., Oktay, S., Cantu, A., Hood, M. E., Coleman, C., Corapcioglu, O., and Santschi, P. H., 1992. Partitioning of Cu, Pb, Ag, Zn, Fe, Al, and Mn between filter-retained particles, colloids and solution in six Texas estuaries, Mar. Chem., in press, November 1993.

Laodong, G., Coleman, C. H., Santschi, P. H., 1992. The distribution of Colloidal and Dissolved Organic Carbon in the Gulf of Mexico. (in press November, 1993).

Abstracts:

Santschi, P. H., Baskaran, M., and Coleman, C. H., 1991. Interfacial processes in estuarine and coastal marine environments, Ocean Sciences Meeting, American Geophysical Union, New Orleans, Jan. 27-31, 1992, EOS, 72/51, 26.

Santschi, P. H., Baskaran, M., and Coleman, C. H., 1991. The coupling of interactions between ions, particles and sediments in estuaries as revealed by natural radioisotopes such as those of Th, Be, and Pb. 11th Biennial International Estuarine Research Conference, San Francisco, Nov. 10-14, 1991.

Benoit, G., Coleman, C. H., Cantu, A., Griffin, L., and Santschi, P. H. 1990. Trace metals in Texas estuaries. EOS 71/2, 112.

Baskaran, M., Coleman, C. H., Benoit, G., and Santschi, P. H., 1990. Natural radionuclides in Texas estuaries. EOS 71/2, 71.

Cantu, A., Coleman, C. H., Benoit, G., and Santschi, P. H., 1990. Trace metals in Texas estuaries. Proc. Texas Acad. Science 93rd Meeting, March 2-3, 1990.

Contact Info

Charles H. Coleman Jr.
Instructional Assistant Professor
Department of Marine and Coastal Environmental Science

colemanc@tamug.edu

Phone: +1 (409) 740.4516

Fax: +1 (409) 740.4429

Kirkham Hall, Office 125