Christopher Barton, Ph.D.
Professor of Nonlinear Dynamics and Complexity in Earth and Environmental Systems

Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences
265 Brehm Lab
Wright State University
3640 Colonel Glenn Highway
Dayton, Ohio 45435

E-mail:
Office phone/fax: (937) 775-3444
Dept phone: (937) 775-2201
Dept fax: (937) 775-4997

Courses Taught

Fall Semester:

• EES 4430/6430 Analysis and Prediction of Complex Natural and Human Systems, 3 Hrs
• EES 6990 Independent Study: Matlab Programming for Science Research, 3 Hrs.
• EES 6270 Seminar (Complexity); 0.5-2 Hrs
• EES 4280/6280: Earth and Environmental Science Colloquium, 0.5 Hr

Spring Semester:

• EES 7100/ ES 7160 Complexity in Environmental Systems, 4 Hrs. (taught odd numbered years)
• EES 4210/6210 Structural Geology and Tectonics, 3 Hrs. (taught even numbered years)
• EES 6990 Independent Study: Matlab Programming for Science Research, 3 Hrs.
• EES 6270 Seminar (Complexity); 0.5-2 Hrs
• EES 4280/6280: Earth and Environmental Science Colloquium, 0.5 Hr

Research

Christopher C. Barton is Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences and founder and leader of the Complexity Research Group http://complexity.wright.edu at Wright State University since 2004. He is a pioneer in the identification and quantification of nonlinear dynamics and complexity in earth, environmental, human, and economic systems. He uses the mathematical tools of fractals, chaos, and complexity to analyze, model, and forecast future behavior of complex systems. Current research topics include shoreline dynamics, the pattern of reversals in the Earth’s magnetic field, the temporal dynamics of stream and river discharge, and precipitation travel time through watersheds. He is an expert on risk assessment of natural hazards and petroleum assessment. Dr. Barton received two master’s degrees (1976, 1977), and a Ph.D. (1983) from Yale University. He was a post-doctoral fellow at U.C. Berkeley. He was a senior research scientist and project chief the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from 1984 until his retirement in 2004. He has twice been a USGS G.K. Gilbert Fellow at IBM with Benoit Mandelbrot, the "father of Fractals.” He is the author of more than 60 published research papers and is the senior editor of two books. He is a contributing editor to the international journal, Fractals since 1994.

The Wright State University Complex Systems Research Group is composed of faculty and students conducting research on Complex Systems. Click here to visit their website.

Current Students

• Rachel Taylor, MS Candidate (2012)
• Patrick Craig, MS Candidate (2013)
• Andrew Lyda, MS Candidate (2012)