THE PRECAMBRIAN RESEARCH CENTER—A NEW INITIATIVE TO PROMOTE PRECAMBRIAN FIELD MAPPING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH

As the minerals industry enters an anticipated period of protracted expansion, a major impediment to this growth is a scarcity of new geoscientists adequately trained in basic field methods. This is especially true in field studies of Precambrian terrains, which host much of the world's ore deposits. The Precambrian Research Center (PRC) is being created at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) with the primary goal of satisfying this new demand for field geologists by providing training and support to upper-level undergraduate students, graduate students, and professional geologists in modern methods of geologic mapping in glaciated Precambrian terrains. A secondary goal of this center is to attract exceptional students, who have an interest in conducting field-oriented research, to the UMD's graduate program.

The PRC will have five programmatic components:

1. Summer geology field camp in northeastern Minnesota - Beginning in 2007, the PRC will conduct a six-week summer field camp focused on the unique aspects of field mapping in Precambrian terrains of the southern Canadian Shield. The field camp will be open to undergraduate and graduate students from throughout the U.S., Canada, and abroad.

2. Graduate assistantships and grants - The PRC will offer several yearly research assistantships for students accepted into the UMD graduate program who wish to pursue field-based research projects focused on the Precambrian geology of the Lake Superior region.

3. Professional workshops/field experiences - The PRC will sponsor a regular series of workshops and field experiences on various topics related to field mapping of Precambrian shield geology. These offerings will be directed toward continuing education for professional geologist, but will also be open to graduate and undergraduate students.

4. Advanced geology courses at UMD - Several new field-based courses will be offered for upper level undergraduates and graduate students within the Department of Geological Sciences.

5. Outreach and field trip offerings - The PRC will offer outreach education and field trip experiences to geology students, K-12 students and the general public on the geology and mineral resources of the Lake Superior region.

Visit www.prc.nrri.umn.edu for more information.