INTEGRATING LEVELLED ‘NON-FIELD CAMP’ FIELD COURSES INTO DEPARTMENTAL CURRICULA TO ACHIEVE AWARENESS, ENGAGEMENT, AND PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION: EXPANDING THE GEOSCIENCE STUDENT PIPELINE

Field trips, field work, and field camp are all critical components in the development and training of the next generation of geoscience students. For many of us in the geosciences, the field component of our work was a major factor in our decision to pursue a career in geoscience; it was the critical incident. Whereas traditional field camps remain an integral part of geoscience education and are still required in many programs, field camp can often be an overwhelming whirlwind of acquiring new skills in the field and often are only taken by students who have already fully committed to geoscience. It is frequently the earlier, or less formal, ‘classroom’ field experiences that provided the critical incident in many geoscientists’ careers. These opportunities can be provided as broader outreach opportunities within grant applications.

At the University of Iowa, through a National Science Foundation – Improving Undergraduate Stem Education (IUSE) grant, we are introducing a series of levelled ‘non-field camp’ field courses to our curriculum in an effort to improve student awareness of, engagement with, and professional preparation for a career in the geosciences. First year student field trips are day trips, and are intended for non-majors and open degree students. We visit state parks and are focused on making students aware of the geosciences as a potential study and career path. The sophomore field trip is to Badlands National Park, and is focused on engagement with geologic principles and knowledge that they are expected to have encountered in the introductory course. The junior field trip includes the Missouri Valley volcanic complex and allows for the field demonstration of materials and skills that students have learned in their mineralogy and petrology courses. The senior field trip is truly a capstone course and includes a trip to Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountains, and Carlsbad Caverns National Parks. Unlike field camp, the objective here is the application of their previous education: this trip will provide an opportunity for students to put their own pieces together in the broadest sense possible and prepare themselves for the next step in their geoscience careers.