Professor Claire Condie Speaks About Classes And Activities

Professor Claire Condie, who joined the Middlesex County College faculty, last year, is glad to be at The College. Condie holds a masters degree in volcanology, for which she has studied volcanoes in Hawaii, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and isotope geochemistry from Rutgers University. In addition, she is currently completing a doctorate from Rutgers in geology.

            Before coming to MCC, Condie worked as a supervisor in the Water Pollution Department of the Monmouth County Health Department, where, says Condie, "We [she and coworkers] created projects for ocean water quality, infrastructure [and] monitoring groundwater plumes." She has also taught classes at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, New Jersey.

            During the fall of 2010, Condie, who had decided to seek full-time work, took a job in the Department of Geosciences at MCC, where she now teaches Geology and Oceanography courses. "My favorite part is teaching non-science majors about science and getting them enthusiastic about it—to look at the environment and the world differently than they looked at it before my class began," she says. However, those aforementioned are not the only classes Condie hopes to teach. "Next semester," she says, "we're adding an additional course to Middlesex…called Dinosaurs, Drilling and Diamonds, which will be a general education class." The course is pending approval.

            On Saturday, April 30, Condie and members of her current classes will attend one of Clean Ocean Action's beach sweeps, which are held annually in spring and fall. During the events, participants remove trash from selected sites and record the amount that they pick up. This information is then included in a report that the event's sponsor sends to the state each year.

            In her spare time, Condie, who enjoys snowboarding, surfing and running, takes part in several other charitable activities. For example, later this year, she plans to participate in a 28-mile trip around New York City on a stand-up paddle board, which will raise money for autism, City Environmental Alliance projects and monitoring of ocean water quality. In addition, she runs to raise funds for breast cancer and the Special Olympics.

            Of MCC, Condie says, "It's fantastic. I'm very happy to be here. Everyone in the school is fantastic, and everyone in the physics and chemistry department has been very welcoming and helpful to me."