Independent Study

In their junior year, geology majors study the concepts and techniques of geologic research and undertake a Junior Independent Study project. The capstone of this process of independent learning, however, is the senior Independent Study thesis (I.S.) project in which students, with the guidance of a faculty mentor, design and pursue original geological research investigations. Geology majors have recently completed projects in regional geology, glaciology, archaeology, sedimentology, paleontology, stratigraphy, mineralogy and petrology, and plate tectonics. Because geology is best learned in the field, majors are encouraged to do extended field work during the summer between their junior and senior years, and this work is often the basis of senior research projects. In recent years, students have undertaken field studies in such diverse places as Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and even the Bahamas, Cyprus, Israel, and western Europe.

Here is a link to our I.S. writing webpage.

Individual Geology Senior Independent Study webpages are being added this Fall. The first set is in paleontology, stratigraphy and sedimentology. The second set is in geomorphology.