post-field camp

Six weeks in Montana/Wyoming/Idaho with 30 geologists... I have to admit it was really intimidating at first, and I did not want to go (but when do I ever really start out wanting to go anywhere?), but now all I can think about is getting back. (Or just anywhere other than suburbia...)

I walked off the plane last night, and the thick, hot, humid air almost choked me. Add in the jet fuel fumes, and you've got a noxious concoction that would make anyone who's spent 6 weeks at elevation want to hurl. And the people... Even just sitting in the Denver airport, watching all these "normal" people was like watching a whole new species of human. And they smell funny too. But the thing that got me the most was the sheer number of people. It was really overwhelming. There had to be thousands of people just standing/sitting around in the airport terminal.

Enough of that. Field camp was a pretty awesome experience. We went to some pretty amazing places, and while some of them were a little crowded (ahem, Yellowstone), it was still an experience I wouldn't give up. The group we had was one of the best parts - it was such a diverse group, and everyone had something interesting to add to the group. And I may be the only one, but I really liked all of the mapping projects we did. I wish we had done more mapping (I might have been shot for saying that a week ago).

I don't really know what I want to do anymore now. Before, all I had really been exposed to was structural geology and geomorphology, and I really liked both of those, but now I'm curious about other things, like oil and economic geology, and I have no idea what I want to do anymore. The plan used to be to get my Ph.D. and teach, but now I'm not so sure. I know I'm definitely taking at least a year off of academia after I get my masters. I could see myself working for an oil company or a mining company in the future, maybe, possibly. Well I guess I have a little while to figure this out, or at least until summer internship applications for 2012 are due.

Now all I want to do is go camping and hiking... Some time soon I will put up pictures.

Symposiums and stuff...

So this past week was the Keck Geology Consortium Symposium in Schenectady, New York: one hundred undergraduate geology majors with posters and powerpoints to present to each other and their advisors. I was really happy to see my research group from Colorado again. It had been about 8 months since we had seen each other. The reunion was nice.

The symposium was at Union College. They planned a field trip for us on Friday. We saw some 10cm garnets, stromatolites, The Great Unconformity, and some other outcrops of rock in the southeastern Adirondacks. Upstate New York is very "cute." All the houses are cute (and huge). There was still some snow on the ground in some places - it was still quite cold there. (Really makes me glad I didn't opt to go to Vermont for grad school! I just can't handle that much snow.) On Saturday there were two 3-hour oral presentation sessions and two 1-hour poster presentation sessions. The large majority of presentations had to do with petrology and mineralogy, which are two things I know nothing about (well, not yet anyway). I feel like my presentations went well. They finished the day off with a cocktail hour and a formal dinner. It was a good experience and I feel better prepared for AGU or GSA conferences in the future.

So close, yet so far

Less than 4 weeks of school are left. This semester has been a whirlwind of research and projects and field trips. I can barely catch my breath.

I have finished my research from Colorado. I presented it at a poster session today, and I am also presenting it at the Keck Geology Symposium on April 15. The map is awesome (if I do say so myself) and the calculations, well, we made them work. But, it's complete. I just need to have my thesis revised and get two signatures, then I'm good to go.

I have accepted an offer to grad school. I'm pretty excited to work in an actual geology department where there are rocks everywhere. I also know which classes I'm taking in the fall: Tectonics and Mineralogy. The description of the tectonics course: "Evolution of Earth’s lithosphere in context of plate tectonics theory. Formation of continents through comparative anatomy of mountain belts, including Appalachians, Alps, Urals, Caledonians, Cordillera, Andes, and Himalayas." That sounds so awesome! Much better than the classes I have been forced to take at GT (specifically field methods and data analysis).

On that note... field methods is probably the most irrelevant class I've had to take. And it requires the most work. It's so biased towards water chemistry that it's almost impossible to create a project in anything else.

The curriculum of this department is poorly organized. Some classes are duplicates of others. Some classes are irrelevant to some students. Basic classes (such as mineralogy) are missing. There is no excuse for these faults. Well, they do give an excuse, but it is a poor one: "We don't want to compete with UGA." Honestly, what does competing with UGA have to do with the course offerings? If a course is useful to the students in the department, it should be offered. If the course is required by all other comparable curricula and departments, it should be offered.

Then they suggest that students take the courses they don't offer at GT at GSU, which, yes GSU is right down the street and it does offer the courses, but the logistics are just wrong. I looked into this. The courses I needed to take (sedimentology and mineralogy) all conflicted with the classes I needed to take here (which are irrelevant to my interests, but required for graduation). It was impossible.

So now, I will have to take remedial courses in grad school to catch up. And I'll have to wait another year to take the siliciclastic petrogenesis class that sounds cool (if they offer it next year).

Now I just need to go to the gym so I can get in shape for field camp. I'd like to not die when I get there. Here's a link to the field camp:

http://www.geology.siu.edu/courses/geol454/index.html

And the semester comes to an end...

It's almost over, my last fall semester at GT. All that's left is one class tomorrow morning, two final exams, and a take home exam. Then I start my last semester here. My last semester, can you believe that? I can't...

I'm pretty excited about next semester, though. Double A and I have lots planned... we're going to have dinner making parties and go to the gym and just have a generally awesome semester. At least all of that will make up for the crappy classes I have to take. I am really not looking forward to taking field methods or data analysis. Field methods would be okay if it weren't purely chemistry field methods, which will be no help to me in a geology career. And somehow, I have to finish my research and write two theses... somehow. But I'm auditing a French class! That should be exciting, right?

But, I still don't know what I'm doing after I graduate. I should figure that out...

Two spaces or not two spaces?

I've finally finished the first drafts of my three NSF essays. I must say, I really did not enjoy it. It's so hard to incorporate "broader impacts" into it all like they want. Writing these essays gave me a headache, which I still have.

And in this whole writing process, I learned that I have been wrong about something all my life. Apparently it's wrong to use two spaces at the beginning of each sentence! I've been doing this since I can remember, and now it's just second nature. It supposedly went out of style when they switched from typewriters (which use a monospaced font) to computers (which use a custom spaced font). I don't know what to think anymore.

I think I'll keep my two spaces, thank you very much.

Updates...

I visited a potential grad school this weekend. I really like it there, everyone seemed pretty nice. I hope I get in...

Meanwhile, we are still waiting on microspheres for my research with Joe. And I think we will finally start sieving my Colorado samples this week (progress!). I was really getting tired of the waiting around to do stuff. And is it just me or does the word "sieving" look like it is spelled wrong?

We have our second field trip for structure this weekend. It's mostly "show and tell" I am told, but who knows for sure? Kurt does, but he's not saying anything. And, we're getting t-shirts made for structure! I got to design them, so I'm really excited to see them.

I've been looking at buying a new camera. I have found lots and lots of good reviews for the Panasonic FZ35, but they recently came out with a new model (the FZ40). I'm a bit wary of buying a new model before it's had ample time to have it's flaws pointed out, but then I feel like I should not buy the old version because it is the old version.

Random thoughts of procrastination

My desk has more rocks on it than anything else.

Why is it so hot in October? I dislike this weather.

What are you supposed to wear for an interview to a geology school? I feel like business clothes are not appropriate for geology, but then you should dress up for an interview.

When is the next GT Observatory night? Did I already miss it?

How am I supposed to remember 35 notecards worth of test material?

Grad school... where to go? No one ever replies to my emails. Except for the guy at UTK. He's super awesome at replying. Can I get into CU Boulder without talking to any professors first?

Why are the GTPD such jerks? And why are they so creepy? I mean, why would you sneak up behind some innocent pedestrian in your cop car, and surprise them with a loud "BEEP!"? And why do they feel the need to set off their alarms at 3 in the morning for no reason?

I didn't realize Bruno Mars was so short until I saw him on SNL. They really fool you in the videos.

I don't want to study, but I guess I will..... maybe...........