Dr. Eric Riggs

Dr. Eric Riggs is the Dean of the College of Natural Resources and Sciences at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. His dissertation research focused on the experimental mineral physics and mechanics of deep-focus earthquakes, but his work now, and for most of his career, has focused on discipline based education and geoscience education, most recently on workforce development and science policy. In this video, Eric discusses what it was like to be at the end of his graduate school career, job offer in hand, only to get edits back for a reviewer on a paper that caused him to question everything about one of his chapters. However, after taking the time to regroup and redo experiments, Eric came out of the experience with a stronger dissertation chapter and lessons about how you can rise back from failure with hard work, determination, and community both inside and outside of your own lab.