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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

Geysers, Lava Flows, Grizzly Bears and More!


Last week, Geosciences Professors Jessica Barone and Amanda Colosimo returned with 17 students from a nine-day field excursion to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, Devils Tower and Craters of the Moon National Monuments, Great Salt Lake, Independence Rock as well as many geological sites between these amazing places!  This trip was the field/laboratory component to the new field course in the Geosciences developed by Barone and Colosimo: Geo 195 "Field Studies in the Geosciences, Yellowstone Supervolcano and Geological Features of the West."  This course met for 10 evenings during the semester and culminated with the field studies portion in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho from June 6-14, 2011.

Students were asked to reflect on their experience and many described this field course as "life-changing", "eye-opening", "entertaining", and "educational."  Many commented on how there really is no way better to learn geology than in the field and several realized geology was their "calling" after taking this course.

Professors Barone and Colosimo are hoping to run this class again in the next year or two, and are planning to develop a second field course in a different region of the U.S. or maybe even abroad!

Daniel Robertson
Chemistry and Geociences
06/22/2011