The Senior Experience in Geology comprises two 3-unit courses (GEOL 580 and 620), the first taken in spring term of the junior year and the second in fall term of the senior year.
The junior seminar helps students begin to acquire an “insider's view” of the geosciences. In the first part of the course, students explore the philosophical and historical underpinnings of the discipline and develop strategies for finding and reading technical literature. Then, working with at least one member of the geology faculty, each student identifies a substantive research question and designs a plan by which to investigate that question.
In the senior capstone, students work with faculty mentors to carry out these research plans (sometimes building upon work that they conducted during summer study on campus, in the field, or through programs at other universities). By the end of the term, each student presents his or her research results and analyses to the department as a whole. Some students opt to continue their capstone research throughout their senior year as senior thesis or honors thesis projects.
