This summer, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology will host nearly 100 students participating in geology field camps in not only the United States, but also in Turkey and India. The 101 students (up from 62 in 2007) come from 34 universities, including the School of Mines, Harvard, Texas A&M, Purdue, and more. These camps are offered through the Black Hills Natural Sciences Field Station, a cooperative program formed by a consortium of colleges and universities from several states that offers variety of field courses in both geology and geological engineering programs. These courses are offered from Ranch A, a historic log mansion located in the northern Black Hills near Beulah, Wyoming, from the School of Mines campus in Rapid City and from the Taskesti field station, located on the north Anatolian Fault Zone, about 150 miles east of Istanbul, Turkey. An environmental geology field camp will also be held at the Andaman Islands and the port city of Chennai in India.
The field camps provide students the opportunity to not only learn more about geology, but about culture and collaboration.
"This type of experience is life-changing, "Dr. Nuri Uzunlar, director of the Black Hills Natural Sciences Field Station, said. "In a compound, they are living with faculty and students day and night. They come away with a different perspective in both science and life, and a huge leap in personal and professional growth."
For more information about the field camps or the Black Hills Natural Science Field Station, visit http://geologyfieldcamp.sdsmt.edu/.