Rebecca C. Payne
Assistant Professor of Earth and Climate Sciences and Physics
Current Courses
Fall Semester 2026
Planetary Atmospheres
What do we know about the history of the Earth’s atmosphere? How different is Earth’s atmosphere from the atmospheres of other planets? And how can we study the alien atmospheres of faraway exoplanets? This course explores the atmospheres of planets within our Solar System—from Earth to Venus …
Earth’s Climate System/Lab
The Earth System is composed of the dynamic interactions between its various components: the biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and the atmosphere. Humans are perturbing these components at unprecedented rates, resulting in climate and environmental change on regional and global scales. In this co…
Senior Thesis
An independent study program for students working on a research problem in a field of interest, culminating in the writing of a senior thesis. Students register for PHYS 457 in the fall semester. Majors writing an honors thesis register for both PHYS 457 and 458.