USING NATIONAL PARKS TO PROVIDE AN INTEGRATED FIELD COURSE IN GEOLOGY AND BIOLOGY

Geology and biology are two sciences that have significant overlap, but oftentimes this commonality is not recognized. Students who major in one of the two disciplines will occasionally venture out and take a course or two in the other area of study. However, these courses do not address any common thread in the two sciences.

For more than ten years we have offered a series of intense field courses in which we address the aspects of geology and biology to show how they are interconnected. We use several national parks located in the Southwest as our classroom. Taught during the summer, the graduate-level course requires that students have a strong background in one of the sciences along with some familiarity with the other. Class size is limited to no more than 14, due to the field work and arrangements that must be made. Numerous exercises are completed in the vehicles in order to keep students occupied while we travel considerable distances between sites. All instruction is done in the field. Each day begins around 5 am and continues until midnight or beyond. At 9 pm each evening we hold a debriefing session to learn what unique facts each participant learned that day. Students are required to develop a dual notebook—one half consists of rough field notes and the second half represents the refinement of these notes in a clear, legible manner. Course grades are based on the notebook, observational exercises, and class participation.

The majority of students have a background in biology. However, the field experience readily affords them the opportunity to see geology in the field and to directly observe how it relates to biology. Roughly half our students are in-service teachers who are able to return to their classrooms with newfound interests and knowledge to share with their students.