Geology class takes trip to California

Each year a small group of undergraduate students interested in geology go beyond the classroom and are introduced to the natural history of the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. \nThe introductory-level field course, "Volcanoes Of the Eastern Sierra Nevada: Geology and Natural Heritage of the Long Valley Caldera," which has been taught four times, culminates with a two-week excursion to the Sierra Nevada. \nProfessor of geological sciences Michael Hamburger, one of two course instructors, said in an e-mail interview that each year it has been a success, bringing together a diverse group of students with majors ranging from fine arts and English to aspiring geology majors. \n"We're always happily surprised by the great group dynamics," he said.\nGeological Sciences G188 can also can be taken as Collins Living-Learning Center L130, according to the program's Web site www.indiana.edu/~sierra/. The three-credit course also includes a required one-credit seminar that is taught in the second half of the spring semester. \nTeaching the course are Hamburger and John Rupp, senior research scientist of the Indiana Geological Survey and director of the Survey's Subsurface Geology Section. Hamburger is considered to be an expert on earthquakes, volcanoes and plate boundary processes, having conducted field investigations around the world, according to the program's Web site. Rupp has worked throughout the western United States on geology and natural resource issues. \nInitially the experience can be a bit shocking to some students, Hamburger said. After leaving Bloomington in the early hours of the morning, many students are surprised to realize in the afternoon they are in Death Valley. Surprises are always around the corner during the trip. Students often are alarmed to discover they are standing beneath a pile of debris produced by one of the planet's largest volcanic eruptions while they are exploring the Owens River Gorge, for example. \nHamburger said an extreme variety of temperatures and environments adds to the excitement of the trip. \n"(Students) explore the deepest, driest, hottest place on the continent; then two days later, we'll be up at 11,000 feet, hiking through snow to look at the world's oldest organisms," he said. "The next day, we're exploring one of the greatest volcanic eruptions in the history of the planet." \nSenior Kristin Smith took the course last summer. She said she was thinking about taking a geology class to fulfill a science requirement and was glad she decided to take this course. \n"I really enjoyed the learning environment of the class," she said. "It was a hands-on 24-hour learning process. I loved going out in the field and playing around." \nThe interactive quality of the class, along with going out into a beautiful part of the world, encouraged Smith to recommend this class to other students, she said.\nSmith said the class was helpful to her because she really wasn't interested in the sciences. Before going on the trip, she said she felt a little hesitant. \nShe said Hamburger and Rupp made the course smooth for her. \n"Michael and John have different ways of explaining things ... they taught well together ... they tailor to everyone's learning style" she said. \nHamburger said he really enjoys the unique environment of the "natural classroom", sharing an intimate, hands-on learning environment. With a student-teacher ratio of 15:1, it is an ideal situation for students to learn in an individualized environment. \nHamburger said one of his favorite aspects of the trip is riding through Tahoe Valley in bright sunshine, singing along with a van-full of students to the Grateful Dead, something he never gets to do in a normal class.\n"The difference from a large lecture-type science class is like night and day," he said. "I love seeing the light bulbs flash on as students suddenly discover the amazing geological processes taking place beneath their feet"