TOP NOTCH FIELD EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS AT A 2-YEAR COMMUNITY COLLEGE: THE GEOSCIENCE PROGRAM AT PASADENA CITY COLLEGE, CALIFORNIA

Most geologists would agree that there is no substitute for taking students into the field, whether they are potential geoscience majors or non-majors fulfilling their science requirements. The Geoscience Program at Pasadena City College (PCC) in southern California offers a variety of field experiences for most courses. Introductory and non-major courses such as physical geology, historical geology, and oceanography are lecture- and lab-based courses at PCC, and often include a short day-trip to a nearby location such as in the San Gabriel Mountains or a beach site. Students can also register for an accompanying 1-unit field course for any of the classes. These field classes are generally offered every semester and involve four days of field work. Skills emphasized in these courses include teaching students how to keep a high-quality field notebook, location on a topographic map or using GPS technology, collecting field data (e.g., using surveying equipment to create beach profiles, water depth profiles along piers, water chemistry and clarity measurements, grain-size analyses of beach sands, and basic structural interpretations), and creating rock collections for specific areas. The oceanography field course typically involves one day following the Los Angeles River and its tributaries through the urban jungle, as well as three days along Pacific Ocean beaches examining coastal processes. Physical geology field course locations vary, and have recently included trips to Death Valley, Owens Valley, and along the San Andreas fault. The field course accompanying historical geology is conducted at Rainbow Basin and the Poleta area of the White Mountains. Here, sophomore level students are introduced to basic field mapping techniques (Brunton compass use, compilation of data on topographic base maps, analysis of satellite imagery). We find that this introduction provides transfer-focused geology majors a considerable headstart over their peers in field courses offered at their transfer institution. Finally, PCC offers a series of "capstone" field courses including an intensive 5-day geologic study of the Channel Islands, and 10-17 day summer/winter intersession field courses. Recent locations include the Rocky Mountains, northern California, Hawaii, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the Colorado Plateau.