REMOTE FIELD COURSE: INTEGRATING GEOLOGICAL SKILLS INTO HOLISTIC PROBLEM SOLVING FOR UNDERCLASSMEN

Remote Field Course (RFC) is a 2.5-week field course in the southwestern US. We designed RFC to increase student interest in completing field-based research. Unlike typical geological field camps, RFC is primarily directed towards students who have completed their freshman year of courses. Additionally, it combines discipline-specific skills and teamwork with students from a variety of disciplines. Each student who enrolls in RFC selects three discipline-specific 2- to 3-day modules. The disciplines presently offered include geology, environmental science and studies, ecology, and anthropology. Geology modules presently offered include Cordilleran Geology, Erosion and Land Use, and Dinosaurs. Each module requires students to collect field data in order to solve problems. In the Cordilleran Geology module, students assess lithology, sedimentary structures, and stratigraphic characteristics in order to define and categorize times of significant tectonic activity. During the final exercise of the Erosion and Land Use module, groups of students assess land use and geologic hazards of a portion of Moab, Utah. In the dinosaur module, students examine a variety of bone beds in order to better understand dinosaur ecology and taphonomic biases. In addition to the discipline-specific modules, each student participates in two integrated modules: Forest Fire and Mining in Moab. During each of these modules, as team members, students apply discipline-specific skills towards developing a better understanding of complex issues. For example, during the Mining in Moab module, each student develops an understanding of the mineralogy of uranium bearing minerals, reviews key historical legislation that relates to uranium mining, takes a tour of a potash mine, examines uranium mines in the Chinle and Morrison formations, examines historical records related to mining "booms" and "busts" in Moab, assesses potential off-site transport of radioactive waste from an abandoned uranium processing plant using a Geiger counter and by examining indicator-species of plants, and interviews local decision-makers regarding environmental issues related to mining. This integrated teamwork simulates professional projects on which students will work following college and graduate school.