Schedule:
Attendance is expected at all lectures and on all field outings. If you miss class or a field exercise, we will arrange for you do make-up work.

Skills taught:
During each day in the field, you will learn how to:

(i) Locate yourself using a GPS device as well as by traditional pace and compass methods,

(ii) Read your position on a topographic map and relate it to what you see in the landscape,

(iii) Recognize minerals, fossils, rocks, structures, field relations, and landforms,

(iv) Collect specimens and data, and maintain a record of your observations using field maps, photos, notebooks, and digital devices.

On returning to base each evening, you will apply traditional skills, including:

(i) Inking-in field sheets and making a presentable geological map,

(ii) Identifying and sketching minerals and fossils,

(iii) Curating your specimen collection and annotating photographs,

(iv) Constructing cross-sections and plotting stereographic projections,

(v) Writing a memoir (report) to accompany your map,

You will be introduced to cutting edge, digital mapping methods, e.g.:

(i) Uploading field data from a pocket pc to a base camp pc,

(ii) "Stitching" field photos into virtual reality panoramas,

(iii) "Draping" your geological map over a DEM database

Outcome:
After Field Camp, you will be qualified to work for an industrial, governmental, or academic employer who needs you to make your own way to an isolated village in a foreign country, assess the local terrane, natural resources, natural hazards, environmental conditions, etc., write a project report, draft a map, generate a data base, and return home safely.

Course: CAS ES 500 Field Geology

Credits: 8

Locations South Iceland; Connemara, South Mayo, and The Burren, Ireland.

Prerequisites:
Successful applicants will have done well in 3 or 4 substantive earth science courses covering a range of topics, including but not limited to intro / dynamic /physical, historical, stratigraphy, sedimentology, paleo-anything, oceanography, mineralogy, microscopy, petrology, planetary science, (bio-)geochemistry, geophysics, structure, tectonics, geoengineering, environmental geology, climate, earth systems / materials, natural disasters, wetlands, groundwater, hydro, soils, geomorphology, surficial, Quaternary, field methods, remote sensing, geocomputing, GIS.

Texts
Readings from selected texts will be available on location. Some of these will be discussed during class or in the field after you have had time (usually one week) to read them.

Grading: Group and individual mapping projects, field problem sets, field notebooks, computer-based exercises, and participation in the success of the group's scientific mission are all used in determining grades.

Academic Integrity
The Boston University Student Academic Conduct Code (BUACC) is available on-line at: http://www.bu.edu/cas/undergraduate/conductcode.html It is your responsibility to read and be aware of its contents. The BUACC defines academic misconduct as: "conduct by which a student misrepresents his or her academic accomplishments or impedes other students' chances of being judged fairly for their academic work." Plagiarism is defined in BUACC as: "Any attempt by a student to represent the work of another as his or her own." Please contact one of the staff if you are unsure of the definition of plagiarism.

Social responsibility
Field camp should be an exhilarating and potentially life-altering experience in a young science student's career. Not everyone gets this kind of opportunity in life and you are right to be excited by it. However, it is your social responsibility to behave in a manner that enriches the academic and cultural experience for everyone. Unsocial behavior include creation of a hostile environment for your fellow students based on their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or perceived academic ability. You will be representing your country and your university abroad and we expect you to behave accordingly. The police in Ireland are unarmed, but they do enforce the law; don't expect to get away with anything that would get you arrested in the U.S.

Special needs:
If you have any pertinent disabilities or challenges, please inform us. We will endeavor to accommodate all reasonable requests for special assistance. Persons with physician-certified disabilities are welcome in our courses and will be assisted in every possible way.

Return to
Earth Sciences
web site...