Geosciences Track

Track

Educational Geoscience

Geoscience Track

Six intermediate-level geoscience courses: 221, 222, 231, 232, 241, and 251.

Two advanced-level geoscience courses: 361 plus one additional course at the advanced level or a 4-6 credit summer geology field camp.

Environmental Geoscience

The Major

Advisers:

• The class of 2011: John Brady (Sabin-Reed 122)
• The class of 2012: Sara Pruss (Sabin-Reed 121)
• The class of 2013: Amy Rhodes (Burton 113)
• The class of 2014: Bosiljka Glumac (Burton 208)

Adviser for Study Abroad: Amy Rhodes, 2010-2011; Bosiljka Glumac, 2011-2012.

Basis: 101 and 102, or 108, or FYS 103, or GEO 102 in conjunction with any other 100-level geoscience course.

Requirements: Beyond this basis, the requirements for individual tracks within the major include:

1) Geoscience Track
- Six intermediate-level geoscience courses: 221, 222, 231, 232, 241, and 251.
- Two advanced-level geoscience courses: 361 plus one additional course at the advanced level or a 4-6 credit summer geology field camp.

2) Environmental Geoscience Track
- Two chemistry courses. No more than one at the 100 level. Aqueous Geochemistry (GEO 301) may count for one.
- One ecology course: Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation and Lab (BIO 154, 155), Marine Ecology and Lab (BIO 268, 269) (prereq BIO 154 or GEO 108), Principles of Ecology and Lab (BIO 266, 267) (prereq BIO 154 and a course in statistics), or Plant Ecology and Lab (BIO 364, 365) (prereq course in plant biology or ecology or environmental science).
- One environmental policy course: Environmental Economics (ECO 224) (prereq ECON 150), Population and Environment in Africa (ANT 230), Economy, Ecology, and Society (ANT 236), Politics of the Global Environment (GOV 254) (prereq GOV 241), Seminar in American Government: Politics and the Environment (GOV 306) (prereq a 200-level course in American Government), World Population (SOC 232), Environment and Society (SOC 233), Seminar in Environmental Sociology (SOC 332) (prereq SOC 101), U.S. Environmental History and Policy (PPL 222), or Seminar in Environmental Sciences and Policy (EVS 300).
- Four intermediate-level geoscience courses: 221, 222, 231, 232, 241, or 251.
- One 300-level course in geosciences or a 4-6 credit summer geology field camp.
- Research: Special Studies (GEO 400), or Honors (GEO 430d or 432d).

3) Educational Geoscience Track
- Three education courses (*recommended): *The American Middle School and High School (EDC 232), *Educational Psychology (EDC 238), *Growing up American: Adolescents and their Educational Institutions (EDC 342), Individual Differences Among Learners (EDC 347), Methods of Instruction (EDC 352), or *Teaching Science, Engineering, and Technology (EDC 390).
- Six additional geoscience courses above the 100-level. One of these must be at the 300-level or be a 4-6 credit summer geology field camp course.
(Note: This track does not lead to Educator Licensure. Students who wish to satisfy licensure requirements would need to take all EDC courses listed above, plus EDC 346 (Clinical Internship in Teaching), and should consult with a faculty member of the Department of Education and Child Study.)

Smith courses that satisfy the advanced-level course requirement include: Aqueous Geochemistry (GEO 301), Groundwater Geology (GEO 309), Environmental Geophysics (GEO 311), Ecohydrology (ENG 315), Seminar: Topics in Astrophysics-Asteroids (AST 330), Mechanics of Granular Media (ENG 340), Geology Senior Seminar (GEO 355), Economic Geology (GEO 370), and Advanced work or Special Problems in Geology (GEO 400). Appropriate courses taken at other institutions also may qualify, as does a 4-6 credit geology field camp.

A summer field course is strongly recommended for all majors and is a requirement for admission to some graduate programs. Majors planning for graduate school will need introductory courses in other basic sciences and mathematics. Prospective majors should see a departmental adviser as early as possible.

The Minor

Advisers: same as for the major.

Many emphases are possible within the geoscience minor. For example, a student interested in earth processes and history might take 101, 106, 112, FYS 103, 231, 232, 251, 361, and an elective course. A student concerned about environmental and resource issues might take 101, 104, 105, 108, 109, FYS 177, 221, 232, and 309. Students contemplating a minor in geosciences should see a departmental adviser as early as possible to develop a minor course program. This program must be submitted to the department for approval no later than the beginning of the senior year.

Requirements: Completion of the basis plus at least 22 credits at the 200-level or above.

Honors

Director: John Brady, 2010-2011.
Sara Pruss, 2011-2012.

430d Honors Project
8 credits
Full year course; Offered each year

432d Honors Project
12 credits
Full year course; Offered each year

Please consult the director of honors or the departmental website for specific requirements and application procedures.

Field Experiences

The department regularly sponsors an off-campus field-based course for geoscience students. This course may be entirely during Interterm, such as recent courses in the Bahamas and Hawaii. Or it may be a spring semester course with a field trip during spring break or during the following summer, such as recent courses in Death Valley, Iceland, and Greece. Because there are many important geologic features that are not found in New England, geoscience majors are encouraged to take at least one of these courses to add breadth to their geologic understanding.

The Department of Geosciences is a member of the Keck Geology Consortium, a group of eighteen colleges funded by the National Science Foundation to sponsor cooperative student/faculty summer research projects at locations throughout the United States and abroad.